Dee Snider Really Dislikes Bogus Band Retirement: “Don’t Do a Three-Year Farewell Tour…and Then Say You Changed Your Mind”
We’ve all seen it. Ozzy, Scorpions, Black Sabbath, fuckin’ Mötley Crüe… They all say they’re hanging it up and retiring, even going so far as signing a contract in their blood, stipulating that they’ll never tour again. And then the invariably break their word and head back out on the road. At some point, they know they’ll come back to play more shows and extract precious dollars from their fans.
For Dee Snider, whose claim to fame was fronting the now retired Twisted Sister, that song tired ass song and dance is just too much at this point. While speaking at a special event at Rock City Music Company in Livonia, Michigan last month, the glam rock icon elaborated on his past comments about bands that perpetually embark on a huge farewell tour.
“I read a review once that said — and it was actually a positive review about the Twisted reunion, which was ages ago now — but it said, ‘When a band reunites and they’re good, it makes you feel young again. But when they’re bad, it makes you realize how old you have gotten,’” he continued. “And people were coming to see Twisted and coming to see me and people were smiling. But I know… Look, I’m not a bitcher and moaner, but I’ve had knee surgery, shoulder surgery, throat surgery, neck surgery… I can’t lift my arms up. It hurts when I throw the horns. Fuck! It’s not supposed to hurt… So I’d rather walk off with some dignity and leave you guys with a positive memory, saying, ‘We wanted more,’ than to overstay your welcome and say, ‘Gee, when is this guy gonna get off the fucking stage, man?’
“I see people singing ‘Crazy Nights’ and they’re not so crazy anymore. I’m not gonna name names. I always bitch about people who retire, sell us the ‘No More Tours’ shirt — Ozzy — and then come back a few years later, ‘We love you, we love you.’ That’s bullshit. And people say, ‘Well, that’s fucked up.’ No — stay forever, man. Stay forever. We don’t want you to leave. Just don’t do a three-year farewell tour — SCORPIONS — and then say you changed your mind. ‘Cause you haven’t played every place? No, you’ve played every place — twice.
“Blue Öyster Cult have ‘On Tour Forever’ jackets. Forever. God bless ’em. You do it. I’m not gonna be on tour forever. I’m gonna walk off into the sunset, waving and smiling.”
Given how sad some acts — Mötley Crüe — have been since coming back, I think Snider’s got a point.
