Latest news with #TwistedSister
New York Post
10-05-2025
- Entertainment
- New York Post
Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider ditched Los Angeles, moved family to North Carolina for calmer life
Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider left Los Angeles for the 'open roads' of North Carolina years ago and never looked back. Snider, now 70, and his wife chose to uproot their family for a life they never had after moving to Los Angeles in 2015. Advertisement 'We moved out to LA 10 years ago, the whole family. A couple of years ago, everybody was sitting around saying, you know, it's time to get back to a calmer life, not 'back to' – to a life we never had,' Snider explained to WFMY News. 'We literally looked from the West Coast to the East Coast and slowly started dialing in,' he added. 'And North Carolina took the number one spot … You've got to come for the state. So the entire family came out, this is true, and we started on the west end of the state, and we just visited towns. We traveled all the way to the shoreline. And people were amazing, and that's ultimately what it came down to.' The rock legend found the North Carolinians to be 'welcoming and lovely,' quickly deciding that's where they wanted to live. 'We're all here, by the way – my four grown kids, six grandkids, we all live in North Carolina, this is our home.' Advertisement 3 Dee Snider and his family moved to North Carolina 10 years ago. Snider married his wife, Suzette Snider, in 1981. The two met at a bar after Suzette used a fake ID to gain entry. 'She turned up to our show on her cousin's ID and thought she was seeing a girl band,' the singer previously told The Sydney Morning Herald. 'I saw her and flipped. She was this hot Italian beauty. I told her I'd be famous one day. We've been together ever since.' Advertisement 3 The rockstar said his family needed to back to a 'calmer' life outside of Los Angeles. Instagram Suzette became the band's costume designer and even designed their logo. The two share four kids together; Jesse, 42, Shane, 37, and Cody, 35, and Cheyenne, 28. Snider has found the best part of North Carolina's rural lifestyle is the 'open roads.' Advertisement 3 Snider performed during the Las Vegas Rock & Roll Extravaganza in January 2023. Getty Images 'I like cars. The roads here are great. I'm also a motorcycle rider,' he told the local North Carolina station. 'So, I mean, in LA or New York, where I'm from originally, it's just defensive riding 'don't hit me!' But here, you can get up, and you can just get out on the open roads and just really enjoy the beauty of the state and enjoy riding and driving.' 'You notice I'm limping – it's because I was bike trail riding and the trail won the other day. I took a spill. Sometimes the trail wins.'
Fox News
09-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider ditched Los Angeles, moved family to North Carolina for calmer life
Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider left Los Angeles for the "open roads" of North Carolina years ago and never looked back. Snider, now 70, and his wife chose to uproot their family for a life they never had after moving to Los Angeles in 2015. "We moved out to LA 10 years ago, the whole family. A couple of years ago, everybody was sitting around saying, you know, it's time to get back to a calmer life, not 'back to' – to a life we never had," Snider explained to WFMY News. "We literally looked from the West Coast to the East Coast and slowly started dialing in," he added. "And North Carolina took the number one spot ... You've got to come for the state. So the entire family came out, this is true, and we started on the west end of the state, and we just visited towns. We traveled all the way to the shoreline. And people were amazing, and that's ultimately what it came down to." The rock legend found the North Carolinians to be "welcoming and lovely," quickly deciding that's where they wanted to live. "We're all here, by the way – my four grown kids, six grandkids, we all live in North Carolina, this is our home." Snider married his wife, Suzette Snider, in 1981. The two met at a bar after Suzette used a fake ID to gain entry. "She turned up to our show on her cousin's ID and thought she was seeing a girl band," the singer previously told The Sydney Morning Herald. "I saw her and flipped. She was this hot Italian beauty. I told her I'd be famous one day. We've been together ever since." Suzette became the band's costume designer and even designed their logo. The two share four kids together; Jesse, 42, Shane, 37, and Cody, 35, and Cheyenne, 28. Snider has found the best part of North Carolina's rural lifestyle is the "open roads." "I like cars. The roads here are great. I'm also a motorcycle rider," he told the local North Carolina station. "So, I mean, in LA or New York, where I'm from originally, it's just defensive riding 'don't hit me!' But here, you can get up, and you can just get out on the open roads and just really enjoy the beauty of the state and enjoy riding and driving." "You notice I'm limping – it's because I was bike trail riding and the trail won the other day. I took a spill. Sometimes the trail wins."
Perth Now
08-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Perth Now
Gene Simmons clarifies KISS won't play a concert at Kiss Army Storms Vegas convention following backlash
Gene Simmons insists KISS will not be playing a concert at the Kiss Army Storms Vegas convention. Despite the legendary hard rock band playing their final concert at New York's Madison Square Garden in 2023, KISS were confirmed to be playing an "unmasked" show in Las Vegas this November. The move drew some backlash due to them calling it quits, but co-frontman Simmons has now explained that it's not a proper concert and some band members may not even be in attendance - though he hinted his solo group could show up. The Kiss Army Storms Vegas event runs from November 14 until November 16. Speaking on New York's 94.3 The Shark radio station, he said: "This is much more a fan gathering. The Kiss Army … are taking over the Virgin Hotel and we will show up, but I don't even know if the entire band's gonna be there. I know Paul [Stanley] and I are gonna be there, and Tommy [Thayer]. [Former KISS guitarist] Bruce Kulick probably will show up, and we'll jam, answer questions and stuff. It ain't a concert — we're gonna do none of that stuff. I may even bring my solo band up there just for [s****] and giggles. So this is more a fan event, like a fan gathering that we're gonna be guests at." Former Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider was among those to slam Simmons and co for their "insulting" Vegas gig. He penned on X (formerly Twitter): 'So I was told today that a @kiss reunion has been announce. 14 months since their last farewell. That may be a new record for them. I can't believe people put up with their s***. To me it's insulting.' The band's reunion plan was met with mixed reactions, with the likes of Snider seeing it as a cash-grab. However, some KISS fans argued that the farewell tour was an end to touring and performing with makeup and costumes, and that the band never ruled out one-off performances. Twisted Sister have not performed since 2016, with Snider and his fellow bandmates not having any intentions of a reunion. Although, he has argued it is getting harder to say no.
Fox News
06-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Fox News
Glamour Gone Wrong: Kennedy's Met Gala Breakdown
Yesterday was Met Monday, one of the most anticipated days of the year for unemployed social media trolls and haute couture enthusiasts. This year's theme, 'Superfine: Tailoring Black Style,' gave many celebrities the opportunity to showcase some questionable (and downright ugly) fashion choices. From Kim Kardashian seemingly auditioning for 'Spy vs. Spy' to Chappell Roan cosplaying Dee Snider from Twisted Sister, this year's Met Gala was a disappointment for many. Image Source: AP Images Learn more about your ad choices. Visit
Forbes
28-03-2025
- Entertainment
- Forbes
From 'We're NOT Gonna Take It' To 'We're Gonna Take It'
Graspop Metal Festival Belgium Jay Jay French, the guitarist and manager of the legendary heavy metal band, Twisted Sister, has a business success story that goes far beyond the band's iconic 1980s image and ear-busting hits. From their early days as a cover band to their more recent record-breaking commercial and movie licensing deals, Twisted Sister's story is a testament to the power of long-term vision and the willingness to pivot in the face of changing tastes. I sat down with French to delve into their five decade journey, ending with the news that the band that produced heavy metal's most famous songs, 'We're Not Gonna Take It' and 'I Wanna Rock' recently decided We're Gonna Take It and sold their remaining rights to a music investor. When French talks about his journey as a member and manager of one of America's most memorable heavy metal hair bands, you quickly realize that you're speaking to a business strategist — once you get past the pictures of him in 6-inch heels and full makeup chained by the neck to the band's lead singer and famous frontman, Dee Snider. As French talks about the story of the band, from 1972 to 2024, he emphasizes the importance of key business challenges, such as de-risking the business and consolidating its financial records and contracts. Close your eyes, and you would think you're sitting across from a private equity executive strategizing the sale of a high-growth technology business rather than a guitarist who's used to playing in front of 100,000 fans. If you grew up in the 1980s, you couldn't turn on MTV without hearing Twisted Sister's two most famous songs and seeing their videos, 'We're Not Gonna Take It' (74 million YouTube views) and 'I Wanna Rock' (98 million YouTube views). It was the earliest days of MTV, and their full length videos had a complete storyline about teenagers rebelling against their overbearing parents and teachers. Watching Dee and Jay Jay, these twin six-foot cross-dressers singing 'We're Not Gonna Take It,' was seared into our young imaginations forever. Fast forward to today where I had the chance to work with French at our school for entrepreneurs, Birthing of Giants, helping him plot out the next chapter of his business using Birthing of Giants' 'One Year From Today' strategy stack. I suppose, my role in French's process was most akin to that of the teacher from 'I Wanna Rock,' played by Mark Metcalf, who also appears in the video 'We're Not Gonna Take It' as the young kid's irate father that screams, 'WHAT DO YOU WANT TO DO WITH YOUR LIFE?' (clip here) just before the kid transforms into Dee in full heavy metal regalia. It was a thrill to use Birthing of Giants' 'One Year From Today' strategy stack with an MTV idol from my childhood to help him figure out what he wanted to do with the rest of his life. Even more so to be backstage, so to speak, when the band that wrote 'We're Not Gonna Take It' — took it! On September 30, 2024, Twisted Sister sold their remaining recording copyrights, trademarks and other name, image and likeness rights to Warner Music Group. Fans will still get to hear the music and experience the Twisted Sister brand through TV, movies, commercials and more thanks to the efforts of the new owners. In fact, a recently released movie, 'The Gorge,' licensed the band's heavy metal rendition of 'Oh Come All Ye Faithful,' from their holiday record, 'A Twisted Christmas,' their final studio album which dropped in 2006. (Insider tip: 'Oh Come All Ye Faithful" and 'We're Not Gonna Take It' have the same melody). In the run up to the sale of the business, French undertook a comprehensive assessment of the band's assets, which required digging through decades-old contracts from around the world, some French didn't even realize were still in force. His thoroughness paid off, as it allowed them to understand the true value of their brand equity and simplify the complexities of a potential sale. One of French's key strategies for managing the band's assets was a long-term roadmap. Years earlier, he structured deals to ensure that rights would revert to the band at roughly the same time. This foresight, well before considering a sale, gave Twisted Sister greater control over their intellectual property. "It's about having a vision," French explains. "Can you see down the road, can you see the big story, not just what's in front of you?" This long-term thinking was crucial in an industry where bands rarely lasted more than a few years. "It's about having a vision. Can you see down the road, can you see the big story, not just what's in front of you?" Twisted Sister's journey was marked by several significant pivots. Over five decades, they transitioned from a cover band to writing original songs, embraced the music video era, and later focused on festival touring and licensing their hits. This adaptability was essential for their survival and success. French notes that the music industry is a "what have you done for me lately business," requiring constant reinvention to stay relevant. In the 2000s their songs became the most licensed heavy metal tracks from the 1980s. The band's internal dynamics also played a crucial role in their longevity. All the way back to the 1970s, French structured financial arrangements to ensure fairness and stability, initially providing a guaranteed salary to band members, minimizing band conflicts and keeping the band together while their peers fell into the usual traps of drugs, alcohol and creative disagreements. The decision to sell Twisted Sister in 2024 was driven by several factors, including the aging of the band members and the fact that none of their kids wanted to continue in the Twisted Sister business. After the sale closed on September 30th, French admits that the transition was a bit of a shock. After being involved in every aspect of the band's business for decades, he suddenly found himself with a clean slate and an empty email inbox. Looking back on his 50 plus year career, the most surprising thing about French and Twisted Sister's journey is how similar it is to most long term business journeys. Is the business about the people? The product? The profits? It's all of those things all the time. Over a lifetime, French and the rest of the band evolved with the times and stayed relevant. While French had no idea that he'd still be running the band he started as a scrawny 20-something in the 1970s, he led like all great entrepreneurs do: pivoting frequently as if the company's life depended on it, while simultaneously making decisions as if the company was destined to run forever — or at least 52 years.
