Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider doesn’t mince words when it comes to what he calls ‘fake’ farewell tours.
The rocker recently spoke with Rock City Music Company in a live Q&A session about the state of the music industry and what it’s like to be an aging rocker. Snider says he’d rather stop rocking altogether than give a sub-par performance to his fans. He says when it comes to doing live music, he’s just not too keen on fans watching him age.
“People coming to see Twisted Sister, coming to see me—people are smiling. I’m not a bitcher or moaner, but I’ve had knee surgery, shoulder surgery, throat surgery, neck surgery. I can’t lift my arms. It hurts when I throw the horns. So I’d rather walk off with dignity and leave you guys with a positive memory, saying you wanted more, rather than to overstay and have you say, ‘Gee, why doesn’t the guy get off the fuckin’ stage?'”
Dee Snider expressed disdain for announcing a farewell tour that goes on for three years. “I don’t wanna be ever strolling the stage. We’ve seen that with some people we love. I always bitch about people who retire and then come back a few years later. That’s bullshit. We don’t want you to do a three-year farewell tour—Scoprions—and then say you changed your mind.”
Snider says he hasn’t lost his own passion for creating music in the studio. “My last two solo albums, Leave a Scar (2021) and For the Love of Metal (2020) were stronger,” Snider says of his music.
“When a band reunited and is good, it makes you feel young again. But when they’re bad, it makes you realize how old you’ve gotten.” He says he doesn’t want to be that reminder for fans, calling out KISS, Ozzy, and the Scorpions for their numerous attempts to stop touring.