Misfits to reunite with Glenn Danzig this fall

33 years after their last show together, the Misfits and Glenn Danzig will reunite in the fall. The reunion will take place at two different Riot Fests. The first- Riot Fest and Rodeo- will take place on September 2nd and 4th in Denver. The second- Riot Fest and Carnival- will take place in September 16th and 18th in Chicago. The gigs, billed as "the Original Misfits," will feature Danzig, bassist Jerry Only and his brother guitarist Doyle. No drummer has been announced. With this news comes the promotion of a new four-track EP Friday the 13th- which is fittingly due to be released tomorrow.

Formed in Lodi, NJ, the Misfits were originally formed by Danzig. About a month after their formation, Only joined the band. From 1977 to 1983, the Misfits would perform and record music- gaining a cult following amongst the punk rock crowd with their many EPs and singles. With the exception of Doyle joining the band in 1980, Danzig and Only stuck with the group through various different line-ups and members. The band broke up after their last show on October 29, 1983. Danzig went on to form Samhain and later on his namesake band- which leaned more towards a hard rock/heavy metal sound. In the 1990s, Danzig and Only found themselves in legal battles over use of the band's name. In 1995, an agreement was made- allowing Only and Doyle to reform the Misfits, with new lead singer Michael Graves. Although Graves and Doyle left at the beginning of the 2000s, Only has kept the band going through touring and merchandise. The latter was been a subject of controversy amongst fans- claiming Only sold out. Since 2006, Doyle has occasionally guested on guitar at the Danzig band's shows. As for Danzig and Only, the pair have not shared a stage since 1983. 

I'm pleasantly surprised to hear about this news. When I started listening to the Misfits some six to seven years ago, I tried to stay away from the newer stuff. For me, the Misfits has always been that small time span- a time span so influential that even the guys in Guns N Roses and Metallica praise them. Much like Axl and Slash reuniting, seeing Glenn and Jerry sharing a stage was something no one really saw coming. I would love to see something long term come out of this but we should be grateful for these shows are happening.  

Ozzy and Sharon Osboune split after 33 years of marriage

Singer Ozzy Osbourne and his wife (as well as manager) Sharon Osbourne have confirmed that they've separated after 33 years of marriage. According to E! News, the split was mutual and Ozzy agreed to move out of their house. Several reports say Mrs. Osbourne left the 68-year-old Black Sabbath frontman after learning that her husband was supposedly having an affair with another woman. Over the last few years, Osbourne has struggled with his drug and alcohol addictions- having relapsed some 18 months ago.

The couple is said to have met sometime in the 1970s. Black Sabbath were originally managed by music mogul Don Arden, a man who had previously managed bands such as the Small Faces. Mrs. Osbourne was Arden's daughter and a secretary for her father. In his 2010 autobiography, Ozzy remembered seeing Sharon then- smiling at her and making her laugh. During his time in Black Sabbath, Osbourne was married to Thelma Riley. Married in 1971, the couple would have two children- Jessica (b. 1972) and Louis. Osbourne (b. 1975) also adopted Riley's son from a previous relationship, Elliot Kingsly (b. 1966). In 1979, Osbourne was fired from Black Sabbath and soon replaced by former Elf and Rainbow singer Ronnie James Dio. Osbourne would soon embark on a solo career, with Sharon serving as his manager. With Sharon's help, Osbourne's solo career took off with the releases of his first two albums Blizzard of Ozz (1980) and Diary of a Madman (1981).

While on tour, Ozzy and Sharon fell in love. After his divorce from Riley, Ozzy and Sharon married on July 4, 1982. Their marriage took place just four months after the tragic deaths of their friends- guitarist Randy Rhoads and band hairdresser Rachel Youngblood. Together, the couple would have three children: Aimee (b. 1983), Kelly (b. 1984) and Jack (b. 1985). In 2002, the family (sans Aimee, who chose to not take part) became celebrities with the MTV reality show The Osbournes. The show was an immediate hit and stayed on the air until 2005. During its run, the family went through significant events: Sharon's battle with breast cancer, Ozzy and Sharon renewing their vows on New Year's Eve 2002 and Ozzy's nearly fatal ATV accident. From the show, Mrs. Osbourne was able to become successful in her own right. She had a short lived talk show in 2003, was a judge on America's Got Talent from 2007-2012, a contestant on The Apprentice in 2010 and now the co-host of the CBS talk show The Talk since 2013.

I'm very surprised to hear about Ozzy and Sharon's split. In my opinion, they were the "it" couple in heavy metal. It seemed as if nothing could keep them apart- which is why I'm not believing all of this. Keep in mind that it has been reported that they've split, not divorce. If this truly is the end of their marriage, then this is truly sad.

UPDATE (10/6/16): There are times when people run into my articles months after they are posted. I wrote this because this was reported on and coming from pretty big news sources.

So in a nutshell: Ozzy and Sharon are not going through with the split. The last I've heard is that Ozzy is or has been in rehab for sexual addiction, as the reason behind their split was due to Ozzy's affair with another woman. Even after the news of their separation went out, Ozzy said in an interview that Sharon would still be his manager. So I had a feeling this would be resolved.

So I think everything will be okay. That's good to hear.