Through the late '70s and early '80s, Glenn Danzig spent years as the hands-on frontman of the Misfits and Samhain. He wrote the bands' music, designed (or creatively borrowed) graphics and even screened T-shirts until he didn't have to juggle the business and art any more. When he signed onto Rick Rubin's Def Jam label, he suddenly had time on his hands. Rubin's major-label connections gave Danzig bold new opportunities to apply his unfolding talents.
For 1987's Less Than Zero soundtrack, Danzig penned one of the last great Roy Orbison songs, the sweeping "Life Fades Away," which helped spark Orbison's big comeback. On the album, Danzig also performed the power ballad "You and Me (Less Than Zero)," flexing what had always been the been the biggest voice in hardcore. —D.X. Ferris
