Dee Snider

[[File:Twisted Sister - Wacken Open Air 2016 25.jpg|right|thumb|165px|Snider performing at Wacken Open Air 2016]]{{music|1}}
'''Daniel "Dee" Snider''' {{lived|March 15, 1955}} is an [[United States|American]] singer, songwriter, media personality and actor, best known as the frontman and vocalist of the [[heavy metal]] band {{wpl|Twisted Sister||.}}

Born to a retired state trooper of [[Ukraine|Ukrainian]] [[Judaism|Jewish]] descent and a [[Catholic]] mother of [[Switzerland|Swiss]] descent, Snider rose to prominence when he joined Twisted Sister alongside founding member Jay Jay French (born John Segall) and a few others who eventually formed the classic lineup: Jay Jay French (guitars), Eddie "Fingers" Ojeda (guitars), Dee Snider (lead vocals), Mark "The Animal" Mendoza (bass), and A. J. Pero (drums) in 1982. Snider, through his band, since became the bane of parents, watchdog groups and religious organisations everywhere who took offence at the band's music and stage image, seeking to stem the tide through 
censorship
 [[censorship|regulation]] of potentially offensive music.

==Moments of awesome==
===Pissing off the Gores===
[[File:Tipper Gore.jpg|thumb|180px|left|Dee ain't gonna take her [[bullshit]] either.]]
Alarmed by the rise of rock and metal, Tipper Gore, wife of then-senator and later Vice President [[Al Gore]], formed the [[Parents Music Resource Center]] along with the so-called "Washington Wives": Susan Baker, wife of Treasury Secretary James Baker; Pam Howar, wife of Washington realtor Raymond Howar; and Sally Nevius, wife of former Washington City Council Chairman John Nevius. While Mrs. Gore did not condemn [[rock music]] altogether, she through her organization voiced her objection to the transgressive nature of metal music and sought the regulation of it through advisory labels warning parents of potentially objectionable content such as [[sex]], [[substance abuse]], violence and [[occultism]] e.g. [[Satanism]].

Snider, alongside fellow musicians [[Frank Zappa]] and [[John Denver]], testified in opposition to the proposed "Parental Advisory" label. In a privilege speech, Snider donned his usual rocker getup unlike his contemporaries who dressed for the occasion, and delivered an eloquent speech explaining his situation, testifying that he, like most of the parents who are concerned about his band's music and image, is a practising [[Christian]], a father and a [[Teetotalism|teetotaller]], also debunking any and all spurious claims Tipper Gore made about Twisted Sister, particularly perceived "sadomasochistic" content in "Under The Blade" and violence in "We're Not Gonna Take It"; the song is more about standing up to oppression rather than the violent themes the PMRC alleged, with Snider attesting to the song's use by organisations in their advocacy campaigns; the music video was simply a live-action pastiche of the ''{{wpl|Wile E. Coyote and the Road Runner}}'' cartoons of yore as was standard with Twisted Sister's videos.<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S0Vyr1TylTE Dee Snider's PMRC Senate Hearing Speech (Full)]</ref>

While the {{wpl|Parental Advisory}} label was eventually implemented, Snider's seemingly flippant and irreverent yet otherwise clever show of professionalism made the Gores and the rest of the PMRC look like utter fools compared to the supposed malevolent rock and metal figures parents groups sought to suppress. And while Tipper and Al's relationship ended in a divorce and their son was twice arrested for [[marijuana]] possession,<ref>[https://www.ocregister.com/2007/07/30/gores-son-gets-drug-program/ Gore’s son gets drug program] by Larry Welborn (July 30, 2007 at 3:00 a.m.) ''Orange County Register''.</ref> the Snider family is proud to say that Dee and his wife are happily married and "none of my kids have been busted."<ref>[https://twitter.com/deesnider/status/643508579954237440?lang=en "She should reflect on her divorce & son's arrest. I'm still married, none of my kids have been busted. #winning"]</ref>

===Cross-dressing, libtard, tree hugging half-Jew===
Twisted Sister's signature song is arguably the rock anthem "We're Not Gonna Take It" (besides "I Wanna Rock", but that's beyond our scope so move along). Snider has voiced his approval of its use as a battle cry by those who stood up to oppression, from teenage rebels pissed off at their parents' excessive policing of their lifestyles, to advocacy groups and as a political rally song; that said, Snider also took offence at those who misappropriated his band's song for less-than-stellar goals, such as in 2022 when he took to [[Twitter]] with a strongly-worded rant at [[alt-right]] groups, stating "ATTENTION [[QAnon|QANON]], [[MAGA|MAGAT]] [[Fascism|FASCISTS]]: Every time you sing "We're Not Gonna Take It" remember it was written by a [[cross-dressing]], [[Liberal|libtard]], tree hugging half-Jew who HATES everything you stand for. It was you and people like you that inspired every angry word of that song! SO FUCK OFF!"<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20220826070143/https://twitter.com/deesnider/status/1563058596128034817 ATTENTION QANON, MAGAT FASCISTS: Every time you sing "We're Not Gonna Take It" remember it was written by a cross-dressing, libtard, tree hugging half-Jew who HATES everything you stand for. It was you and people like you that inspired every angry word of that song! SO FUCK OFF!] by Dee Snider (6:59 AM · Aug 26, 2022) ''Twitter'' (archived from August 26, 2022).</ref> Owing to his Ukrainian Jewish heritage, he also gave his blessing to the people of Ukraine who used the song as a call against oppression during the [[Russia]]n invasion of the country in 2022.<ref>Paul, Larisha (February 28, 2022). [https://www.rollingstone.com/music/music-news/dee-snider-endorses-ukrainians-use-of-were-not-gonna-take-it-1313512/ "Dee Snider Endorses Ukrainians' Use of 'We're Not Gonna Take It'"]. ''Rolling Stone.'' Retrieved February 28, 2022.</ref>

Snider was known for his (erstwhile) friendship with [[Donald Trump]], though they had a falling out due to ideological differences especially during Trump's campaign in 2016 where he used Twisted Sister's signature song as a campaign jingle.<ref>[http://www.blabbermouth.net/news/twisted-sisters-dee-snider-why-i-asked-donald-trump-to-stop-using-were-not-gonna-take-it/ "TWISTED SISTER's DEE SNIDER: Why I Asked DONALD TRUMP To Stop Using 'We're Not Gonna Take It'"]. blabbermouth.net. June 1, 2016. Retrieved February 7, 2018.</ref>

==Not so awesome moments==
===What were we smoking again?===
In a 2021 video, Snider shilled for what he terms as "plant medicines", particularly the herbal psychedelic [[Ayahuasca]],<ref>[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NGHhhcRYeW8 Dee Snider Discusses Plant Medicines (Preview)]</ref> while [[hypocrisy|maintaining]] that, as with his PMRC testimony, he is to this day a teetotaller unlike most of his metal contemporaries.

===I stand for trans people, but...===
In an open letter he posted on [[Facebook]] in 2023, he refuted claims of [[transphobia]] by some who took offence at his (unwitting) support for KISS member Paul Stanley's controversial statement on the issue of whether [[transgender]] children should be allowed to decide definitively on their [[gender identity]] until they're mature enough to make a [[Gender transition|crucial choice]] in their lives. Some have called to question this opinion of his, but he assured the [[LGBTQIA+]] community that he is standing for their cause, though he prefers not to take an absolutist stance on issues surrounding them&nbsp;– as a self-described moderate he owns both a [[Elon Musk|Tesla]] and a Hummer, [[Gun nut|owns too many guns]] yet is in favor of "intelligent [[gun control]]", has four children and supports [[abortion]].<ref>[https://www.facebook.com/photo?fbid=817459379747829&set=pcb.817459449747822 Dee Snider on Facebook]</ref> Nevertheless he parted ways with the San Francisco Pride organisation following the controversial statement, further clarifying that Snider's gaffe with them was a "teachable moment" on Snider's part.<ref>[https://metalinjection.net/news/san-francisco-pride-parts-with-dee-snider-after-snider-supports-paul-stanleys-tweet-about-trans-kids San Francisco Pride Parts With DEE SNIDER After SNIDER Supports PAUL STANLEY's Tweet About Trans Kids]</ref>

===Support of IDF===
When asked if he supported the IDF using "We're Not Gonna Take It" as a battle song, he said "Oh, hell yeah," also saying "You know what? Israelis, the assault on the Israelis, people are losing sight of something. People saying that, 'Oh, the response is gonna be too intense for what happened.' Well, you don't get to decide on the response when you do heinous things to civilians. You don't get to say, 'Oh, that's enough, that’s enough retaliation.' No, it doesn't work like that. When you cross that line, you’re burning people, you're slaughtering people, you're raping people, you're just killing people after what happened at that festival, you don’t get to say, 'Okay, your revenge can be this much.' No. Payback’s a mothereffer. And I come from that school. You cross that line, you know… Shit’s gonna happen."<ref>[https://arrowlordsofmetal.nl/dee-snider-fine-with-israel-defense-forces-using-song/ DEE SNIDER is totally fine with Israel defense forces using 'We're Not Gonna Take It'], ''Arrow Lords of Metal'', 25 October 2023</ref> When he made those comments, Israel had already killed over 6,500 Palestinians in the Gaza war.<ref>[https://www.aljazeera.com/news/liveblog/2023/10/24/israel-hamas-war-live-fuel-shortfall-could-force-un-to-halt-work-in-gaza-2 Israel-Hamas live updates: 6,500 Palestinians killed by Israel in Gaza], Farah Najjar, Arwa Ibrahim and Joseph Stepansky, ''Al Jazeera'' 24 October 2023</ref>

==External links==
*[https://deesnider.com/ Official website]
*[https://www.youtube.com/@DeeSniderOfficial Dee Snider's YouTube channel]

==References==
{{reflist|2|80%}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Snider, Dee}}
[[Category:Actors]]
[[Category:Alternative medicine promoters]]
[[Category:Authors]]
[[Category:Freedom of speech]]
[[Category:Jews]]
[[Category:Left-wing activists]]
[[Category:Liberals]]
[[Category:Living people]]
[[Category:Moral panics]]
[[Category:Musicians]]
[[Category:New York]]
[[Category:Political activists]]
[[Category:Punk]]

Categories: Actors, Alternative medicine promoters, Authors, Freedom of speech, Jews, Left-wing activists, Liberals, Living people, Moral panics, Musicians, New York, Political activists, Punk