News that Dee Snider is stepping away from Twisted Sister feels like the end of a very loud, very sweaty era.
Whether you’re a diehard fan or not, Dee Snider is part of the fabric of pop culture. Love him, loathe him, or just vaguely remember the hair, there’s a small part of you that always wants to know what he’s up to.
In early February, the 70-year-old frontman announced he was stepping away from Twisted Sister, cancelling the band’s long-hyped 50th anniversary reunion tour before it even began.
The dates, set for Brazil this April, were scrapped after what bandmates described as a “sudden and unexpected” resignation on February 5.
The reason is less dramatic than the headlines suggest, but heavier in real life. Snider has been battling degenerative arthritis in his shoulders, undergone multiple surgeries, and recently had a hip replacement just to stay mobile.
He’s also admitted decades of aggressive, full-throttle performing have taken a toll on his heart. Quoting Magnum Force, he leaned on the Dirty Harry line: “A man’s got to know his limitations.”
He’s walking away instead of slowing down the show.
After online rumours spiralled, Snider jumped on his syndicated radio show, House of Hair, on February 14 to clear the air. “I’m not dying!” he told listeners. “I just can’t do those things that I did in my 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and even 60s.”
He may be done with the stage, but he’s far from done working. Snider is moving into active production on his long-teased horror film My Enemy’s Enemy, based on a disturbing 1982 Long Island crime with a slasher twist – imagine something in the realm of Michael Myers or Jason Voorhees VS the real-world. He’s directing this one himself, marking a milestone after writing (but not directing) the cult curio Strangeland.
There’s also renewed energy behind Strangeland: Disciple, a long-gestating return to Captain Howdy that’s been stuck in development limbo for years. With touring off the table, Snider finally has the bandwidth to push it forward.
So no, he won’t be stalking stages in platform boots anymore. But culturally? He’s not going anywhere.
Whether you grew up screaming along or just absorbed him through the ether of MTV, Dee Snider remains one of those larger-than-life figures you instinctively check in on.
