In addition to having written “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” one of the greatest rock ’n’ roll anthems of the ’80s, Dee Snider was a beloved fixture on Connecticut’s airwaves in the early 2000s as a morning radio host on Radio 104. Observant drivers will still see DEE bumper stickers on cars across the state. After retiring his band Twisted Sister last year, he has embarked on a tour to promote his new solo album, We Are the Ones. He stops at the Ridgefield Playhouse on Sept. 22.
Do you have fond memories of your morning show in Hartford?
The fondest! Three great years in Hartford and then we simulcast out to Richmond for about a year. It was an awesome experience. When you spend that kind of quality time with people, four hours every morning yakking and talking, people really get to know you. The minute that somebody comes up to you and says “I’m a peep from Connecticut,” it’s an instant bond, because I know they really know me. They don’t know me from a movie or an album cover or a video, an appearance on a TV show or a reality show. They know me from that quality time you get to spend talking about your life and sharing life experiences. For three whole years, that’s a long time. ... People come up to me all the time from Connecticut, and go, “Man, that was the greatest. We miss it so much.” It’s so flattering. It was so long ago now, and there’s still fond memories. There’s still the euro stickers rolling around on cars.
So you’re on tour for your new solo album We Are The Ones.
Yeah, Twisted retired in November of last year, and in November of last year I released my first solo album. The intention was not for me to disappear, the intention was to put an exclamation point on the incredible career of Twisted Sister, and I certainly love my former bandmates, my friends, my brothers. After 40 years on and off with the band, I wanted to do some new things. I also wanted to stop headbanging. I can barely turn my head as it is. We Are the Onesrocks. But there’s a lot of things on there I could never do with Twisted Sister. I could never have covered “Head Like a Hole” by Nine Inch Nails. I could never have done an unplugged version of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” with Twisted Sister.
Your most recent music video was filmed at, and very supporting of, the Standing Rock protests against the Dakota Access oil pipeline in North Dakota. How did you come to that struggle?
It’s so strange how things happen. There’s a restaurant we go to regularly. I was with my daughter. Her name is Cheyenne, which is an Indian name. The bus boy came up — I see him all the time, they called him Pony. So Pony goes to Cheyenne and starts speaking in his native tongue. I said, “Are you a Native American?’ and he said, “Yes, I just said a poem.” So we started talking and he said, “I don’t know if you’re aware, but there’s things going on at Standing Rock.” And I had heard little bits and pieces. And he said, “If you could just tweet about it or something, that would be awesome.” So he made me aware of it. And I looked into it and I said “tweet about it?!” I need to do more than a tweet. I spoke with my son, Cody, who is an up-and-coming director. I got a whole crew of guys who are ready to do this for nothing. We tried to capture [the scene in Standing Rock], but it was a warzone. What erupted there was a warzone. It went on for hours and hours. My son was getting teargassed and hosed. And finally the camera guy, literally looking through his lens, the guy turned a gun on him, and fired a rubber bullet and hit him. [The protesters] have had some victories, but it’s an ongoing fight, especially with Trump in the White House. It’s a very different tone out there. There’s a lot of blanket support for corporate America, and they get carte blanche now.
A lot of people will also remember the stand you took against Tipper Gore’s Parents Music Resource Center in the 1980s. Do you think it’s gotten easier or harder to take stands like that?
You realize what your purpose is at different points in your life. In my 20s, my purpose was to be the voice of the unvoiced, the youth of the world who were frustrated and angry, and give them a song to sing. Now at this point in my life, I find myself in the same position, except I have a song, a really lethal song. I could sing it for any cause. When I’m out on the road at these concerts and these festivals, and I dedicate it to the fight against terrorism, against the people that would take our simple pleasures, of listening to music, and that is being targeted a lot. [They’re] not going after military installations, not going after enemies, but going after regular people. I sing that song and the place just erupts. I’ll sing it for Criss Angel’s fight against children’s cancer, and suddenly it becomes the song for that fight. I’m ready to fight whatever. I’ve got my eye on bullying next.
A few years ago, you joined an elite coterie: people who have been fired by Donald Trump.
When you’re doing reality TV, and I was pretty steeped in that world for a while … I was roasted a couple of years ago, and Zakk Wylde got up and said, “Dee, you’re surrounded by friends and family, this isn’t a roast. It’s an intervention. You gotta stop doing all these reality shows.” I laughed so hard. If you’re on that reality TV show thing, making it to Celebrity Apprentice was like the ultimate reality show to be on. Then I was on All-Star Celebrity Apprentice, and I was fired on that. For attention, for re-branding yourself, it was a great thing. On the Trump front, I got along great with the whole Trump family. They were lovely people. We enjoyed their company and became friendly with them. As with most people when you go out for drinks, you don’t talk about politics, sports or religion. And we never did. It turns out we’re not quite as like-minded as I thought. So it’s a whole different ballgame now. It’s not reality TV, it’s f---ing reality. And it’s a little scary what’s going on right now.
Sep 12, 2017
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