DEE SNIDER And RIKI RACHTMAN Launch New Podcast 'The Ball'

TWISTED SISTER legend Dee Snider and Riki Rachtman, former owner of the Cathouse club in Los Angeles and host of MTV's "Headbangers Ball", have teamed up for a new podcast, "The Ball", which premiered earlier this week on YouTube. You can now watch the first episode below.

In 1985, Snider hosted the debut episode of "Heavy Metal Mania" on MTV. Despite its apparent popularity with metal fans, the show was eventually phased out and replaced with "Headbangers Ball" in 1987. "Headbangers Ball"'s first long-term host was Adam Curry who was then replaced by Rachtman in 1990. Moving from MTV to the show's later home on MTV2, Jamey Jasta of HATEBREED fame took over the reins and interviewed some of the biggest metal bands around.

Regarding why he and Snider decided to launch the new "The Ball" podcast, Rachtman said:  "In case you didn't know, before 'Headbangers Ball', there was a show — I think it was called 'Heavy Metal Mania' — that was hosted by Dee Snider, and it was actually the precursor to 'Headbangers Ball'. And then, of course, I hosted the 'Headbangers Ball'. And then, some of you might remember, maybe four years ago, I did a show called 'The Ball', where I picked every video, I picked every guest, I actually filmed it with my own iPhone and edited it myself."

On the topic of what fans can expect from "The Ball", Rachtman said: "It's gonna be like a podcast. It's gonna be on YouTube and Spotify and iTunes and all those other things, but it is also a video show. We are also filming it. So we're just kind of just doing it. It's not all slick, but when you see the set, it looks insane."

Riki added: "We already shot it, and the set is amazing. There is gonna be a Patreon for that show where you can participate live, 'cause we're gonna record the show live. There's no editing. We kind of just went into this set and just kind of shot it and just had fun, and we didn't really know exactly what we were gonna talk about."

In recent years, Rachtman had taken his one-man show, "One Foot In The Gutter", on the road across the U.S. and Australia. In the show, Rachtman interspersed stories about the Hollywood scene, the Cathouse and "Headbangers Ball" with photos and videos.

Three years ago, Rachtman told QueenCreekTribune.com about his time on "Headbangers Ball": "It was incredible. But when I look back at it now, what I am a little bummed about it, I don't think I appreciated it as much as I should have. I had all these great things happening. It was temporary, and I should have appreciated it. I got to hang out with all these people."

Snider backed out of taking part in TWISTED SISTER's 50th-anniversary reunion tour in 2026 due to his health issues. He has since been replaced by Sebastian Bach, formerly of SKID ROW.

TWISTED SISTER canceled a previously planned 50th-anniversary tour on February 5, 2026, citing Snider's resignation.

Snider said in a statement in February that he suffers from degenerative arthritis, and is only able to "perform a few songs at a time in pain." He also said that his intense rocking over the years has "taken its toll on his heart as well."

Snider moved to North Carolina in 2025 after leaving Los Angeles. He told WFMY News 2 a year and a half ago that he and his family were looking for a calmer life and ultimately chose North Carolina for its welcoming community and growing film industry. At the time, he planned to build a family production company and help create jobs in the state.