Click here to go to my Dee Snider Discography where you will find release dates, notes, album covers, track listings, and lineups.
When I first discovered Dee, he was leading up a snappy little outfit called Twisted Sister...'member them? I was 13 and saw the "We're Not Gonna Take It" video for the first time. Now remember that this was 1984. The "glam rock" scene was exploding with bands such as Motley Crue, Poison, and David Lee Roth (solo). And here came "Stay Hungry"...an album chock full o' teen angst and street-wise rock. The combination of this hard-driving music and the band's image picked up where KISS left off a few years before. Having bought the album, I instantly fell in love with it. But it wasn't just the album that I fell in love with. I believed in the texture of the album...the combination of the distortion, attitude, and the flash of the whole thing.
For years afterwards, I spent my time putting up posters of Twisted all over my room, much to the chagrin of my parents. I sketched the familiar TS logo on my school bookcovers. I slammed my head into my locker with a friend, Joe Gibson, just like in the "I Wanna Rock" video. When I entered high school, I started basing my term papers on the Parent's Music Resource Center (PMRC), in front of whom Dee Snider spoke to bash the wanna-be censors. Each subsequent year of high school, I did more and more research on the topic and Snider became more that just a musician to me. He came to symbolize just what rock and roll was all about...freedom to do "whatever the fuck you want, whenever the fuck you want, and don't let nobody stop you". (thanks, Dee, for the ageless quote) He came to be a bastion for what was "healthy" for music...to be left alone and manipulated by those who did it best...the fans.
Well, the next few years were to be tough for Snider and company. After the release of "Come Out and Play" and "Love Is for Suckers", their popularity waned and the band eventually split up, their final show performed in Minneapolis in 1987.
Dee's career turned several different directions, but always stayed based in performance. After Twisted's demise, he went on to write several screenplays, a few (I believe) that went on to be optioned by major movie studios including Savoy pictures.
But the music...never left it behind...
Dee teamed up with super-guitarist Bernie Torme and formed a band deemed Desperado. The album, recorded in 1989, I believe, was scrapped by Elektra Records before release. But don't even think that Snider let this slow him down...
Snider then joined up with super-guitarist Al Pitrelli (currently touring with Savatage) to create Widowmaker. Their first album, "Blood and Bullets", was full of fast-rocking tunes such as "Blood and Bullets (Pissin' Against the Wind)", "Reason to Kill" (written about Elektra's fickle nature), and "Snot-Nosed Kid". The album enjoyed moderate sales considering the lack of attention from major radio markets/stations.
After "Blood..." came Widowmaker's second release, "Stand By for Pain", an album with obvious 90's influences. This music, in my opinion, was a class better that their previous attempt...a darker, more full-bodied release. This album lacked promotional backing and was therefore almost forgotten even before it was released. This one is my favorite by far.
Currently, Widowmaker is on indefinite hiatus, according to Dee, because of his looking in new directions. He is currently writing the script for the sequel to his first feature-lengthed film, "Strangeland". Also in the works is Dee's television show. He is co-writing, co-producing and is currently looking for a solid writing staff. Working title, "The Snider's of Great Neck". Apparently, it will be the "Cosby's Meet Metal" as an 80s metal guy tries to raise a family in spite of his roaring legacy. Keep your eyes peeled.
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