Daniel “Dee” Snider (born March 15, 1955) is an American singer songwriter, screenwriter, radio personality, and performer. Snider is most famed for his part as the frontman of the heavy metal band Twisted Sister. He was rated 83 in the “Hit Parader”‘s Top 100 Metal Vocalist Ever.
In early 1976, Snider joined Twisted Sister and became the only songwriter of the group then. The group released their very first studio album, Beneath the Blade, in September 1982 and developed a following in britain. Less than a year after, Twisted Sister released their sophomore effort, You Can Not Stop Rock ‘n’ Roll. This could end up being the group’s most successful record using the hits “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock.” To highlight the “twisted sister” picture, Snider embraced a hallmark part of metal-inspired drag with long blonde hair, an inordinate quantity of eye shadow and rouge, and bright red lipstick. It featured metal news, interviews with metal musicians, as well as in-studio cohosts. In 1981 Snider wed his long term wife, Suzette Snider, who worked in costume and make-up, and supported and even dressed Dee in his well-known ensemble of drag. In 1985, a Senate hearing was instigated by the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), who wished to introduce a parental warning system that will label all records containing offensive content. The system was to contain letters identifying the kind of objectionable content to be seen in each record (e.g. O for occult topics, S for sex, D for drugs, V for violence, etc.). Dee Snider, John Denver, and Frank Zappa all testified against censorship and the projected warning system. This type of system was never executed, but the results of the hearing brought about what’s now the generic “Parental Advisory: Explicit Content” label.
Actor, Singer-songwriter, Screenwriter, Radio personality, Musician, TV Personality, Voice Actor, Spokesperson, Film Producer
Education
Baldwin High School, All-State Chorus
Nationality
United States of America
Spouse
Suzette Snider (m. 1981)
Children
Jesse Blaze Snider, Cody Blue Snider, Cheyenne Snider, Shane Snider
Parents
Bob Snider, Marguerite Snider, We're Not Gonna Take It, We Are the Ones, Luck Be a Lady Tonight, We're Not Gonna Take It, We Are the Ones, Luck Be a Lady Tonight
Nicknames
David Daniel Snider , Dee Snyder , Daniel Dee Snider , Twisted Sister , Daniel Snider , Daniel "Dee" Snider
Music Groups
Twisted Sister, Van Helsing's Curse, Desperado
Movies
"Warning: Parental Advisory", "Kiss Loves You"
TV Shows
"Dee Snider Radio" (1999), PlayStation 2, "Jak and Daxter: The Precursor Legacy" (2001)
Star Sign
Pisces
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Trademark
1
Football shoulder pads with feathers
2
The makeup he wears onstage
3
Sunglasses
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Quote
1
But most of my songs were about believing in yourself, standing up for yourself and fighting for what you believe in.
2
I went for an outrageous form of expressing myself. It seemed to be a way that I could make my name and show that I was somebody.
3
I only have one child. But I am learning that there is a lot to being a parent that you did not expect.
4
There's no tour plans, no reunion, no new album... nothing.
5
Nowadays people sell millions of records that can't sing.
6
I don't conduct myself like a rock 'n' roll star in my day-to-day living. Am I a celebrity? Yes. Do people recognize me on the street? Yes, they do. But at the same time, it's not a media center out here. People get used to you.
7
Twisted Sister plays 20, 25 shows a year. But if the band had their druthers, they'd be out playing all the time.
8
You can't stop rock-n-roll!
9
Being a parent is not a reasonable thing. It is a very hard thing. I am a parent and I know.
10
I tested the waters on producing a record, but I'm more of a creative guy. I can't get into minute details.
11
I was born and raised a Christian, and I still adhere to those principles.
12
My family is out of the ordinary in our physical lifestyle and the day-to-day things that we deal with, but my approach to them is pretty rational and sound. And I'm the quiet one! It's very different from my performing life.
13
I've got a lot to do, and I hope that by the end of it all, people will say that Dee Snider was an entertainer, and he did his job well.
14
I wanted to be a rich, famous rock-and-roll star in that order.
15
I love scary movies.
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Fact
1
Has his personal credo - "Don't let the bastards get you down", in Italian - tattooed on himself.
2
Is good friends with Lita Ford, who has frequently opened for Twisted Sister and vice-versa. For this reason, and to her delight, Lita's fans have affectionately nicknamed her "Twisted Sister's Twisted Sister".
3
Dee continues to do selective dates with the reunited Twisted Sister. He continues to do work in the voice-over world and still does the syndicated "House of Hair" radio show, which is in over 150 markets. Currently, Dee is focusing on the project, Van Helsings Curse (VanHelsingsCurse.com), which is a horror musical spectacular. [November 2005]
4
Co-host of Fangoria Radio on Sirius Satellite Radio, Sirius Stars channel 102 [June 2006]
5
Dee Snider currently lives in Hartford, Connecticut. He also used to host a hit radio show on Connecticut rock radio station WMRQ. [March 2003]
6
Hosts a prime-time radio show for Philadelphia based 93.3 WMMR. [January 2005]
Graduated Baldwin Senior High School, Baldwin, New York (Long Island) in 1973
12
He took on Tipper Gore and her "watchdog" group, the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), when she tried to get his band Twisted Sister's album banned, and he spoke in favor of musicians rights included in the First Amendment. He actively campaigned for Arnold Schwarzenegger in that actor's campaign for the California governor (even going as far as to sing his song "We're Not Gonna Take It" at rallies for both men).
Before Ice-T's "Cop Killer" (1992) and 2 Live Crew's "As Nasty As They Wanna Be" (1989), Twisted Sister was one of the first rock groups to come under fire by the Parents Music Resource Center (PMRC), a "watchdog" group founded by Tipper Gore, wife of former Vice-Prresident Al Gore. The music videos for "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock" (c. 1984) depicted violence and, in both videos, Mark Metcalf plays a bullying authority figure, either a dominant father or school principal. As a result of the Senate hearings in 1985, parental advisory stickers were placed on records that contained "explicit" lyrics--especially rap music--and vulgar sexual overtones or that promoted misogyny, racism and anti-cop lyrics.
$10 Million
