Dee Snider has been flying the flag for metal and hard rock for more than 40 years, and he’s never been one to hold his opinions to himself. The Twisted Sister singer, who is vaccinated but recently contracted COVID-19, has a message to unvaccinated concertgoers: “You don’t have a right to infect me.”
Heavy Consequence recently caught up with Snider video Zoom, and in Part 1 of our interview, he chatted with us about his new solo album, Leave a Scar, and told us why Gene Simmons needs to stop saying “rock is dead.”
In Part 2 (watch above), the veteran vocalist told us why he’s not afraid to share his strong opinions on various social issues, despite knowing that he may lose some fans along the way.
“If they’re the kind of people that don’t think a Dee Snider or any kind of creative [person] should be allowed to speak their views and their beliefs freely, just as they do, then you’re not really a fan of mine in the first place,” remarked Snider.
Snider also spoke very strongly about the importance of getting vaccinated against COVID-19, and why he is not opposed to vaccine mandates for concerts. He told us, “Your chance of making me sick is an invasion of my privacy, so f**k you. If you don’t like it, find your own band. Ted Nugent is out there somewhere. Kid Rock is welcoming you. … You don’t have a right to infect me.”
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As mentioned, Snider revealed that he had contracted COVID-19 a few weeks ago, despite being vaccinated. In fact, according to his timeline, he was likely infected during our interview but didn’t know it at the time. He believed he caught the virus after his wife and grandchildren returned from a trip to Disneyland, but credited being vaccinated for his relatively mild bout with COVID.
Back in April, Nugent also contracted COVID-19 after downplaying the virus for months, with Snider reminding us, “Ted Nugent learned the hard way. Did he not? He said he thought he was gonna die! So, that was his choice. And I’m glad Ted didn’t die. I’m a Ted Nugent fan from the old days. We’ve been friends over the years. He’s gone a little crazy in his old age. I didn’t want to see him die, but I did snicker a little bit when he got sick.”
When we reminded him that Nugent once bizarrely wondered what happened to COVID-1 through -18, Snider replied, “Well, [he] found out. It all rolled up in a speedball and [he] got it!”
Meanwhile, Kid Rock’s Nashville restaurant made headlines early on in the pandemic for violating shutdown and social distancing orders from the city’s mayor.
Later in our interview with Snider, he also commented on his issues with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, which he has blasted for ignoring hard rock and metal over the years. “It would be much better served if they just called it the Music Hall of Fame. … When you call it the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, it’s gonna bother people when Madonna gets inducted and you ignore Rage Against the Machine, or you ignore Iron Maiden or Judas Priest.”
Watch Part 2 of our conversation with Dee Snider in the video above, and pick up his new album, Leave a Scar, via Amazon.
Trouble viewing the video player above? Watch the interview on YouTube.
Stay safe and mask up. Better yet, grab a face covering from Consequence Shop, where we are donating 50% of net proceeds to independent artists impacted by the pandemic.
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