Glenn Danzig Shares Honest Opinion on Grammy Awards and Metal Music Not Getting ‘Recognition That It Deserves’

At this point, we could argue that metal music has somewhat of a classical music status. It’s absolutely not “dead” as some may claim, but it isn’t exactly in the mainstream, except for a few major bands. Needless to say, this won’t always sit well with metal fans or famous metal musicians. And such is the case with Glenn Danzig.

During a recent chat over at the Full Metal Jackie podcast, the Misfits frontman and co-founder expressed his dissatisfaction about metal’s lack of representation within famous musical institutions, namely by the Recording Academy and their Grammy Awards. The talk about this topic started when Danzig was asked about what he thinks when his bands are referred to as “iconic,” to which he replied (via Loudwire):

“I never really think about it. I just do what I do and hope people appreciate it and if not, then that sense of individual accomplishment is really what I strive for.”

He also added:

“I do it for me, but I also do it for the people who are looking for something like what I do and they can’t get it somewhere else. So that goes back to the old punk thing we were doing for people who don’t really get [recognition]. I still think heavy metal, or whatever you wanna call it, really doesn’t get the recognition that it deserves. That’s what I think. You don’t really see it represented at that shit they call the Grammys. You can tell them I said so.”

“There’s so many people out there who are musically and creatively disenfranchised by the whole system. That’s why you have bands that will go out on tour and play places that you know would normally be reserved for the pop bands. These bands get no coverage or recognition but they’re still selling out big theaters and arenas.”

Elsewhere in the interview, Danzig was also asked whether he still feels the “anger and rebelliousness” that he felt in his youth. After replying with a simple “yes,” he elaborated:

“Yeah, I’m still pissed off about so much stuff that I see. But, I think now, I’m not as crazy as maybe I was then. I’m more tempered.”

Danzig is kicking off his 2022 tour on May 5 in Reno, Nevada. The run includes a total of 10 dates, eventually wrapping up in Austin, Texas on May 19. For more info, check out his website here.

Photo: Wikimedia Commons (Jonas Rogowski, Glenn Danzig at Wacken Open Air 2013 06), Wikimedia Commons