Twisted Sister Celebrates Xmas, But Future Unclear
Twisted Sister will put a cap on its reunion with the Oct. 17 release of “A Twisted Christmas” via Razor & Tie. “I think I made the comment that we should do a Christmas record,” guitarist Jay Jay French tells Billboard. “And [frontman] Dee [Snider] said, ‘You know, “Come All Ye Faithful” is actually “We’re Not Gonna Take It.” I think I subliminally stole the melody.'”
“So we recorded ‘We’re Not Gonna Take It’ and put ‘Come All Ye Faithful’ in, and it worked with some changes,” he continues. “We added a Black Sabbath version of ‘Hava Nagilah’ at the end of the song. Then we came up with 10 songs and decided to connect them with bands that we really love.”
The sets features a duet with Lita Ford on “I’ll Be Home for Christmas,” while “White Christmas” was recorded in multiple languages for its European editions. “It’s a great idea,” Snider says. “I think the Christmas album might actually get some attention because it’s a novelty record, and it might get the attention that a regular Twisted Sister album could not.
Having regrouped in 2001 after a 14-year hiatus, Twisted Sister’s ongoing existence is unclear, according to Snider.
“I’ve told the guys that I’m done [after 2006],” he says. “I’ve got a lot of things plaguing me. I really resented the older bands that would not know when to get off the f*ckin’ stage. I want to get out of the way and let [younger bands] have their chance in the spotlight. Am I saying I’ll never do anything ever again? No. But am I serious that I want it to end? Yes. Not because anything’s wrong, but because everything’s right, so I want it to end while everything’s right.”
“If the band had never reunited we would never have known or experienced the thrill of the acknowledgment of the hard work that we put in,” French adds. “I never take it for granted. It’s just unbelievable. So I’m astonished by it, humbled by it and grateful for it.”
Categories