Icon vs. Icon

Dee Snider

What happens when Dee Snider, the legendary front man of heavy metal group “Twisted Sister,” is the “quiet one” in the family? “Growing Up Twisted” follows the outrageous and oddball daily pursuits of the Sniders, who think their zany world is just real life, perfectly normal… only it’s not. The seven episode series premieres with two back-to-back half hour episodes on Tuesday, July 27 at 10 PM and 10:30 PM ET/PT.

“Growing Up Twisted” explores suburban life in Long Island through the eyes of an off-beat but tight-knit family of six who are fiercely independent, strong willed and unafraid to speak their minds. There is Dee, a loving husband, father and newly minted grandfather who is the legendary front man of heavy metal group “Twisted Sister,” the host of the “House of Hair” radio show and the national spokesperson for the March of Dimes Bikers for Babies; his hot and feisty wife Suzette, a clothing designer and makeup artist and the glue that holds the family together, and their children: Jesse, 27, an aspiring rock musician, husband and new father; Shane, 22, the resident comic; Cody, 20, a budding filmmaker; and Cheyenne, 13, daddy’s little girl, who is making the tough transition to teenager.

The series looks at the unpredictable daily life of the Snider clan including: a baptism where a song opens up wounds between father and son; a playful sparring match that has devastating consequences; the inappropriate behavior of a local store clerk that brings the Snider men together in a show of solidarity; and a concert where Dee performs with his offspring. Throughout it all, despite their craziness, the Sniders prove the love that binds them, no matter how twisted, is undeniable.

“Growing Up Twisted” is produced by Evolution Media (“Real Housewives of Orange County”) for A&E. Dee Snider is executive producer and Ron Starrantino is producer. Executive producers for Evolution are Douglas Ross, Greg Stewart, Kathleen French, Alex Baskin and Kevin Lee. Robert Sharenow and Elaine Frontain Bryant are executive producers for A&E.

Dee Snider

Legendary Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider has issued the following update:

“Fans of (my) early 2000’s morning talk radio show in Hartford, CT and Richmond, VA and of (my) Philadelphia night time radio show in 2005 and those who have been curious about (my) talk radio years will be please to discover DeeSniderRadio.com.

I was going through a closet in my studio and discovered literally hundreds of hours of recordings from my DSR morning show and an entire external hard drive filled with bits from by Philly night time show. So many fans have expressed to me how much they miss my shows, that I decided to create a free site for their listening pleasure.

DeeSniderRadio.com is extremely user friendly. You can either listen online – with no buffering issues whatsoever, or you can download shows as podcasts. Every week there are new shows posted. Whether you’re a Dee Snider Radio peep or just want to hear some great talk radio, be sure to check out DeeSniderRadio.com.

TakeBackTheHorns.com is a fun, yet serious site dedicated to the reclamation of “the metal horns”. Having noticed the rampant overuse and abuse of the horns by non-metalheads, (I have) decided to take it upon (myself) to rally the troops and shine a powerful light on this growing injustice.

TakeBackTheHorns.com not only explains the origin of the metal horns, but defines their proper use, shows “bad examples”, explaining in detail what’s wrong with each of them and there’s a killer “Metal Or Not” photo rating section where you can vote on the “metalness” of posted pictures and/or post your own to be rated.

Very addicting. True metalheads will love this fun, yet inspired site. Join (me) in (my) fight to Take Back The Horns.”

Some exciting news in regards to Dee Snider‘s ‘Strangeland II: Disciple’! The official synopsis and some casting news has hit the web via Screentest.Biz,

It appears that horror icon Robert Englund will be joining Dee Snyder in the film!

‘Strangeland II: Disciple’ is set to begin shooting on May 21st, 2010 in Louisiana.

Synopsis: “One year after Carleton Hendricks aka Captain Howdy’s (Dee Snider) sadistic rampage, much more than the physical scars the schizophrenic, sexual sadist gave his victims are left behind. Their lives, destroyed by emotional torment and the media frenzy surrounding the crimes, Detective Mike Gage, his daughter Geneveve and vigilante Jackson Roth (Robert Englund) each have their crosses to bear. But when the badly burned and mentally broken Carlton Hendricks is taken from a state run mental hospital and off his medication by billionaire, media mogul, Morgan LaForce, leader of the body modification/fetish haven called “The Torture Garden”, the door swings wide open for each of Captain Howdy’s victims to find closure… and retribution.”

Dee Snider on stage in 2009

Motivated by what he calls the “systematic abuse” of the metal horns, heavy metal icon and frontman for the legendary band Twisted Sister, Dee Snider has launched a web site dedicated to the reclamation of our iconic heavy metal symbol, TakeBackTheHorns.com.

“The rampant misuse and overuse of the metal horns is an insult to true fans of the music form it represents,” says Dee, “They were never intended to be thrown by members of the hip hop, country and pop communities. We fought long and hard for the music we love to be recognized. They have no right to use our sign!”

While absolutely recognizing the humor in the situation, TakeBackTheHorns.com is dedicated to not only raise awareness of this abuse, but the site has been designed to inform and educate the reader on the history and proper use of the metal horns. Dee Snider hopes it will unify the massive, heavy metal community in the fight to stop the metal horns’ further exploitation and degradation. Says Dee, “I appreciate the appeal of throwing the horns and even acknowledge that its overuse shows just how far the acceptance of heavy metal has come as a music form. But when little Johnny throws the horns to his mom because he’s successfully made a number two, things have gone way too far.”

TakeBackTheHorns.com also contains a section for visitors to post photos of abusers of the horns and an interactive “Metal or Not” rating system to help define and decide the proper usage of the iconic symbol.

Dee goes on to say, “In the ’80s, I went to Washington, D.C. to defend heavy metal and fight censorship. Now it’s time for me to defend the music I love again and fight a very different enemy. I need headbangers the world over to join me in this important fight. Let’s say to the purveyors of other music forms, the usurpers of our mark…get your own damn sign bee-otch! Let’s take back the horns…dot com!”

They’re still hungry! Twenty-five years after the band rocked the world with songs such as “I Wanna Rock” and “We’re Not Going To Take It,” Twisted Sister is back with a 25th Anniversary Edition of the original Stay Hungry album, remastered with a bonus disc of unreleased demos and outtakes, and a brand new song called “30” recorded especially for the collection. To celebrate the June 30th release of this 26-song collection, vocalist Dee Snider will play Call of Duty®: World at War™ and guitarist Jay Jay French will play Gears of War® 2 with Xbox LIVE® Gold Members July 1.

Date:
Wednesday July 1st, 2009

Time:
3PM-5PM EST / 12PM-2PM PST

Game:
Dee Snider will play Call of Duty: World at War from 3-4 P.M. EST

Jay Jay French will be playing Gears of War 2 from 4-5 P.M. EST

Gamertags:

Xbox LIVE® Gold Members are eligible to play with members of Twisted Sister by sending a friend request to the following Gamertags and be online half an hour before (2:30 P.M. EST):

TwistedDee GwF

TwistedJay GwF

Check out the official website of Xbox Live’s Game With fame at this location >

Twisted Sister will soon be releasing the  25th Anniversary Edition of ‘Stay Hungry’. To get fans in the mood, you can now check out the blistering autobiographical new single from Twisted Sister, entitled ’30′.

Listen to Twisted Sister’s ’30′ (WMA Format) – Click Here >

Listen to Twisted Sister’s ’30′ (Quicktime Format) – Click Here >

The album will be available June 30 from Rhino Records at all retail outlets, including www.rhino.com, for a suggested list price of $19.98 (CD), $12.99 (digital). Click here to pre-order ‘Stay Hungry’ >

A limited edition pink vinyl package with the original Stay Hungry album art and bonus poster will also be released this summer at the suggested retail price of $24.98 US.

Stay Hungry 25th Anniversary Edition tracklisting includes:

Disc 1
‘Stay Hungry’
‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’
‘Burn In Hell’
‘Horror-Teria (The Beginning): a. Captain Howdy, b. Street Justice’,
‘I Wanna Rock’
‘The Price’
‘Don’t Let Me Down’
‘The Beast’
‘S.M.F.’

Disc 2
‘Death From Above’
‘Prime Motivator’
‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ (Early Demo)
‘Death Run’
‘This One’s For You’
‘S.M.F.’ (Early Demo)
‘We’re Coming On’
‘Call My Name’
‘Burn In Hell’ (Early Demo)
‘Pay The Price’
‘What’s Love Without You’
‘Our Voice Will Be Heard’
‘You Got To Fight’
‘The Price’ (Early Demo)
‘Stay Hungry’ (Early Demo)
Radio Spot
’30′ (New Track)

M3 Rock Festival

M3 Rock Festival
May 30, 2009
Merriweather Post Pavilion
Columbia, MD

By Steve Johnson 

The M3 Rock Festival invaded Columbia, Maryland on May 30, 2009 and brought with it some of the greatest bands from the mid to late 80′s. Merriweather proved to be a good choice of venue for the show, as it provided ample amounts of shade on a sunny and warm day. While the performances themselves are of utmost importance, there is something to be said about the atmosphere in the parking lot prior to the gates opening. The parking lot at Merriweather was full of people tailgating and listening to their favorite tunes from bands performing at the show. I have not seen that many IROC-Z28 Camaros, Mustangs or vintage concert t-shirts in one place since the late 80′s. Luckily the parking lot police seemed to be turning a blind eye toward their policy of no drinking in the lots, as everyone seemed to be downing a cold one or two.

Jani Lane

Gates for the show opened at 11:00 am and many of the revelers in the parking lot quickly made their way inside. The layout of the festival was rather impressive considering Merriweather isn’t the largest outdoor venue I have been to. The main stage/pavilion area was separated from the second stage by a long line of tents filled with various giveaways and other businesses advertising their products. There were also ample concessions, at rather reasonable prices. One fantastic addition to the festival was a VIP bar area appropriately labeled Hammerjack’s. If you are not familiar with the area, Hammerjack’s was an extremely popular concert venue in downtown Baltimore in the 80′s and 90′s that attracted many of the biggest names in rock. This was a nice touch that added to the nostalgia of the entire event.

The festival’s opener was none other than former Guns N’ Roses guitarist Gilby Clarke. While his set was short, Clarke showed off the skills that landed him with a job in one of the greatest bands in rock history. Much of Clarke’s set included solo material, but he did throw in some Guns ‘N Roses for good measure. Highlights of Clarke’s set included “Tijuana Jail,” “Cure Me or Kill Me,” and “Knocking on Heaven’s Door.” Next to take the main stage was Y&T. Y&T managed to play many of the hits from their 35 year career in their allotted thirty five minute set. The band sounded good and fired off fantastic versions of “Dirty Girl,” “Mean Streak,” and “Summertime Girls.”

Slaughter took the main stage after Y&T and delivered a blistering performance. The band sounded great and Mark Slaughter proved he still has the ability hit his signature high notes. Slaughter’s set consisted of a lot of their older material, with some of their newer stuff mixed in. They ended with two of their greatest hits, “Fly to the Angels” and “Up All Night.” After Slaughter left the main stage, fans were greeted with a spectacular set by Jani Lane of Warrant. He opened up with “Down Boys” and, as expected, performed all of Warrant’s hits and sounded good while doing it. Jani looked better than he has in years and didn’t miss a step as he took command of the main stage for a blistering performance. The Jani Lane of old was back that day. Here’s hoping he has continued success in the future.

Steel Panther's Satchel Slips Us Some Tongue

The onslaught of classic 80′s metal bands continued with a stellar performance by Dokken. While I was only able to catch a few songs by the band, I enjoyed what I heard and the crowd responded well. Normally I would have checked out all of Dokken’s set, but I had to make my way over to the second stage to check out the band everyone had been talking about, Steel Panther. I had heard a lot about the band and had seen them featured on television and in many YouTube videos of them performing with celebrities in L.A. I went into their set not expecting much, but came out a huge fan. Steel Panther may be a parody of glam metal, but those guys can play and delivered what may have been the most entertaining set of the day. The band performed a few songs, including “Fat Girl,” and “Death To All But Metal.” The rest of their set was filled with comedy gold by way of interaction with each other on stage and with the crowd. The band even slowed it down with their latest single “Community Property” and a massive guitar solo which served as a tribute to the rockers that came before them. Steel Panther are a visual spectacle for sure but do not think for a second that these rockers don’t have the musical chops to stack up to the talent on the rest of the bill. They provided not just a show but an experience, The result of the all too short set was evident as fans went wild and wondering why these guys weren’t on the main stage. Ladies, lock up your daughters! Steel Panther is on the prowl!

As Kix rocked the main stage, I kept my post at the second stage to check out the legendary L.A. Guns. There are currently two versions of L.A. Guns touring the country. This L.A. Guns features Phil Lewis on vocals and Stacey Blades on guitar. While some people in the crowd may have been disappointed that this version of Guns doesn’t feature Tracii Guns, Stacey held his own and the band blasted through many of their greatest hits, including “Sleazy Come” and “Rip and Tear.” Up next on the main stage was Extreme and by this time fans continued to file into the venue to and search out a good spot to see their heavy metal favorites. Gary Cherone and the boys of Extreme sounded good and remain some of the best musicians from their era. The crowd’s enthusiasm continued to grow with each passing moment and each jam they belted out. Extreme’s last song of the night “Hole Hearted,” was fantastic and was the proper choice to end with. If you haven’t had the chance to check out Extreme live, you shouldn’t delay, as they definitely pack a punch and leave you hungry for more.

Dee Snider on stage in 2009

At this point in the day, many people had gathered to the main stage/pavilion area to witness the two headlining bands of the show, Ratt and Twisted Sister. Ratt took the stage around 8:00 pm and performed an hour long set that featured all of their hits. Highlights included “Lay It Down,” “You’re In Love,” “Back For More,” “Round and Round,” and “Nobody Rides For Free.” Vocally, Stephen Pearcy sounded great and Warren DeMartini absolutely shredded on the guitar. Ratt had one of the better performances of the day and pumped the crowd up for the last band of the evening. Twisted Sister blasted onto the stage around 9:30 and initially had some sound problems. Everything was quickly corrected and the band delivered a blistering set of their classics. Dee Snider is a great front man and proved it on stage at M3. He ran around fists pumping and banging his head. The rest of the band delivered a great performance and sounded just as tight as they did twenty five years ago when they gave us Stay Hungry. Highlights of their performance included “Under the Blade,” “We’re Not Gonna To Take It,” “Burn in Hell,” “The Price,” and “I Wanna Rock.”

The M3 Festival was a great time and provided fans of classic 80′s metal a cheaper and much closer alternative to Rocklahoma and Rock Gone Wild. The bands were all fantastic and all of the concertgoers seemed to be having a great time. The M3 Festival has breathed new life into a scene that has long been forgotten in an area where it was once king. Here’s hoping it is back for more next year!

The legendary “Queen of Heavy Metal,” Lita Ford, has issued the following statement in regards to her upcoming album and tour:

Can a beautiful woman whose family comes first be a hard rock icon and guitar star as well as a wife and mother of two boys? Sure, if she’s Lita Ford. After a 15-year hiatus from the rock’n’roll scene during which she married, moved to a remote Caribbean island, and started a family, the guitarist, singer and songwriter returns to the stage this summer to give her many fans a taste of her new album to be released this fall, Wicked Wonderland, and bring back to them the music that made her the “Queen of Heavy Metal”.

The album sizzles with the adult libidinal passion that Lita has found in her marriage to Jim Gillette, former lead singer of the band Nitro. Lita’s maturity and family life has anything but dampened her rock’n’roll fire, and in fact ignited her most fiery set of songs and brought even further force and finesse to her guitar playing.

As she has from the start of her career with The Runaways through her many accomplishments as a solo artist, Lita continues to blaze trails for women in rock’n’roll. Now it’s as “a great wife and a pretty cool mom that just happens to be a rock star,” as she describes herself today.

Over some three decades of rocking as hard as any man, Lita forged a legacy of hit songs, best-selling albums and sizzling live performances. But after marrying fellow rocker Gillette, she set stardom aside to excel in another endeavor. “I needed to raise my sons and I needed to get them to the point where it was okay for me to travel,” she explains as she now hits the road again. “I didn’t want to travel with two little infants.”

Instead, Lita and Gillette made their home on a small tropical island where she focused on rearing and home schooling the couple’s sons, James (now 12 years old) and Rocco (age seven). She devoted herself to family with the same focus and drive that made her a musical legend. “When you have a husband and two boys to take care of, you never have any spare time,” Lita explains. “I know there are a lot of other moms out there that know exactly what I am talking about.”

Just as Lita pioneered new modes for women in rock music, her unique family life demonstrates how high love and devotion to a husband and children can be as dynamic and cutting edge as her musical endeavors. She resumed her musical career after the decision was put to a family vote, with both of her kids in favor of her rocking again. As they said to her, “Mom – you’re Lita!”

“This album is what got me to leave the island life behind,” she explains. “It gave me an excuse to take my family all over the world. They love it and are very supportive and behind me every step of the way.”

Plus their travel together offers an extension of the boys’ home schooling as she plays festivals and other select dates in America and Europe this summer. “Now it’s educational to take them out and show them places like Sweden and Italy and tour all through the United States.”

And even her stage shows are a family affair. Gillette serves as road manager and joins his wife on some songs to sing backup vocals and a few duets. James – a budding guitarist and singer – and Rocco also join in on the fun during her sets. “They throw balloons into the audience and get the audience to sing along. ‘I can’t hear you!’ Stuff like that,” Lita reports.

With Gillette and the boys all sporting Mohawk haircuts and Mom rocking out in leather outfits and stiletto heel boots, the foursome hardly appear to be the average parents and kids on their summer travels. But as Gillette notes, “even though we look like ‘The Addams Family,’ we operate more like ‘Leave It To Beaver.’”

“When we meet somebody, they’re not sure what to make of us,” Lita observes. “We’re an abnormal family, but we’re very tight.”

Now that she is back in musical action, Lita would like to continue being an inspiration and role model for other women who rock. “I hope to set the path for even more female guitarists,” she says. “Bet we’ll be seeing a lot in the future.”