SEBASTIAN BACH Says He Got DEE SNIDER's 'Full Blessing' To Front TWISTED SISTER: 'I Have Tears In My Eyes Right Now'

During an appearance on the March 3 episode of SiriusXM's "Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk", former SKID ROW singer Sebastian Bach spoke about how he ended up being chosen to front TWISTED SISTER for the latter band's fall 2026 shows after iconic singer Dee Snider resigned from TWISTED SISTER due to "health challenges". Sebastian said in part (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): "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."

On the topic of how TWISTED SISTER's latest collaboration with Sebastian came about, the band's founding guitarist and manager Jay Jay French told host Eddie Trunk: "Eddie Trunk, for people who don't know it, you stand in the crossroads of our history in such an interesting way, because you brought us back from the dead once before in 2001 when we played the New York Steel show. The band had not played since 1988, and, as you know, the crisis in New York for 9-11 led you to call up and say, 'Man, if you guys could headline that benefit, that would be great.' And, of course, that benefit, the word got out the band's back together, which then led to a 17-year career of headlining festivals and brought the band back to a life and a level worldwide that we had never been before. As much as people think 'We're Not Gonna Take It' and 'I Wanna Rock' was the high point of our life, it didn't even come close to what happened after we came back, after 2003, especially in the European market. We wound up playing 40 countries around the world, and the acceptance was amazing. And it wouldn't have happened without Eddie Trunk. And here again, Eddie, you were at the crossroads. That's so important to me. So I want to historically just state that for a fact."

French continued: "The other thing that's fascinating is that we've known Sebastian for years. Going back, [SKID ROW] were Atlantic Records band when we were an Atlantic Records band, and in 2001, when [American music industry executive] Jason Flom was being honored in New York City, Sebastian and we wound up doing a surprise one-off gig for Jason at the Tavern On The Green. If anyone ever said when would TWISTED ever get back together, it'd be in the kitchen of Tavern On The Green restaurant in Central Park. And Sebastian came out and did that. And then shortly after that, TWISTED SISTER had a tribute album, which you remember a lot of artists played on that record. MOTÖRHEAD played on it. Well, here's the thing — Sebastian recorded 'You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll'. So if you go online and you wanna hear how great Sebastian is gonna be, just put in 'You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll' and Sebastian Bach. And that's TWISTED SISTER backing Sebastian Bach 20 years ago, which is actually mind blowing to think about the fact that you were our lead singer for a day 20 years ago, my friend. So then, of course, we played a whole bunch of other things together. We've been together, we've been connected in so many ways. We're great friends, and he's a great fan."

Jay Jay added: "But Eddie Trunk, you were on the money, because we did a secret rehearsal just to see if it was gonna be okay, if this could work or not. And you know what? Sebastian came in and just… I was skeptical. I said to myself, and [TWISTED SISTER guitarist] Eddie Ojeda and I spoke about this, and I bring Eddie Ojeda in here because Eddie and I go back to high school. And we made TWISTED SISTER what it is today. We played together and it was, like, 'Wow. Do you think we could do it? Who could do it?' And Eddie Trunk, you were dead-on right. Exactly dead-on right. Sebastian came in and just nailed it. And again, to all the skeptics out there who wanna know what it's like to have Sebastian on vocals for TWISTED, go online right now. Go to Spotify right now. Put in 'You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll' [and] Sebastian Bach, and you will hear TWISTED SISTER backing Sebastian Bach."

As for how many shows TWISTED SISTER will play with Sebastian on vocals, Jay Jay said:  "The dates that we had [originally] booked in Europe [for] this summer are gone. We're not doing those. Baz is coming in in September and we will be honoring the six shows that will be coming up on the web site. We'll show you the shows, but it's important for Sebastian Bach fans to know that all solo shows that Sebastian has booked are still in effect. I wanna make sure everybody understands that he's gonna be doing our shows with us, and he's gonna be interspersing those with his solo shows. So none of those shows are being canceled. We are just going to fulfill obligations that we had set up as we were heading into this thing towards the end of the summer. So all the summer dates that TWISTED had listed on the web site, they're gone. But I do believe that Alaska, that stayed up there, is gonna happen. And we're gonna be doing about five or six shows from that point on, and Baz will be doing his solo shows. So understand when you see the setup, it's going to be shows — I think we're doing five in the U.S. and we're doing one in Canada. And that is what we are doing so far. And then, of course, we will talk after that and see what's happening. But Baz is coming in to do these shows for us, and we really couldn't be happier, I swear."

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."

As for the possibility of more TWISTED SISTER shows with Bach beyond the fall 2026 dates, Ojeda said: "We're gonna see how it goes, and if it feels right and we're up to it, and Sebastian's up to it, we'll see what happens. I think we're gonna have a blast, and I think people are gonna really enjoy it. And then we'll take it from there. One thing at a time."

At press time TWISTED SISTER has not announced the full list of shows it plans to play with Bach outside of a September 4 stop at the Alaska State Fair.

Snider discussed the prospect of somebody stepping in for him as TWISTED SISTER's lead singer during a recent episode of the "Beardo & Weirdo" podcast, hosted by FIVE FINGER DEATH PUNCH bassist Chris Kael and comedian Craig Gass. Asked if he thought TWISTED SISTER could carry on without him, Dee said: "I  hope so. I believe there's gotta be somebody out there who can kick ass."

Asked if he had anybody in mind that he would recommend to take that role, Dee said: "All right. Okay. Back it up. Back it up. So cut back to, we're still reunited — it's, like, 2014, something like that, and we only do, like, 20 shows a year, and they're headlining festivals, whatever. And we realized that if somebody got sick or had a problem at home and they couldn't do a show, it would be a great loss since it was one of 20 shows for the year. So we said, 'Listen, let's all find a stand-in guy who will do the job in case we can't make a show.' I was trying to get someone to replace me, in case we can't make a show. I was trying to get someone to replace me, and nobody would take the job. And I called him Sebastian Bach. I was, like, dude, 'Will you be the fill-in?' And he goes, 'No way.' I'm like, 'What do you mean no way?' 'Dude, that's a thankless job. No, I'm not standing in for you. Never.' I'm, like, you're my student. You studied me. You're a great singer. You can do it. People will love it.' 'Nah, nah, no way.' So him, Michael Monroe from HANOI ROCKS. No way. I hear rumors that the band is actually trying to find someone, and I say, God bless 'em."

After Gass noted that he has heard that TWISTED SISTER was rehearsing with one of the singers that were already mentioned by Dee in his previous response, an apparent reference to Bach, Snider said: "Yeah, I know there's been rehearsals with him. And he hasn't reached out to me. I think he knows he has my blessing. And I would never begrudge anybody continuing to rock."

Snider and Bach had publicly praised each other in 2020 after they had a disagreement on social media about whether the term "hair metal" was derogatory.

"I love Sebastian Bach!" Snider wrote on X (formerly Twitter). "During the darkest period of my career, he stood tall as a Dee Snider fan when few would. I will always be grateful to him for not caring what was 'cool' at the moment and speaking our proudly for the things he loved. Thank you SMF#2!"

Bach wrote in response: "I love Dee Snider. I will always love the music he has made. No matter how much Dee sees himself as 'hair metal,' I will always see him on a much higher level than that implies. He is one of the greatest frontmen and vocalists of all time. Any corny label less than that is an insult."

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.

Dee Snider photo credit: Stephanie Cabral