He said in his congressional testimony that he didn’t smoke. That probably has a lot to do with it.
The Three Biggest Mistakes The PMRC And Committee Made:
- assuming that mild-mannered, wholesome John Denver would support censorship that was extremely unlikely to ever affect his own work
- assuming that Dee Snider was a monosyllabic mouthbreather
- letting Frank Zappa, arguably the smartest rock star ever, within 100 miles of their hearings
That, and I believe he had vocal training in his youth, which taught him to sing correctly so that he didn’t thrash his vocal cords.
Other metal singers who have held up well include Rob Halford and Bruce Dickinson, also both non-smokers, though I don’t believe that either had voice training.
My “Smart-Rocker Respectometer” needle is moving, y’all:
Gene Simmons … Dee Snider
Simmons is good at self-promotion, but Snider’s been before Congress and is a non-smoker. This, to me, indicates an awareness beyond that of making a buck.
Right now the meter’s pulling Snider’s way.
This post isn’t to limit y’all to making a choice between these two, it’s just me stating an opinion, and I am sure there are other music celebrities you may thin more deserving of an accolade.
Harry Chapin comes to mind…
Q
Not that any of these stopped them from getting their way.
Neil Peart (Rush drummer/lyricist) would probably have done well speaking before Congress, but since he’s Canadian I don’t think they would have been interested in hearing from him.
I think Simmons is a very, very bright guy. Articulate, sane and pretty well-educated IIRC. But I will now put Snider up there with him.
Henry Rollins is quite smart, as well.
I’ve never been a big fan of Twisted Sister’s music, but I do love me some Dee Snider interviews. He always has something interesting to say.
I remember an episode of “Where are they now?” that had Jay French on, and he was saying about how his daughter saw a picture of him when he was in the band and she was like, “Daddy, you look really stupid!” And then he said, “Well, maybe, but Daddy dressing stupid enables you to be able to go to school.” She replied, “I hate school, Daddy!”
And what about how Dee Snider’s son asked him if he was a “fag” and Snider replied, “No, Daddy was a transvestite.”
Sure, they won the battle, but they continue to lose the war. The stickers became a badge of honor, the PMRC became a punchline, and 15 years later, rock music is smuttier and more violent than ever. Whoo-hoo! 
Whenever I think PMRC I fire up Anthrax’s “Starting Up A Posse” which was their little ditty in response to the whole mess. Gives me a giggle every time.
I dunno, man. He might have started out OK before Congress, but as soon as he veered off into the maples wanting more sunshine, oaks ignoring pleas, etc., the hearings would have been effectively over.
To the best of my knowledge Snider doesn’t smoke, drink or do drugs. He’s also been married to the same woman for the last twenty years or so. I’ve seen him twice solo, once he and his band drove from New York to Maryland in a nasty ice storm and he still played. I can’t wait to see them tonight.
Cheer extra-loud for me, okay?
My mom has been complaining for weeks. She claims that none of the stores in her area (and none of the radio stations) will play “true” Christmas music because they’re afraid to offend those non-religious types. As one of those non-religious types, I have a hard time believing the playlists could be so different on two sides of the same state. In my area, all the songs are about Christmas, Christ, Jesus, God, mangers, Bethlehem, etc…
So, I just sent her a link to this. I didn’t warn her as to who was singing.
She’s gonna kill me. 
Yeah, I do find it interesting that the local country music station is playing nothing but songs about Santa Claus, snow, and chestnuts, while a heavy metal band is singing about Christ. Go figure.
Having finally been able to listen to it and identify it as Adeste Fideles, I can now proudly say that the main differences between Twisted Sister’s version and the way it’s normally sung in my parish are:
- We sing it in either Spanish or Latin,
- Dee wears as much makeup as my whole congregation,
- and our guitars aren’t plugged in.
What’s the point of singin’ if y’aint loud, as one of the priests likes to say.
All I have to say is if you get a chace to see this show, go. They played for almost two hours and Dee still has it. He has to be one of the top showmen in rock. And Lissa I got in a couple of good loud yells just for you.
You know, it consistently amazes me how great performers (such as Dee and Mick Jagger) can play the same song for the ten millionth time and still have enthusiasm. They’re either people who really enjoy what they do or they’re awesome actors.
Oh dear. Just got back from the post office and the parentals have sent me a copy of the CD for Christmas. Hope they didn’t get one for my brother too, since so far that’s the only thing I’ve gotten him.
Yeah! That’s what I’m talkin’ about!!!
As you were. 