LISTEN/WATCH NOW: Dee Snider, "So What"

Check out Dee Snider's brand-new video for the song "So What," in which he shows his support for the Standing Rock Indian Reservation and their Dakota Access Pipeline protest:

The Entertainer: Our Interview With Dee Snider

From the moment I first saw the video for "We're Not Gonna Take It" on MTV, I was a fan of Twisted Sister. I was lucky enough to sit down and talk with Dee Snider about his new album, new autobiography, who would play him and his wife in the movie about his life, the PMRC, Clay Aiken, narcissism, The Celebrity Apprentice, and reality TV.

How are you doing today?
I'm on day three of my book tour. I've got a new CD and a new book, a self-penned memoir, out. Pretty fucking great, actually.

Yeah, I'd imagine so. Let's talk about the CD, Dee Does Broadway. What drew you to the particular songs you covered on the album?
First let me just say those are three words I never thought I'd hear in sequence. Dee. Does. Broadway.

It was a long path there, but ultimately after being on Broadway in Rock Of Ages, it renewed an interest in Broadway show tunes. When I grew up, my parents were always playing those kind of songs in the house and no, I don't have two Dads. But they used to take us to see shows so I grew up with the music, but I was always into rock. When I got to Broadway, the two kind of met each other. I always heard more in some of these songs than was there. I heard the power in them and I said, "Let me fuck with this. Let me see what I can do. Let me see if I can reinvent it and do something creative with it."

Were you in the studio at the same time as Cyndi Lauper, Clay Aiken, and the others?
Yes, I was. Those parts were all recorded in New York. It was amazing to see these voices coming together with mine. Cyndi, you know she's a rocker. But Clay and Patti LuPone and Bebe Neuwirth, that was just nuts.

The arrangements on the album are top-notch and your voice is as amazing as ever.
Thank you!

But the thing that really surprised me was Clay because he really wails.
You know what? That's interesting because he came in there thinking he was going to sing down the octave like the way he does in the beginning [of "Luck Be A Lady"]. At the beginning, it made sense. But then the song kicks in and he goes, "I don't know about this." And I go, "Can you sing it up the octave?" And he says, "Yeah, I can." And I said, "Well, fucking go for it, man." And it was like Rob Halford at times.

Yeah!
He's just screeching. It's amazing.

Book Review: Dee Snider, Shut Up And Give Me The Mic

Dee Snider's autobiography, Shut Up And Give Me The Mic, details the rise and fall (and rise and fall and rise and fall) of Twisted Sister and his person struggles along the way. You'll find yourself rooting for Snider, even though you're already aware of the outcome.

The book deals with many important parts of Snider's life: his childhood, Twisted Sister, and his lifemate, his wife Suzette. Above all, Snider's love for his wife is evident throughout this tome and helps to paint Snider as the anti-rockstar: a frontman who doesn't drink, doesn't do drugs, doesn't party, and who has been happily married for over 30 years.

But this ain't no love story. We learn that he and Suzette's relationship hasn't always been roses; there have been plenty of thorns as well. We also learn about the many highs and lows the band faced over the years, and the many false starts and glimpses of fame the band had before finally hitting the big time with the release of Stay Hungry. We learn of Snider's intense dedication to his art, as well as the people that helped Snider realize his dream (Motorhead's Lemmy, various producers and record company executives). Snider takes the reader along the way as he battles the PMRC, his bandmates, his demons, and obscurity for one hell of an entertaining ride!

Verdict: This book rocks!

CD Review: Dee Snider, Dee Does Broadway

Look, I get it. It would be very easy for people to dismiss this as a novelty record. I mean, it's Dee Snider, the frontman of Twisted Sister, doing a dozen Broadway songs. But if you can put away any preconceived notions and give this album a listen with an open mind, you'll find Dee Does Broadway is pretty kickass.

Dee Does Broadway features covers of many well known tunes like "Cabaret," "Big Spender," "Mack The Knife," and "Whatever Lola Wants (Lola Gets)." Snider doesn't make the journey to Broadway alone; he enlists the help of Cyndi Lauper, Bebe Neuwirth, Patti LuPone, and the cast of Priscilla Queen Of The Desert. But it's his duet with Clay Aiken on "Luck Be A Lady Tonight" that steals the show. Aiken surprisingly holds his own with Snider (who sounds AWESOME, by the way) and shows he might have a career in metal if feels like turning in his Claymates for Playmates.

If you want a fun album that will have you screaming along, pick yourself up a copy of Dee Does Broadway.

Standout tracks: "Cabaret," "Big Spender," and "Luck Be A Lady Tonight."

Celebrity Wife Swap: Tell Me If "I Wanna Swap" Kills Your Soul

Celebrity Wife Swap debuted Monday night. Like the name implies, it involves celebrities trading their wives (or husbands). But I don't think you get them all day, if you catch my drift.

Monday night's episode feature Carnie Wilson and Mike Seaver's sis, Tracey Gold. Tuesday night's episode featured Gary Busey and former evangelist Ted Haggard. While I haven't watched the show, I do think I'll be tuning in next week to see Public Enemy's Flavor Flav swap wives with Twisted Sister's Dee Snider. Because that will be some rock 'n' roll magic right there, kids.

That said, a little piece of me died while watching the following promo for the series:

Update #1: The video has been removed from YouTube, ABC, Hulu, Dailymotion, Metacafe -- basically, name the venue, it's gone.

Update #2: It has been removed from every location, save one: ABC has forgotten to remove it from their Facebook page.

So why did ABC pull the plug on the video? Maybe it's the lyrics, which are a shameful parody of Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock:"

Chorus
I wanna swap! (Swap!)
I wanna swap! (Swap!)
I want to swap! (Swap!)
I wanna swap! (Swap!)
I want to swap! (Swap!)

You got a wife you say?
Well all I got to say to you
If you take my wife then I'll take yours
By the way does she do chores?

You wanna swap you say?
Well all I got to say to you
ABC has got the perfect show
So let's go! Go, go, go!

'Cause if you want to pull the spousal switcheroo
There's only one show that can make it come true

Repeat Chorus 1,000,000X

Or maybe it's the video, which is a shameless parody of Twisted Sister's "I Wanna Rock" video. It even has Mark Metcalf! But Dee didn't show up. Instead, we're stuck with a third-rate Dee Snider impersonator. And a fifth-rate Dee Snider little person impersonator.

Here are some stills in case they yank the video from Facebook:

Lucky Uke, "We're Not Gonna Take It"

From 2011, here's Lucky Uke's cover of Twisted Sister's "We're Not Gonna Take It."

Enjoy!

Chrismupchuckkah: Twisted Sister, "Oh Come All Ye Faithful"

Reality TV: A New Lease On Life For Aging Rock Stars

Growing Up Twisted, a new reality television show, premieres Tuesday, July 27th at 10 PM on A&E. Who does it star? Twisted Sister's outspoken lead singer, Dee Snider.

That's right! Dee's traveling down the same hard rock road paved by Bret Michaels, Sebastian Bach, fellow A&E mate Gene Simmons, and the man who started it all, Ozzy Osbourne. This show will focus on Snider's family: Suzette, Dee's wife of twenty-eight years (bravo, guys!); 27-year-old son Jessie, a past host of several music shows; 21-year-old son Shane, a stand-up comedian; 20-year-old son Cody, a filmmaker; 13-year-old daughter Cheyenne, a singer/cheerleader/student; and an ageless and nameless dog with a pink mohawk.

Here's a short commercial for the show:



So will you watch it? I loved Twisted Sister as a kid, so I'll definitely check out an episode or two.

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