JAY JAY FRENCH Says It 'May Be Time' For TWISTED SISTER To Call It Quits In 2016

TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French says that the band will meet later this week to discuss its future plans following the tragic passing of the group's drummer, Anthony Jude "A.J." Pero.

Pero died last Friday (March 20) at the age of 55. He was on tour with the band ADRENALINE MOB at the time. After members of that group failed to rouse him on their tour bus, he was taken to a Poughkeepsie, New York hospital and pronounced dead of an apparent heart attack.

During an appearance on yesterday's (March 23) edition of Eddie Trunk's SiriusXM satellite radio show, "Eddie Trunk Live", Jay Jay spoke about whether he was aware of Pero battling any health issues prior to his passing.

"You know, he would be in the dressing room… Drummers are like… They're the most… 'Oh, my arm. My shoulder.' That kind of a thing," French said. "Put the Bengay on and take the aspirin. But that's stuff that you just figured were like battle scars — that kind of a thing. I didn't know the extent… that he had heart problems; he never confided in me. In fact, here's the ironic thing… On Thursday [March 19], I had to call him, because I had to bring him up to date on what was going with the band, 'cause so much stuff is happening. We've got a documentary coming out this year on the beginning of the band [and our] history; we've got, like, three CDs coming out with live stuff from back in the day. A.J.'s on one of them. The Donington concert's coming out for the first time on CD. And I said to A.J., 'You know, we've got to really sit down and plan what we're gonna do, because we've got this DVD in Vegas that's supposed to be filmed at the end of May. And the band's thinking about, you know, maybe we should put a plan together to figure out… you know, maybe it's time to bow out. There's so many things in the works, there's so many plans and things to discuss. And he said, 'Listen, there's one thing you have to know.' He goes, 'My shoulder's been bothering me, and I'm leaving the ADRENALINE MOB tour, so when you hear through social media that I'm not on the tour, there's no problem. It's just my shoulder. I'll get into rehab for the summer.' This is what he says to me. Just like this. He goes, 'Don't worry about anything. All the dates are good. I'm good. Everything's good,' I said, 'Okay.' I said, 'When are you home?' He said, 'I'm playing The Chance [in Poughkeepsie], and then I'm home Sunday.' And I said, 'Let's get together Monday.' He says, 'You've got it, brother.' That was it."

Asked if Pero was the type of guy that had regular physical checkups, Jay Jay said: "I can anecdotally… and I can only say this anecdotally, because I never asked him. But anecdotally, I hear he didn't. Anecdotally, I think he thought he was indestructible. Which, by the way, we think we're all indestructible… I'm assuming everyone kind of takes care of themselves. So there was underlying heart disease. His father died of heart disease. His family told me that they would like money sent to the American Heart Association in lieu of flowers, donated in the name of A.J. Pero, because the family had a history of heart disease. So I think if you have a history of these things, if you don't take care of yourself, I guess this is what happens. But he never said to me… he never pulled me aside and said, 'Look, man, I'm having a hard time here.' It was never that. In fact, it was the exact opposite. 'A.J., can you do this?' 'No problem.' 'Can you do this?' 'No problem.' 'Can you do this?' 'No problem.' Well, if someone tells you there's no problem, there's no problem. I mean, I'm not his parent, right?! And he's like my brother. And plus, as you know the peculiar nature of TWISTED SISTER, how often are we together? We're together three months a year, and then we don't see each other."

In hindsight, French believes that early symptoms of Pero's coronary artery disease were misread.

"Here's what I think. That shoulder pain wasn't the muscle strain. It was indicative of something far worse," French said. "But, you know, the problem in metal and rock and roll in general is that we always tend to think it's the alcoholics who are gonna go. Those are the obvious ones. The stories you hear about John Bonham, Keith Moon… They tear up hotels, they're drunk, they make real spectacles of themselves, [and then] they die. Those are the guys [where] you just go, 'Okay, well, they lived that kind of life.' Like the fact that Keith Richards is alive, I think, is kind of mind-boggling to me. But having said that, A.J. wasn't one of those guys."

Jay Jay also talked about the positive words he has received from the rock community about Pero's contribution to the genre .

"[The fact that A.J. was a good guy] is reflected in the absolutely overwhelming social commetary about what A.J. meant to people," he said. "The saddest part is he's not alive to see the love. I mean, in this world of such negativity, of such… people, all they wanna do is just tear you down… I have to say that not one negative word has been said about this man. And, in fact, it's like the loss of a beautiful guy. And that's the part… He didn't know how many people loved him. And I'll tell you something else too. We take for granted his artistry. Do you know how many drummers loved him?"

Regarding TWISTED SISTER's plans for the future, Jay Jay said: "Dee [Snider, vocals] is flying in tomorrow, and we're having a meeting on Wednesday. And we're gonna discuss several things. We're gonna discuss the near term, which is the concert in Vegas, which is May 30th. And we're gonna discuss the middle term, which is getting through the shows in Europe this year. And then we're gonna [talk about] the long term, which is: Is 2016 gonna be a statement year for us? Is it gonna be…? Are we gonna say…? 'Cause 2016 is the 40th anniversary of me, Dee and Eddie [Ojeda, guitar] together. And it may be time. It may be."

He continued: "We are trying to confront the reality of it, because I don't wanna be in this forever… We could. I mean, some bands are forever in that ozone area and continue to play on.

"We had no idea the band had any following at all when 9/11 happened and we did the New York Steel benefit, and then, all of a sudden, we got calls from around the world and we had no idea whatsoever that the band meant anything to anybody anymore. And in the last thirteen years now, we've established [a following] all around the world and South America, and the band is wildly popular. And our music, as you know, is licensed everywhere. 'Cause we license our music, for the reason why, is we want the music played, and if you can only get it played in commercials and TV shows, then that's where you go. So it has given us an entire life. But we need to look at this and say to ourselves, as a live, breathing entity, on which our reputation totally rests on — being a great live act — how do we honor that history? And how do we honor A.J.? And how do we honor the fans' loyalty? And I think you know me and Dee and the band enough to know that we are totally realistic and genuine when it comes to our relationship with our fans."

Pero joined TWISTED SISTER in 1982, leaving the band in 1986 but returning in 1997. He remained a member of the group, which has toured on and off over the past 15 years, to this day. He played drums on six of the group's seven studio albums, except for 1987's "Love Is For Suckers".

TWISTED SISTER rose to prominence from the New York club scene in the early 1980s. Their biggest album, 1984's "Stay Hungry", contained the hits "We're Not Gonna Take It" and "I Wanna Rock".

In addition to touring with TWISTED SISTER and ADRENALINE MOB, Pero also recently played with former and current members of IRON MAIDEN and DISTURBED in a band called THE FOUNDRY. He also hosted drum clinics and seminars.