Dee Snider says he’s happy Ukrainians are using “We’re Not Gonna Take It” as a rallying anthem against invasion.
The Twisted Sister frontman took to Twitter to address the use of the song. “People are asking me why I endorsed the use of ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ for the Ukrainian people and did not for the anti-maskers. Well, one use is for a righteous battle against oppression; the other is an infantile feet-stomping against an inconvenience.”
Snider wrote over the weekend that he absolutely approved of Ukrainians using the song as a battle anthem. “I absolutely approve of Ukrainians using ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ as their battle cry. My grandfather was Ukrainian before it was swallowed up by the USSR after WW2. This can’t happen to these people again!”
“My grandmother was Transylvanian when the Russians took over and occupied the Carpathian mountains. Who do you think were carrying those Russian guns, driving the tanks, & flying those planes? Canadians?” the singer asked rhetorically to his detractors on Twitter.
The Twisted Sister frontman recently released a new song to honor the victims of the Warwick, Rhode Island nightclub fire in 2003. More than 100 attendees died and over 200 were injured in that event. The song is called “Stand,” and it features on Snider’s new album, Leave a Scar.
“Stand” wasn’t written specifically for a documentary about the fire, but Snider calls it a “perfect fit.” It takes aim at members of the rock community who did not offer assistance because “nobody wanted to be associated with hair metal bands.” “If it was U2, the Pope would have shown up,” Snider says in a documentary about the tragedy.
“The full tragedy of that horrific night was the despicable lack of support shown for a community in desperate need. ‘Stand’ speaks to the importance for us all to recognize these moments of desperation and do something about them. Don’t leave your mark, leave a scar!”