Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider explains why he loves the Sex Pistols
Former Twister Sister frontman Dee Snider is an undisputed icon of metal music, and his legend stretches far outside the confines of one specific genre. Lauded for his artistic and non-artistic efforts, without him, the music industry would be in a far worse environment than it already is.
Alongside fronting one of the biggest metal bands of the 1980s, Snider is renowned for doing his part in the protracted war against censorship that the decade brought. For a period of time, artists found themselves in direct opposition to critics from the Conservative America movement.
Teaming up with John Denver and Frank Zappa, Snider battled against Tipper Gore’s notorious Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC). The organisation wanted to prevent children from hearing music they deemed to contain violent, drug-related or sexual themes by slapping albums with parental advisory stickers in shops.
Snider, Denver and Zappa were incensed by the proposition and ultimately showed the PMRC as a mechanism of oppression. When given his chance, Snider wasted no time in hilariously criticising the leader of the PMRC. He informed the panel: “Ms Gore was looking for sadomasochism and bondage and she found it,” implying that her conclusion on his music was due to her personality rather than the lyrical content. Understandably, this did not go down well with his critics.
A total hero complete with an unapologetic character, there are many reasons to love Dee Snider, including his musical tastes. In a 2021 interview with The Metal Circus TV, he offered insight into his complex mind by listing his favourite albums of all time. One of the most eye-catching was 1977’s Never Mind The Bollocks, the only album released by British punks the Sex Pistols.
You’d be hard-pressed to find any genuine music lover from Snider’s generation who doesn’t love the Sex Pistols masterpiece. One of the most influential records ever released, it had as much impact on the proliferation of punk as it did heavy metal, and given that Twisted Sister’s music was always noted for its punk edge, there’s no surprise that he cites it as an all-time favourite.
Discussing his love for the album and band, Snider said: “I have a punk influence in me and that influence shows in some songs, especially like ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’, and the Sex Pistols, if they weren’t called the punk band, they just would have been a weird metal band. To me they were heavy, it was metal, it became punk but it’s one of my favourites”.
