WELCOME TO ALLINTOWNWRETCHED PUNK GG ALLIN IS DEAD, BUT HIS BAND MURDER JUNKIES IS STILL SLAYIN' 'EM

Allin was no David Copperfield; he didn't spend weeks at the drafting table planning out stage effects. "There were different theories," acknowledges Merle. "One was that he was going to stick dynamite up his ass and jump into the crowd, but I don't know. We never really discussed it 'cause I didn't want him to do it. It was one of those things where we were just waiting to see what would happen."

Now that fans are assured of not having to scrape bits of GG off their leather jackets on the way home, the only thing up in the air is how the Murder Junkies will fare without their charismatic leader. "It's been almost two years since he died, and people are starting to realize there's never going to be another GG Allin," Merle says. "So let's move on and focus on the music, that's what we're doing now."

Still, it's hard to pull the focus away from the outrageous, brutal behavior that GG is remembered for. But was he all that bad? Could it be that things have been blown out of proportion? Did punk's best nightmare have a secret spot of tenderness and love hidden somewhere beneath the black layers of his wicked heart? "Hell, no!" says Merle with a dark chuckle. "Everything you hear is true. He was a fucking son of a bitch."

Murder Junkies are scheduled to perform on Wednesday, May 10, at the Mason Jar. Showtime is 8 p.m.