The iconic “crimson ghost” logo has been spotted on t-shirts and tattoos at state fairs all over the world, but did you know that the famous smiling skull is actually the logo for a punk band from New Jersey called The Misfits? It’s true! Since forming in 1977, they've successfully blended their love of punk rock and horror movies to create one of the most distinct identities in rock history. But if, for whatever reason, their music has eluded you, this handy guide will provide you with everything you need to know about being inducted into the Fiend Club.

Here’s the first step towards becoming a real Misfits fan: Purchase their entire discography. All told, it’s not that much for 40 years’ worth of material—seven studio albums, a few live records, some collections, and a handful of stray EPs. Once you’ve acquired all of that, comb through the records and set aside the ones recorded after 1984. Group them together in a separate pile. Now, once you’ve done that, hold said pile over the nearest trash receptacle and emphatically drop it in.

“Couldn’t I have saved myself some money by not buying those albums in the first place?” you might be asking. Yes, but that would be missing the point. You see, a large part of being a Misfits fan is coping with the maddening frustration derived from perpetually being duped by anything with the crimson ghost logo slapped on it. This is a lesson you must learn if you want to count yourself among the Misfits faithful. You must know the sting of paying full retail price for 1997’s American Psycho and 1999’s Famous Monsters and, upon pressing play, muttering to yourself, “...the fuck is this?” You must go against your better judgment and give them yet another chance by purchasing 2011’s The Devil’s Rain and then asking, “Are you fucking serious?” And you must further take your copy of 2013’s DeA.D. Alive! home before realizing it’s just a live set of material from the aforementioned three albums. This is a tough lesson but it will engrain in you a hard-earned appreciation for the band’s classic material.

So you want to get into: Misfits Songs About Killing Babies, Digging Up Corpses, and Hell?

Now that we’ve gotten that unpleasantness out of the way, we can move on to the fun stuff. The next step in becoming A True Misfits Fan™ is developing a halfway decent Glenn Danzig impression. (Danzig was the band’s original singer, and the group went to shit after he left to pursue his dream of purchasing kitty litter full-time.) Danzig’s voice resembles that of an evil Elvis, so mimicking it requires some lip-curling, some crooning, and a whole lot of pelvic thrusting. This impression comes from deep down in the depths of the genitals—this cannot be stressed enough. This impression also requires practice, and the ideal song on which to work out the kinks is “Mother,” which is actually not a Misfits song, but the most (only) famous song from Danzig’s solo career. Feel the vibrato as it rumbles deeply around spookily in your diaphragm.