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Twisted Sister Desperado

Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band from New York City. Their work fuses the shock tactics of Alice Cooper, the rebellious mood of the New Wave of British Heavy Metal, and the extravagant image of glam rock bands such as New York Dolls notably for the makeup. Musically, the band implements elements of traditional heavy metal bands such as Iron Maiden and Judas Priest, along with a style that is similar to early glam metal bands. The band is generally categorized as glam metal for their earlier work, although the band does not consider themselves to be so.

Although the band was formed by guitarist Jay Jay French in December 1972, all of their songs were written by Dee Snider from 1976 onward. Snider remarked to Johnny Carson that the proposed name for the band was “This” but was rejected for fear of fans saying “This sucks”. He describes Twisted Sister as “Slade meets Sex Pistols”. Twisted Sister’s most well-known hits include “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock”, both popularized in the USA by regular airplay on MTV in the 1980s. Many of the band’s songs explore themes of parent vs. child conflicts and criticisms of the educational system.

“I don’t think Twisted Sister is “glam” because that implies glamor, and we’re not glamorous. We should be called “Hid” because we’re hideous.”

Dee Snider, ‘Interview with Twisted Sister’ Picture disc.

“When Twisted Sister exploded internationally few people realized that they were an overnight sensation that had been ten years in the making.” 

From the back cover blurb for “Twisted Sister – The First Official Book!

by Gary Bushell and Mark Weiss