DEE SNIDER On Current State Of Heavy Metal: 'I See That The Passion Is Still There'

TWISTED SISTER singer Dee Snider was recently interviewed by Toronto, Ontario, Canada's 94.9 The Rock radio station. You can now listen to the chat below. A couple of excerpts follow (transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET).

On the current state of heavy metal:

Dee: "You've got these people out there [who say], 'Rock and roll is dead' or 'let me tell you something: rock and roll is dead and I wouldn't pick up a guitar if I were you.' Gene Simmons [KISS] famously said, 'Rock and roll is dead.' And I famously argued back and said, 'Obviously, you're not in tune. Obviously, you're not headed out to the clubs, you're not going to the small theaters or the alt fetivals.' There's a passion out there, there's great music out there, but it's not receiving the attention that it used to receive. Things are very target-marketed, social-media-marketed these days. The record companies know how to reach out to the specific fan. But my kids are all metalheads. They're all grown, but they've taken me to metal shows throughout the last three decades and I've been in touch. And I see that the passion is still there. But I'm kind of feeling it in a way that I'm getting to be a voice of the community, since I am O.G. metalhead. And with [my latest solo album] 'For The Love Of Metal', I'm making some kind of statement that people of all ages are getting behind and saying, 'Yeah, thank you, Dee, for standing up and shouting it out loud and proud."

On how the music industry has changed in the last 35 years:

Dee: "I couldn't do this without [HATEBREED frontman] Jamey Jasta [who produced 'For The Love Of Metal'], because I don't get it. I've got my oldest son — he's been a struggling singer and songwriter for years — and he keeps turning to me. He goes, 'Dad…?' I'm going, 'I don't know.' It's a different animal right now. I'm a radio guy. I've been doing radio for over 25 years now. That's what my life-after-rock-and-roll place is. But at the same time, it is part of a bigger picture and there's other elements… It takes a village, but it takes a lot more than it used to back in the old days."

On how difficult it is for new bands to get the attention of record labels and concert promoters:

Dee: "It's always been a Catch 22. And it's plagued the artists all along. But it's just the way it is. They wanna see some evidence… 'We wanna see signs of life.' 'Yeah, but if you don't promote it, how am I gonna get signs of life?' So, now, it's supposed to miraculously survive on its own, and then it gets the love. A lot of people say, 'Oh, it's so much harder now.' No. It was incredibly hard back in the day. Anybody who's seen the TWISTED documentary, 'We Are Twisted F*cking Sister!', knows it took 10 years — 10! – for TWISTED SISTER to get to that 'We're Not Gonna Take It' moment. And it was brutal. And now it's brutal too. Creators have always had to fight a fight to get recognized."

Released last July, "For The Love Of Metal" featured contributions from Howard Jones (ex-KILLSWITCH ENGAGE),Mark Morton (LAMB OF GOD),Alissa White-Gluz (ARCH ENEMY),Joel Grind and Nick Bellmore (TOXIC HOLOCAUST),and Charlie Bellmore (KINGDOM OF SORROW).

TWISTED SISTER called it quits in 2016 after completing a farewell 40th-anniversary tour.