John Cafiero
Encyclopedia
John Cafiero is an American
punk rock
musician
, film director
and film producer
. He is best known as the frontman for the punk supergroup
Osaka Popstar
, whose debut album was released the summer 2006. The full album lineup toured the UK in September 2006, followed by a tour of the United States and Canada with the legendary punk band The Misfits in Fiend Fest '06.
Cafiero directed and co-produced (with wife Suzanne Cafiero) the music video
s of American Psycho
and Dig Up Her Bones
, which appeared on MTV
's 120 Minutes
and Public-access television
cable TV in the United States, and on MTV Japan and the Space Shower TV channel in Japan in late 1997. They were screened at the Euro-Underground Film Festival and Rhode Island International Film Festival in late 1998, garnering a "Best of Fest" award for the former and a Horror Writers Association
nomination.
For his direct-to-video
but feature-length directorial debut he directed and co-produced (again with wife Suzanne Cafiero) Big Money Hustlas
for the Insane Clown Posse
and appeared in front of the camera as "The Director" alongside The Misfits as themselves. The film was released in 2000 and topped the billboard video sales charts for several weeks. Over the course of nine months in 2003 – 2004, he directed a documentary
about the punk band Ramones
, entitled Ramones Raw.
In 1998, Cafiero wrote and sang (as guest vocalist) the song "I Wanna Be a NY Ranger
" with the Misfits. In a Hit Parader
article on the song, he names the Ramones as his childhood heroes and the New York Rangers
as a defining New York
team.
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
punk rock
Punk rock
Punk rock is a rock music genre that developed between 1974 and 1976 in the United States, the United Kingdom, and Australia. Rooted in garage rock and other forms of what is now known as protopunk music, punk rock bands eschewed perceived excesses of mainstream 1970s rock...
musician
Musician
A musician is an artist who plays a musical instrument. It may or may not be the person's profession. Musicians can be classified by their roles in performing music and writing music.Also....* A person who makes music a profession....
, film director
Film director
A film director is a person who directs the actors and film crew in filmmaking. They control a film's artistic and dramatic nathan roach, while guiding the technical crew and actors.-Responsibilities:...
and film producer
Film producer
A film producer oversees and delivers a film project to all relevant parties while preserving the integrity, voice and vision of the film. They will also often take on some financial risk by using their own money, especially during the pre-production period, before a film is fully financed.The...
. He is best known as the frontman for the punk supergroup
Supergroup (music)
In the late 1960s, the term supergroup was coined to describe "a rock music group whose performers are already famous from having performed individually or in other groups"....
Osaka Popstar
Osaka Popstar
Osaka Popstar is a pop punk supergroup formed in 2006 by New Yorker John Cafiero. Cafiero wanted an outlet to express his music but also incorporate his love for Japanese anime. In 2006, Cafiero teamed up with several well known punk rock artists to create the anime based punk group, Osaka Popstar....
, whose debut album was released the summer 2006. The full album lineup toured the UK in September 2006, followed by a tour of the United States and Canada with the legendary punk band The Misfits in Fiend Fest '06.
Cafiero directed and co-produced (with wife Suzanne Cafiero) the music video
Music video
A music video or song video is a short film integrating a song and imagery, produced for promotional or artistic purposes. Modern music videos are primarily made and used as a marketing device intended to promote the sale of music recordings...
s of American Psycho
American Psycho (album)
American Psycho is an album by the Misfits. Released May 13, 1997, it was the first to be recorded and released without founder and leader Glenn Danzig...
and Dig Up Her Bones
Dig Up Her Bones
"Dig Up Her Bones" is the seventh single by the horror punk band the Misfits. It was the first single released by the re-formed lineup of the band, after the original incarnation broke up in 1983...
, which appeared on MTV
MTV
MTV, formerly an initialism of Music Television, is an American network based in New York City that launched on August 1, 1981. The original purpose of the channel was to play music videos guided by on-air hosts known as VJs....
's 120 Minutes
120 Minutes
120 Minutes is a television show in the United States dedicated to alternative music, originally airing on MTV from 1986 to 2000, and then on MTV's sister channel MTV2 from 2001 to 2003....
and Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
cable TV in the United States, and on MTV Japan and the Space Shower TV channel in Japan in late 1997. They were screened at the Euro-Underground Film Festival and Rhode Island International Film Festival in late 1998, garnering a "Best of Fest" award for the former and a Horror Writers Association
Horror Writers Association
The Horror Writers Association is a worldwide non-profit organization of professional writers and publishing professionals dedicated to promoting the interests of Horror and Dark Fantasy writers. It was formed in the 1980s with the help of many of the field's greats, including Joe Lansdale, Robert...
nomination.
For his direct-to-video
Direct-to-video
Direct-to-video is a term used to describe a film that has been released to the public on home video formats without being released in film theaters or broadcast on television...
but feature-length directorial debut he directed and co-produced (again with wife Suzanne Cafiero) Big Money Hustlas
Big Money Hustlas
The film's music was written by Psychopathic Records producer Mike E. Clark. A soundtrack album was released in 2001, and featured new music from the film, in addition to previously released tracks by Insane Clown Posse and Twiztid, and the theme to the 1976 film The Human Tornado, performed by...
for the Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse
Insane Clown Posse is an American hip hop duo from Detroit, Michigan. The group is composed of Joseph Bruce and Joseph Utsler, who perform under the respective personas of the "wicked clowns" Violent J and Shaggy 2 Dope. Insane Clown Posse performs a style of hardcore hip hop known as horrorcore...
and appeared in front of the camera as "The Director" alongside The Misfits as themselves. The film was released in 2000 and topped the billboard video sales charts for several weeks. Over the course of nine months in 2003 – 2004, he directed a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
about the punk band Ramones
Ramones
The Ramones were an American rock band that formed in the New York City neighborhood of Forest Hills, Queens, in 1974. They are often cited as the first punk rock group...
, entitled Ramones Raw.
In 1998, Cafiero wrote and sang (as guest vocalist) the song "I Wanna Be a NY Ranger
I Wanna Be a NY Ranger
"I Wanna Be a NY Ranger" is the eighth single by the horror punk band the Misfits. It was written by John Cafiero and originally intended to be performed by the Ramones for a promotional campaign for the New York Rangers and Madison Square Garden. However, the Ramones retired in 1996 and Cafiero...
" with the Misfits. In a Hit Parader
Hit Parader
Hit Parader is an American music magazine focusing on the genres of hard rock, pop, and heavy metal.The magazine was originally started as a pop song lyric magazine by Charlton Publications in 1942. Charlton sold off the magazine before the company went under in 1991...
article on the song, he names the Ramones as his childhood heroes and the New York Rangers
New York Rangers
The New York Rangers are a professional ice hockey team based in the borough of Manhattan in New York, New York, USA. They are members of the Atlantic Division of the Eastern Conference of the National Hockey League . Playing their home games at Madison Square Garden, the Rangers are one of the...
as a defining New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
team.