Earlier this year, Twisted Sister announced a return to the stage, with Sebastian Bach handling lead vocal duties. Longtime frontman Dee Snider’s announcement that he could no longer tour for health reasons seemed like the end of the road for the band. Still, for founding member and guitarist Jay Jay French, it presented an opportunity to add another chapter to the group’s five decades of history.
Twisted Sister will be at Fallsview Casino on Thursday, Oct. 8. When I spoke to French a few weeks back, the band was still in rehearsals. They have already performed a few shows with Bach, and the band’s fans have embraced the lineup change.
“It didn’t escape me that if we’re going to bring somebody in, they better be great,” French noted. “David Lee Roth wasn’t supposed to be succeeded by Sammy Hagar. Freddie Mercury could never be replaced, yet Queen found a way to continue. Steve Perry was never supposed to be replaced, and Journey found a singer on YouTube. Replacing Dee for medical reasons with a bona fide superstar is a natural extension of that. We’re excited to see how it goes.”
French knew there would be a risk, but all the aforementioned bands have navigated major lineup changes. While each band faced different circumstances, when there isn’t acrimony, bands tend to fare better. French quickly noted that he respected Snider’s decision to retire from touring.
“Nobody knows his body more than Dee. He’s one of the most professional human beings I’ve ever been in a band with. He took his job seriously. He spent two hours every day doing vocal exercises; he doesn’t drink, he doesn’t do drugs, and he does everything he can to stay in shape. If his body betrays him, his body betrays him, and you’ve got to respect somebody who makes that decision.”
Even though Snider couldn’t go, the 74-year-old Twisted Sister guitarist wasn’t ready to slow down or stop.
“I don’t sit home and play golf. I write all the time. I write for audio magazines. I do motivational speaking. I host a podcast. I raise money for charity. I walk five miles a day. I’m actually really, really busy. I don’t have a second off.”
Perhaps his greatest motivation to go out and celebrate five-plus decades of Twisted Sister was the work French and his early bandmates put in to achieve commercial success.
“We were turned down more times than a bed you didn’t own, and we’ve come back more times than Freddie Krueger. That’s the foundation of any incredibly successful person. There’s a grind involved. I call it the boredom of excellence. You keep showing up, keep doing it, and eventually the opportunity comes.”
“Most people don’t understand that this band has played more shows than just about any band in the world. Before Dee and (guitarist) Eddie (Ojeda) joined, I already had 3,000 performances under my belt. Dee, Eddie, and I have about 6,000 performances together. That’s 9,000 performances as a band. This band’s legacy and history are unique. I’d love to see a movie or a mini-series because I think people need to understand the amount of work and dedication that went into this.”
Jay Jay and Eddie are both still in Twisted Sister, adding to that total. Sebastian Bach will need a few thousand more to catch up.
Fans can expect to hear all of the Twisted Sister classics, including the massive hits “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock,” along with a few surprises from Bach’s catalog.