JAY JAY FRENCH Says 'The Public Is Gonna Ultimately Decide' Whether They Accept SEBASTIAN BACH As New Singer Of TWISTED SISTER

In a new interview with Tim Caple of Rock 'N' Blues Experience, TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French spoke about the band's decision to recruit Sebastian Bach to front TWISTED SISTER for the group's fall 2026 shows after Dee Snider resigned from the group due to "health challenges". French said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "Sebastian really is the only person that could do it. He's the only larger-than-life guy with the chops and the stage presence to do it. And I called him and he was, like, 'Yeah, man, I'd love to.' … He's so enthusiastic. I gotta love it. I love it. I love it."

French added: "We did eight hours of rehearsal [with Sebastian]. We did eight hours. He was amazing. He was amazing. So I have no doubts how great it's gonna be."

Addressing some of the criticism that has been leveled at TWISTED SISTER for carrying on without a vocalist who many people feel is irreplaceable, Jay Jay said: "When people talk about what you can and can't do, enough already. Here's the bottom line… This is my comment about it. It's either gonna work or it's not gonna work. The public buys it or they don't buy it. Right now [LYNYRD] SKYNYRD is touring with nobody [from the original lineup] in the band. Right now FOREIGNER's touring with nobody [from the original lineup] in the band. If you didn't like the band, don't go. But they are offering a product that is great. QUEEN — Freddie Mercury, greatest vocalist in the history of the world, can never be replaced. Guess what? They got a guy [Adam Lambert] from 'The Voice' [to replace him]. Steve Perry, greatest singer in the history of the world. Guess what? They got a guy [Arnel Pineda] from YouTube [to replace him]. I mean, what are you saying? YouTube, 'The Voice'. I'm just saying, we got a guy whose pedigree is metal, by the way, who's a legitimate artist with platinum records, by the way. Not an also-ran. A phenomenally talented human being. And, of course, now the public is gonna ultimately decide. They decide. If the public likes it, they like it."

Asked about the possibility of more TWISTED SISTER shows in 2027 with Bach on lead vocals, French said: "That answer will unfold, the same way it unfolded in 2003 when the band reformed and we did the festival tour and did the six shows in 2003, and then all of a sudden the floodgates opened. The floodgates will open or they won't open. The beauty of it is they don't have to open. The beauty of it is you do it, you have fun, you put your best foot forward, you deliver the magic, and everything takes care of itself."

Jay Jay continued: "This is where I'm gonna get kind of philosophical about it, only 'cause me, I go back, like, 9,000 performances [as a member of TWISTED SISTER]. If you add five shows a night, like, all that shit. I was trying to figure out how many nights we have played, how many nights I've actually... It's over 3,000 nights of playing live rock 'n' roll. 3,000 nights, and we averaged three shows a night. I remember in the early days, you're doing five shows a night, then four shows a night, then three shows a night. But 3,000 nights or 3,200 nights, something like that, well, there's something to be said about that.

"You have to understand from my perspective, I've sat through 20 changes of personnel," French explained. "And almost every one of them who left had fans who said the band was never gonna make it without them, by the way… Not just Dee… We had a drummer that was so popular, Tony Petri that when we fired him, fans showed up at gigs with banners saying, 'You're never going to make it without Tony.' … I've heard it over and over and over again, and I can't pay attention to it. You just move on, and you do what you do. And people don't understand what it's like to be me. And they could disagree.

"I've had people say, 'Hey, man, I'm never gonna come see the band,'" Jay Jay added. "Okay. Listen, I get it. Why do I get it? I have the same opinion about other bands. I can say all my jokes about THE ROLLING STONES. They're awful since Mick Taylor left. They have been awful, in my opinion, and I've walked out on them three times since, 'cause I keep giving them the benefit of the doubt that you're not gonna suck, and they suck every time. I mean, THE ROLLING STONES, they do what they do. God bless them. I love Keith [Richards], but their fans are so old, they don't clap 'cause they're afraid the lights will go on in the arena. I don't understand how that band continues on without, without a great guitar player. Here's the thing about THE STONES. People go, 'I saw THE STONES, man. Jeff Beck came out. They were great.' 'I saw THE STONES, man. [Eric] Clapton came out and they were great.' 'I saw THE STONES, man. Gary Clark came out and they were great.' I said, what that tells you is that when a guy who knows how to play guitar comes out on stage and joins them, they're great. And I said, unfortunately, they got two guitar players who look like extras from 'Game Of Thrones', who can barely play anymore, stumbling around the stage. Now, if you wanna pay $800 for that, that's your business. God bless you. It's a free world, my friend. And that's it. And that's how I feel about TWISTED. There's gonna be some people who go, 'Without Dee, I don't wanna see it.' 'Without [bassist Mark] Mendoza, I don't wanna see it.' 'Without this guy, I don't wanna see it.' And they're fans. And I've said the same thing about other bands, so I fully get it. I don't blame you for it. In fact, thank you for spending your money in the past on us. I want you to know I appreciate it."

Regarding the likelihood of TWISTED SISTER recording new music with Bach on vocals, Jay Jay said: "Oh, that's another question, because we don't own the rights to that any longer. We sold the rights to that. So I don't know if we could or not. And we haven't even thought about it."

TWISTED SISTER has announced a total of 11 fall 2026 shows so far featuring Bach on lead vocals.

Sep. 4 - Palmer, AK @ Borealis Theatre
Sep. 6 - Salem, OR @ L.B. Day Amphitheater
Sep. 12 - Durant, OK @ Choctaw Grand Theater
Sep. 27 - Puyallup, WA @ Washington State Fair
Oct. 2 - West Springfield, MA @ The Big E
Oct. 8 - Niagara Falls, ON @ OLG Stage at Fallsview Casino
Oct. 10 - Windsor, ON @ The Colosseum at Caesars Windsor
Oct. 18 - Gary, IN @ Hard Rock Casino Northern Indiana
Nov. 12 - Bristol, VA @ Hard Rock Live Bristol
Nov. 14 - Charles Town, WV @ The Event Center at Hollywood Casino
Dec. 11 - St. Petersburg, FL @ Ferg's Pavilion

In a March 2026 interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, Bach spoke about being chosen to front TWISTED SISTER for the band's fall 2026 shows. Sebastian said: "I am a fan of TWISTED SISTER. And I'll tell you right now, I'm probably a bigger fan of TWISTED SISTER than anybody watching this. I love that band. I used to go see them whenever I could. And I really love the album 'You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll' with songs like 'The Kids Are Back', 'Ride To Live, Live To Ride'. I love the 'Under The Blade' album. I love 'Shoot 'Em Down', 'Destroyer', 'Tear It Loose'. I mean, I love 'I Wanna Rock', I love 'We're Not Gonna Take It', but there's an earlier period of that band where they were one of the most ferocious rock bands that you will ever see. And if you saw them back then, you know what I'm talking about."

Bach continued: "When they were a club band, they would come out there like a punk rock band or a total thrash metal band. I mean, if you listen to their version of 'It's Only Rock 'N' Roll (But I Like It)' by THE ROLLING STONES, it's like a speed metal tempo… Well, that's the kind of energy that I'm gonna bring. I mean, I'm not no spring chicken, but I still have a lot of energy when I get on the stage. And I'm going to give you guys fun and energy in TWISTED SISTER.

"I'm the lead singer of TWISTED SISTER," Sebastian added. "How much fun is that to say? I love saying that, so I'm really looking forward to it. I will also say that I'll never stop singing the [classic SKID ROW] songs '18 And Life', 'I Remember You', 'Youth Gone Wild', 'Monkey Business', 'Slave To The Grind' — I'll never stop doing that. So I'm not stopping my solo band. I'm continuing my solo band, but I'm doing shows with TWISTED SISTER that are bigger than my solo band. So it's a step up for me. I'll have a nicer dressing room and stuff. [Laughs]

"So … I'm looking forward to rocking out with TWISTED SISTER, because I love the music. And you cannot even challenge me on do I love the [music]. I really do love the music. So you can't fake love — and I love TWISTED SISTER."

During an appearance on the March 3, 2026 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", Bach stated about how he was recruited to front TWISTED SISTER: "Well, I have tears in my eyes right now. I am SMF Number Two. I was named that by Dee Snider. And I just have to say, I just got off the phone with Dee Snider. We talked for about 45 minutes, and we were both kind of getting teary eyed.

"I just put out a [solo] record called 'Child Within The Man', and one of my favorite all-time bands is TWISTED SISTER," Bach explained. "And the music of TWISTED SISTER makes me feel like a child within the man. This is what I was talking about on my new record, how rock and roll music, it has a life of its own. You're talking to a guy here — I used to go to school and I used to paint the TWISTED SISTER logo on the back of my jacket in liquid paper thinking that looked cool [laughs] — whiteout. [Laughs] So I am a real fan — I am a fan of this music, and that is really, number one, why I'm doing it. And also to honor the legacy of these songs. And I look at it like when Paul Rodgers came in [to sing] for QUEEN, or when [GUNS N' ROSES frontman] Axl [Rose] came in for Brian Johnson [in AC/DC]. I am a fan of TWISTED SISTER and I always have been, and I love this music. I love it. I love 'Tear it Loose'. I love 'Destroyer'. I love 'The Price'. I mean, you talk about [classic SKID ROW songs like] '18 And Life' and 'I Remember You'. Well, you know what? I locked myself in a room rehearsing to 'The Price'. And these songs are how I learned how to rock."

Asked for more details of his conversation with Snider, Bach said: "I said, 'I'm calling you in 10 minutes.' He goes, 'Okay.' And I called him and he goes, 'SMF Number Two.' 'Cause he's always called me that. I'm a sick motherfucker. I'm a sick motherfucking fan of TWISTED SISTER. And he's always called me Number Two. Of course, he's number one. And so I go, 'Well, I guess I really am SMF Number Two.' And then I asked him, what did the doctor say to him? And he's, like, 'No problem. I'll tell you.' He says that he has arthritis, that his knees are going out, and he has bone on bone. And the doctor said that he should not be jumping around. And he goes, 'Well, that's not an option,' 'cause he wants to do the full show moving around and stuff, and the doctor said, 'You can't do it.' So he said, 'You have my full blessing.' He goes, 'I love you.' I told him I loved him, and we were, like, teary eyed. And he told me that his family was crying when he said he couldn't do the tour. I asked him, 'Hey, you wanna come out and jam with us?' He goes, 'Yeah.' He goes, 'Yeah.' So maybe he'll be at some of these gigs on stage with us. Who knows? I don't know if that's gonna happen or not. But it's tough getting older — it's tough for everybody getting older, and I'm a lot younger. [Laughs]"

Sebastian went on to say that it was important to him to get Dee's stamp of approval before proceeding. "That's a sign of respect," he said. "I respect Dee Snider, I respect Jay Jay French, I respect Eddie Ojeda, I respect [former TWISTED SISTER members] A.J. Pero, Mark Mendoza, the whole team. And I've always been a serious fan — like, really serious. I don't just like the hits of TWISTED SISTER. I like 'Like A Knife In The Back'. I like the heavy TWISTED SISTER. And I love 'I Wanna Rock'. I love 'The Price'. 'The Price' is one of my favorite TWISTED SISTER songs. I love 'We're Not Gonna Take It'. But the album 'You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll', I would probably say, is my favorite one."

TWISTED SISTER's 2026 shows will feature Bach, French and Ojeda. Russell Pzütto, who has toured with Snider's solo projects, will replace bassist Mark "The Animal" Mendoza on bass. Joe Franco, who briefly played with the group in the mid-1980s, was supposed to sit behind the drum kit, stepping in for A.J. Pero, who passed away in 2015 at the age of 55. However, Franco is not available to play the fall 2026 shows and will be replaced by Joey Cassata, who played drums on Ace Frehley's final original solo album, "10,000 Volts".

Speaking to "Trunk Nation" about TWISTED SISTER's current touring lineup, Jay Jay said: "In the 53-year history of the band, we've had 20 people who've been in and out of TWISTED SISTER. We've had five singers, we've had three bass players, we've had four guitar players and we've had nine drummers. Half of them are dead. It's a very tough business to be a drummer with TWISTED SISTER. But we had an amazing history of the band, and this is just a continuation of the history. And the thing is the music always survives. They said Steve Perry could never have been replaced in JOURNEY. And he was. That Freddie Mercury could never be replaced [in QUEEN]. And he was. And guess what? Baz is gonna be an unbelievable replacement.

"So it's me, Eddie Ojeda and Baz," French continued. "Joe Franco had signed on for the summer, and he wasn't available in the fall. And so Joey Cassata is gonna be on drums filling in for Joe, but if Joe Franco can make it, he definitely will. And Russ Pzütto, who has been our bass tech and has filled in for Mark in the past, will be playing bass. So Russ has been with the organization for years and years and years. He also played on Dee's solo projects. So that's basically the lineup."

Three years ago, TWISTED SISTER staged a one-off reunion at the Metal Hall Of Fame in Agoura Hills, California. On hand to be inducted into the Metal Hall Of Fame were Snider, French, Mendoza and drummer Mike Portnoy. Ojeda was absent from the event after contracting COVID-19; filling in for him was Keith Robert War. TWISTED SISTER played a highly charged three-song set consisting of the staples "You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll" and "Under The Blade", as well as the anthem "We're Not Gonna To Take It".

TWISTED SISTER's original run ended in the late '80s. After more than a decade, the band publicly reunited in November 2001 to top the bill of New York Steel, a hard-rock benefit concert to raise money for the New York Police And Fire Widows' And Children's Benefit Fund.