Photo: Dee Snider of Twisted Sister | By Lyndsey Parker, Yahoo Music | When Dee Snider competed on The Masked Singer [last] week as the Doll, the famously gender-bending Twisted Sister frontman felt right at home in his costume’s high heels, sexy pencil skirt, and corset. The timing of his appearance, which included an impromptu a cappella rendition of his anthem “We’re Not Gonna Take It” after his reveal, was interesting, given that his former friend Donald Trump and bans of drag performances are in the news. So, of course, Yahoo Entertainment’s morning-after conversation with the politically astute rock star — who’s been an outspoken advocate for justice and free speech since he famously testified at the PMRC hearing in 1985 — quickly pivoted to current events.
Snider is about to publish two books: a coming-of-age novel “about toxic masculinity” called Frats, and a graphic novel, He’s Not Gonna Take It, “about Washington and how did I become the voice, the guy who spoke for the generation and now other generations?” But he has some other big plans Twisted Sister, who recently performed for the first time since 2016 to celebrate their induction into the Heavy Metal Hall of Fame. Expect more Twisted Sister performances in the election year 2024, as he and his bandmates attempt to take back “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” a song that has been used in ways they never expected or intended.
“Next year, you’re gonna see some Twisted Sister reunions, at different political rallies that need our support,” Snider tells Yahoo Entertainment. “The band has a concern that the song is being co-opted by the extreme right… and we want to make sure that people still know it’s a song for everybody and it does not represent that selfish micro group. It is really for the mass people, the moderate people, the people that just want to live their lives, be themselves, and not have people tell ’em they can’t be themselves. So, I think you’ll see us at political rallies and stuff like that. We’ll be out there next year.”
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Yahoo Entertainment: Congratulations on getting into the Heavy Metal Hall of Fame, and congratulations on being on The Masked Singer. The last time I interviewed you, we talked a lot about drag. I even put it out there that I want you to be a Drag Race judge and stuff. So, I love the fact that when you went on as the Doll. You must have had a say in that outfit!
Dee Snider: First of all, I’m expecting the phone to ring at any moment from RuPaul. I’m expecting the call! Well, they presented the Doll [costume] to me and I said, “Um, isn’t that a bit like putting a hat on a hat?” … But I was the one that said, “Let’s go full-blown. Gimme the seven-inch pumps!” And the way, [wearing heels] is like riding a bike. I said that on the show last night.
You pretty much were wearing women’s clothing early in the days of Twisted Sister. You were wearing lingerie. So, I have to ask, because you’re so politically outspoken, especially when it comes to free speech… what are your thoughts on these drag bans, or attempted drag bans, right now — especially regarding the ramifications it could have in general for free speech and art?
Let’s talk about the drag bans. My band would not be allowed to perform in Texas. We would fall under that heading, the new rule, if they pass these rules — men wearing lipstick, nail polish and makeup. So, do I stand with the [LGBTQ+/drag] community? 100%. I heard the community has reached out about using “We’re Not Gonna Take It” as their battle cry, and I said, “With my blessing, brothers and sisters! Go for it!” I stand with them. Look…. I was not gay, I was heterosexual, and I still had a lot of issues with a lot of people because I wore the things I wore in the ‘70s and even into the ‘80s. So, I’ve been on the receiving end. I get what they go through. I remember it so many times, how people would say, “You f***ing f***!” And I’m like, “OK, I’m just dressing up. You got a problem with that?” … I had a lot of fights with people who didn’t like the way I expressed myself. So, I’m very in favor of free expression on every level. And I will stand with the community, if they ask me to stand with them. I am with them.
Lots of people, from both ends of the political spectrum, have wanted to use “We’re Not Gonna Take It.”
I will never censor somebody and say, “You can’t use the song.” I will say that I do not support your use of the song, but censorship I will not support. I just want people to know I’m not aligned with them. Like, QAnon uses “We’re Not Gonna Take It” for all their little videos, their creepy little YouTube videos, and I have to speak out and say, “No, I do not stand with QAnon.” I do not stand with the January 6ers who use the song. I do not stand with the anti-maskers who use the song. I do not stand with the anti-vaxxers who use the song. I do stand with the teachers who use the song. I do stand with the people looking for intelligent gun control who use the song. And I do stand with [the LGBTQ+] community and will applaud. They’re using the song in the right spirit. It was not for selfish purposes. It was for everybody. Everybody should be allowed to express themselves freely without being shot with assault weapons, without being banned for wearing makeup.
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Are you bracing yourself for next year’s election, and hearing “We’re Not Gonna Take It” possibly get used in contexts that are not ideal in your eyes?
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You know, the band has a concern that the song is being co-opted by the extreme right… and we want to make sure that people still know it’s a song for everybody and it does not represent that selfish micro group. It is really for the mass people, the moderate people, the people that just want to live their lives, be themselves, and not have people tell ’em they can’t be themselves. So, I think you’ll see us at political rallies and stuff like that. We’ll be out there next year.
This interview has been edited for brevity and clarity.
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Read the rest of this very interesting interview here:
https://www.yahoo.com/entertainment/dee-snider-talks-trump-taking-back-were-not-gonna-take-it-and-drag-bans-my-band-would-not-be-allowed-to-perform-in-texas-224631846.html
Photo: Dee Snider
https://www.facebook.com/facedeesnider/
April 13, 2023| News| Barb Dye