Song of the Day 2/9: Twisted Sister, “I Wanna Rock”
Try to contain your disappointment: Twisted Sister had to call off its 50th anniversary tour, its first comeback in a decade, because frontman Dee Snider unexpectedly quit, citing his declining health.
Per a statement at the band’s web site,
Snider suffers from degenerative arthritis and has had several surgeries over the years just to keep going, able to only perform a few songs at a time in pain. Adding insult to injury, Dee has recently found out the level of intensity he has dedicated to his life’s work has taken its toll on his heart as well.
He can no longer push the boundaries of rock ‘n’ roll fury like he has done for decades. Says Snider, “I don’t know of any other way to rock. The idea of slowing down is unacceptable to me. I’d rather walk away than be a shadow of my former self.”
The rest of the group hasn’t decided its next move, but if they carry on with a new lead singer it won’t be the first time. When Snider joined the band in 1976 they were already on their sixth lineup. They toiled for 10 years in Long Island and New Jersey clubs before landing a recording contract, and it was 1984 before they tasted success with their third LP, “Stay Hungry.”
That album contained “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” by far their biggest hit. It only reached No. 21 on the Hot 100, but its cartoonish video featuring actor Mark Metcalf, reprising his bullying character Doug Niedermeyer from “Animal House,” was in heavy rotation on MTV. They went right back to the well for the follow-up single, “I Wanna Rock,” which stalled at No. 68.
Declining sales led Twisted Sister to disband by 1988, but they reunited several times, most recently for a 2015 reunion tour. Their last recording was a 2006 Christmas album – yes, really – that repurposed “The 12 Days of Christmas” for fans who still hadn’t let go of hair metal’s halcyon days.
