Am I referring to Mike Tyson’s brief yet brutal demolition of Michael Spinks? Sonny Liston’s dispatch of Floyd Paterson? Or perhaps the former Cassius Clay beating Liston in their second meeting with a punch most observers insist never landed?
No, sadly, I’m talking about the 2004 incident in which Glenn Danzig had his clock cleaned by Danny Marianino of the North Side Kings. You Tube footage of the fateful confrontation has been viewed millions of times and long ago became an embarrassing albatross for Lodi, NJ’s most prominent former resident, with Danzig insisting in recent years the video was either doctored or Marianino’s crew had conspired to make him look pitiful. Videographer Dan Stone provides his side of the story to Decibel Magazine, while Marianino assures Glenn “don’t worry about handing my picture out to every security guard with a note that says ‘eject him immediately.’ I never want to see (Danzig) again and I never will.” From Blabbermouth.net :
“When I got there, I saw Danzig signing an autograph and Danny waiting to talk to him,” Stone told Decibel. “The two of them started talking, and things got a little heated, so I figured, ‘Let’s see where this goes.’ I had no idea of what was about to happen, mind you. I just imagined I’d get some footage of Glenn Danzig and Danny talking — two guys from Jersey yelling at each other. A push and a punch later, the scene turned into total chaos. I immediately turned my camera off and stashed it in my bag. I walked down this hallway toward the exit as nonchalantly as possible, and Danny was pinned to the wall by a security guard. As I passed by him, I whispered, ‘I’ve got the whole thing.’ At that point, there was absolutely no intention of doing anything with it — it was just a weird moment caught on video.”
Asked how he might’ve reacted differently if he had a chance to revisit the experience, Marianino said, “I wouldn’t have even acknowledged Danzig or tried to have that conversation with him, especially after he talked down to my guitar player’s ex-wife. I regret that the situation happened at all. But I don’t regret hitting him — he had it coming. He can tell every story he wants to tell, bu’t it’s an open book. I don’t see what the big deal is. I think this would’ve went away for him if he had just admitted that he fucked with a big guy who got one over on him.”