The Final Show - a summary, first

It's taken me awhile to write this entry simply because part of me didn't want to.  It's tough to call quits on something that's been so damn reliably fun for almost 5 years.  I wish we could've taken the 'fats to more people, in more places, but that just ain't economically viable (that's time and money, folks).  

In creating this band we resolved early on to call it off completely if it ever became un-fun or a hassle.  With Foyle moving 5 hours away driving that just made it very much a hassle.  And, we figured, why not end on an upswing, a positive note, before it's just a tired gig, "just another tribute act."  We're well aware that we were never that, tho'.  No way, no how.  J.V. Bastard, lately touring with Michale Graves on his solo acoustic set (J.V. plays guitar on a few songs so it's mostly solo) which you should go see anytime and everytime, said we weren't just the funnest Misfits tribute act - we were, by far, the best Misfits tribute act.  That's high praise IMO, considering the source.  And it's close to the heart of the 'fats:  We were always respectful of the Misfits catalog and historical importance.  We just wanted to have fun with it, too.  I think we managed that quite well.  

Sure, we had some bad shows here and there but the feedback we'd get afterward showed that we were the only ones thinking it wasn't good enough.  That was sure nice of a shot in the arm, too.  Early on, I'd said that we needed to play every show as if it's our final.  Now that we've played our final show, though, I can say that's not entirely a fair goal.   Each show became an opportunity to put out the goods, to sell people on this idea, to elevate the ridiculous into the realm of the sublime.  And while crusty punx and most kids didn't like us (the former being too self-righteous, the latter being, as one older patron worded it, "not secure enough in their punk rawk to mock it yet") the overwhelming majority favored the fat.  Sure, we had our work cut out for us most of the time as some either didn't get the gimmick ("Why do the songs sound different?") or couldn't believe we'd do it.  I mean, let's face it:  Large, fat, shirtless, white guys in wigs and makeup playing aggressive punk typically doesn't lend itself to credibility.  But, again, somehow it all worked out beyond any notions we'd had.

Thanks for the shows, thanks for the cheering and participation, thanks for the comments and the merch sales(!), and thanks for the fun.  Remember, if you enjoyed us half as much as we enjoyed performing for you, then we enjoyed it twice as much as you.

(Final show pix in a Flickr set here, btw.)