As the original guitarist of the Misfits, Franché Coma recorded one of punk’s great lost works, Static Age, before leaving the band in 1978. “Should I have done it? No. But I did,” he says.
In fairness, who could blame him? The Misfits were initially met with a wave of rejection from labels – even the one that funded their recordings. It wasn’t until they hired Doyle Wolfgang von Frankenstein as Coma’s replacement that they pushed to the forefront of punk via buzzsaw tunes and horror aesthetics.
He stayed friends with his old bandmates, watching their star rise. “I had no animosity,” he says. “There was no friction; no words, no fighting, no nothing.”
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Some of the songs from Static Age – a 17-song session tracked in just 20 hours – trickled out in the ‘80s, before the full album was finally released in 1996. Since then it’s become iconic in its own right.
“Glenn Danzig was never difficult to work with,” he adds. “We had natural chemistry, except when I decided I wanted to leave the band, which was a mistake. But who knew? I thought I was moving on to something better.”
How did you end up with the Misfits?
We used to hang out at this park called Redstone Lane. [Bassist] Jerry Only and I were best friends. Jerry started playing with this band, with Manny Martinez and Glenn. They wanted to get a guitar player, and Jerry knew I was starting to play a bit. So they brought me down to Manny’s house, and that’s pretty much how I ended up with the Misfits.
What was your initial impression of Glenn?
I had no problem. He was a very talented musician, a smart guy, and had some insight into the scene in New York, which was a plus. He really knew what was going on. He wasn’t difficult to work with because he wrote the songs – he knew the songs.
He’d show you and say, “Do something like this,” or, “What do you want to do in this part?” We all just clicked.
Was the overall vibe pretty gritty, given financial constraints?
We played if we got $50, $60, or $100 bucks, whatever. It went toward the recording or the cover for the recording. So there were financial constraints, but we made it happen. I don’t ever remember taking a nickel, or even asking for a nickel.
How did the writing and sessions for Static Age kick off? What gear were you working with?
It was all the songs we originally started doing. Bullet became our first single and Attitude was on the flip side. My gear – I’m working on some of that same gear right now – was an Ampeg V4 head and a 42-inch V2 cabinet. And I used an Electro-Harmonix Big Muff, and that’s pretty much it.
We were headcases back then, because we turned down gigs with Iggy Pop and Tom Verlaine
I bought a Gibson Explorer from a music store in Ridgewood, New Jersey: Victor’s House of Music, which is no longer there. But the guitar had no balls with the Gibson pickups, which were humbuckers. With the clean Ampeg, it was lacking the breakup we needed. So I changed to DiMarzio Super Distortions, added the Big Muff, and that pretty much created the sound.
How did Last Carress, Static Age, Bullet, and Teenagers from Mars come together?
Glenn had the rhythm for all the songs. If he wanted a little bit of a whatever with the vocals or the guitar, he’d say, “Let’s do it this way.” He’d say, “Here, give me the guitar – I’ll show you,” then I’d add what I do – you know, better!
Why did the band struggle to find a label?
We had our own label called Blank Records; a subsidiary of Mercury Records came out with that. I can still picture the one guy’s face who we worked out a deal with. We got 20 hours of recording time, the masters, the mother tapes, and an opportunity to be on Mercury.
But that never came about. They were stereotypes who thought they knew what was up-and-coming. They thought the punk scene was too underground and was never going to click. Well, 50 years later, I guess you can see it did. We really thought we had something. A lot of labels were like, “Fuck you,” and we were like, “Well, fuck you!” They thought there was no market, but you can see how things changed.
Is that why you left the Misfits?
There was no fallout. The band I was in after, Active Ingredients, I thought would go a lot further. We were headcases back then, because we turned down gigs with Iggy Pop and Tom Verlaine, because – I don’t know, we thought it was the smart move.
Glenn was probably a little frustrated with me, and I don’t blame him. But we were still all friends. I just thought the other band was going to make an impact. It was a really good band, but unfortunately it didn’t go in the direction it should have. But Doyle came along, and let’s face it, he’s the bulk image of the Misfits.
Glenn re-recorded many of the songs from Static Age in a reformed Misfits in the ‘80s. How did you feel about that?
I have no regrets about that – but I regret leaving the band. But putting the songs on Legacy of Brutality before we released Static Age in ’96, that kind of hurt a little bit, but I was like, “What an idiot I am!” Hindsight is 20/20.
But still no animosity?
I was never into horror punk. But I think my legacy is pretty good
Not really. I worked out it was a foolish move to leave. When Doyle came into the band it was all cool. Personally I don’t know if I could have done that. All things happen for a reason, I guess.
As you mentioned, Static Age was finally released in ’96 and is now considered a defining work.
I feel great about that. Glenn doesn’t recognize the Static Age name – he’ll tell you he believes it comes off Legacy of Brutality. I get it. But it’s what we did, and it’s pretty much everything.
I just wish I had gotten to record Horror Business, Children in Heart, and Who Killed Marilyn? I played those live before I left, and I did them a little differently. You know, different guitar player, different things. Nothing against any of the guitar players after me. I just mean it would have been cool to hear my ones.
Have you reconciled with your regret?
We always have regrets – especially when you see a band you were in playing Madison Square Garden. Doyle’s image is phenomenal, and his stage presence is outrageous. So I have no animosity. I left the band, and I shouldn’t have. We can’t undo what was done.
What might the Misfits be like had you stayed?
They were into the makeup and the horror, and all that. Could I have stepped into those shoes? I’d probably say no. I was never into horror punk. But I think my legacy is pretty good.
I don’t know what could have taken place because Doyle was always there, since he’s Jerry’s brother. He was learning the songs because Jerry always has a backup plan. Maybe we both woulda been in the band… but I doubt it.
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