The world's best-loved rejects will show State College how they earned their name when the Misfits play Tuesday at Crowbar, 420 E. College Ave.

If you're not — and have never run into — a Misfits fanatic, you probably have no idea of the immense and insane cult following this band has generated since its first breakup in 1984. Demonstrative of the intensity of Misfits enthusiasts' addiction, the official Misfits Web site deems listeners "fiends" rather than fans.

Famous for their recklessness, poor recording quality and twisted history, the Misfits, whose name is taken from the title of Marilyn Monroe's last film, began in 1977 with the collaboration of singer Glenn Danzig and bassist Jerry Only. Lineup changes began in 1980 but the band continued to center around its founders with the addition of Doyle Von Frankenstein, Only's younger brother.

Their garish image complementing — if not overshadowing — their primal punk music, the Misfits have long been obsessed with horror movies, painting their faces into white-and-black masks and cementing their black dyed hair into spikes. Their album cover art is most often illustrated, depicting classic horror scenes. The skull, or "fiend," the group members wore on their boots, leather jackets and equipment later became the band's official symbol.

The band split up in the mid-80s and a decade-long legal battle ensued. It wasn't until Only and Doyle made an effort to piece the band back together in the mid-90s that the Misfits were born again. Their American Psycho album, released in 1997 on Geffen Records, re-established the band as the undying punk rock entity fans had grown to love. The group's following has since expanded exponentially to a much larger phenomenon.

The Misfits' second coming has highlighted the influence the band has had on other rock groups such as Metallica, who appeared on stage donning Misfits T-shirts and covered three Misfits songs on Garage Days Re-Revisited, and Guns N' Roses, who covered the Misfits' "Attitude."

If you show up for the band's Crowbar performance, you can expect to hear electrified tunes, see rowdy antics and be stuck in a mosh pit.

What you shouldn't expect to hear is late breaking news from Afghanistan.

As Only is quoted in a recent press release, "People who buy our records and come to see us perform — from the guy all the way back in the balcony, to the guy getting his head banged around in the front — they come to have a good time. And we make sure they do, you can hear about social and political issues somewhere else. When you come to a Misfits show, you get a bunch of guys who go out there and give 110 percent, take it or leave it."

The Misfits have toured countries like Brazil and Japan and continue to carry on their live act through sites including Madison Square Garden in the U.S., where they played two sold-out shows in 1999.

They performed at Crowbar in 1997 and will reappear this Tuesday with original Black Flag members Dez Cadena and Robo as well as Marky Ramone of the infamous Ramones to appease Penn State fiends' cravings.

The show starts at 9:30 p.m. and doors open at 8 p.m.

Tickets for the all-ages Misfits show are priced at $20 and are available at Crowbar and by charge on the Web at www.ticketweb.com.