TWISTED SISTER Guitarist Talks 'Under The Blade' Reissue, Band's Future

Greg Prato of UGO recently conducted an interview with TWISTED SISTER guitarist Jay Jay French. A couple of excerpts from the chat follow below.

UGO: How heavy is the reissue of "Under The Blade"?

Jay Jay French: The digital remaster is, for the first time, from the original Secret Records master 2-track tape. It is as close to owning the original master tape of "Under the Blade" as you can technically get at this point and time. You also get the legendary four-song "Ruff Cutts" EP and a live track from the Reading Festival performance that was rarely ever available. It is a dream package as far as SMFs [TWISTED SISTER fans] are concerned.

UGO: What's up next for TWISTED SISTER, and what are the chances of the group recording an all-new studio album?

Jay Jay French: We are unique in that we are only one of five bands remaining at our level from our era that perform with the original album lineup (AEROSMITH, ZZ TOP, RUSH and MTLEY CRE are the other four). We continue to play around the world as the demand calls for it. This year we will play in Russia, Greece, Spain, England, Finland, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Mexico, and 2 shows in the U.S. There will be no new music as far as I can see at this point, and the end of the band can come as early as the end of this year. It is not a hype for me to say that the last posted show may be the last show. The reunion has gone on for much longer than I anticipated and can't go on forever. This is not a threat. It is how I look at the band. As every festival season ends, I assume that it will be done. The bandmembers themselves are all over the place on this one. Some would play until they can't stand, some would just as soon retire tomorrow. I don't think that bands that have been around nearly 40 years are all that different in this regard. It has been a great run. It surpassed my wildest dreams that we would come back and be embraced around the world and become one of metal's greatest festival closers in history. There is really nothing left to prove. We consistently get the best reviews compared with all the other bands we play with. For me, we have blown off the stage every band that we ever cared to be compared with. It has always been a very predatory approach to performance. This is why we headline and get paid what we get paid. Don't be naive and think that most bands don't feel this way. The festival world is like the Roman Coliseum. It's kill or be killed. Personally, if I can no longer attain that much satisfaction, then no amount of money will keep me going. Many bands are criticized for "doing it for the money." I can say this I have never phoned in a performance, in my life. The day that that changes is the day I will walk away.

Read the entire interview from UGO.