Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider recently opened up about his rocky journey through fame, fortune, and financial ruin. In an interview with Fox News Digital, the rock star shared insights into his life’s highs and lows, including a surprising revelation about filing for bankruptcy twice.
Snider, the subject of a new A&E special titled Biography: Dee Snider, emphasized the importance of sharing both successes and failures. He stated, “People need to share their failures, not just the successes. You know, people need to know there’s no shame in falling down. And you’re not the only one who falls down.”
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The singer recounted the challenging period in the early 1990s following Twisted Sister’s breakup. “Double bankruptcy, my career collapsed,” Snider revealed. “I was riding a bicycle to a desk job, answering phones. I was married, had three kids. You know, things just went incredibly south.”
Snider’s financial troubles stemmed from a gradual loss of money over the years. By 1995, he described himself as “flat broke,” to the point where he and his wife “couldn’t go into a 7-Eleven with our kids because we couldn’t afford to buy them a piece of candy.” Reflecting on his past mistakes, Snider acknowledged the role his ego played in his downfall. “The ego that gets you to the top that convinces you that you’ll make it, that same ego won’t accept the warning signs. Your ego just won’t let you act smartly,” he explained.
Despite these hardships, Snider found strength in his long-standing marriage to Suzette, his wife of over 40 years. He credited her support, saying, “She’s been by my side forever. So I always had someone standing with me and saying, ‘We got this,’ which is great.” Snider also found inspiration in the defiant spirit of Twisted Sister’s biggest hit, “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” He revealed, “I’m singing my song to myself. We’re not gonna take it. I’m going to get out of this. I’m going to get out of this and keep moving forward.”
The rock star’s fortunes began to turn around in an unexpected way. Years earlier, he had written a Christmas song for his wife, “The Magic of Christmas Day (God Bless Us Everyone),” which Celine Dion recorded for her 1998 holiday album. The song’s success, coupled with Snider’s ownership of the publishing rights, provided a much-needed financial boost.
The creation of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” was influenced by Twisted Sister’s decade-long struggle for mainstream success. Snider explained, “We went from being this sort of, ‘Hey, we’re having fun playing rock and roll,’ and then we’re just getting this endless rejection. We developed this chip on our shoulders, and there’s this in-your-face attitude.”
Despite Twisted Sister’s breakup in 1988, the band has reunited occasionally, most notably for a farewell tour in 2016. However, Snider recently hinted at the possibility of future performances on the podcast The Hook Rocks, revealing that offers for reunions are “getting bigger and bigger every year.”
He joked about a potential “We’re Only in It for the Money” tour, stating, “We have this theory, like the longer we are away, the bigger we become, the more valuable we become.” In the interview, Snider elaborated on the band’s discussions regarding potential future shows. He mentioned that they are having “very general discussions” about how a reunion might look, driven by increasing fan demand and lucrative offers.
