How Twisted Sister Outclassed Congress

Rock n roll came under attack in the mid-80s. As the music became more theatrical and provocative and MTV gave it a national platform, American youth screamed for more. It was obvious that pop music was undergoing a revolution it hadn't seen since Elvis gyrated his hips on the Ed Sullivan Show. This scared Reagan-era conservative baby boomers so much that politicians and their wives, mostly wives, tried to clean up the music industry. That's when Twisted Sister's Dee Snider stepped forward and showed the world how ridiculous and un-American these censorship attempts were. Today we're taking a look back at the day Twisted Sister's Dee Snider overtook the United States Congress.

But before we begin, take a second to subscribe to our channel, Weird History. If you hear or see something you like, leave a comment or just tell us what unusual music stories you'd like us to cover next. Now I want to rock, rock. On September 19, 1985, the United States Senate held a hearing where representatives of the Parents Music Resource Center, also known as PMRC, consisting of Senators Paula Hawkins, Al Gore, and others, testified before the Senate. Committee on... And I quote, the issue of the content of certain sound recordings and suggestions that recording packages be labeled to warn potential buyers of sexually explicit or other potentially offensive content, unquote.

Their problem was that they thought music with explicit lyrics was too accessible for their children. And no, they weren't going to take it anymore. They wanted record companies to label their albums with ratings similar to how movies use the MPAA rating system. The rock community, made up of musicians and fans, saw this as censorship and segregation. And they thought they were so condescending that there was no end to their impudence. Evil

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. They weren't going to accept it without a fight. I wanna Rock. That's when Dee Snider intervened. He not only became the dusty face of rock and roll, but also its savior with a grace and intelligence that no one expected.

Snider did not ask to be a spokesperson. He was invited by the Senate to the circus hearings to censor rock because, because of his appearance, they thought he would be embarrassed. They saw the hair, makeup and clothes and thought Snider was an easy, curly blonde target. But when Snider opened his mouth, the Senate realized how much they underestimated the singer. Dee's wardrobe—a classic '80s style with cutoff denim, skinny jeans, snakeskin boots, a little eye makeup, and, of course, long hair—was no accident. Dee had it all planned. While John Denver and Frank Zappa appeared before the Senate subcommittee dressed in suits and looking pretty good together, Snider went in the opposite direction.

He strutted into the audience wearing a tattered jean vest, a Twisted Sister tank top, a studded belt, sunglasses, and a head of puffy spiral blonde curls. He looked like a combination of Sideshow Bob and Stevie Nicks solo. All three musicians gave articulate speeches, but given their appearance, Snider's meticulous and well-presented response came as a surprise, demonstrating that neither the PMRC nor the committee should have expected an easy debate. He also noted that he did not drink, smoke or take drugs of any kind. What did he do? Snider later said that he knew his message would have more merit if he stayed true to his identity.

Snider didn't want to meet Congress halfway. He wanted them to make the effort and see beyond their preconceived and outdated notions of him. When Snider talks about his day in front of Congress, one of his greatest victories, according to Dee, is when he managed to anger Senator Al Gore. The beauty of the coup was that Snider used the words of Senator Gore's wife to do it. In his open testimony before the Senate, Snider directly addressed Tipper Gore's claim that Twisted Sister's song "Under the Blade" was sadomasochistic and about bondage. The song, according to Snider, was actually written for the band's guitarist, Eddie Ojeda, who was about to undergo surgery to remove polyps in his throat.

Tipper Gore, however, claimed that there was an underlying sexual message in the lyrics. "Your hands are tied, your legs are tied, a light shines in your eyes. You faintly see the edge of a knife, you open your mouth to cry." After deconstructing the song's meaning to Al Gore, Snider told him: Mrs. Gore was looking for sadomasochism and bondage, and she found it. The room was silent for a second, and all that could be heard were the clicks of the photojournalists' cameras and a roar of laughter. Al Gore also seemed to lose the game and simply responded: Yes.

And then he moved on to a different line of questioning. Snider later told the Huffington Post that he enjoyed the pure hatred I saw in Al Gore's eyes when I said Tipper Gore had a dirty mind. Hair rock, 1, the man, 0. One of the reasons Dee Snider and Twisted Sister were so prominent on the PMRC's radar was because of the 1984 video for their angst-filled teen anthem "We're Not Going to Take It". Interestingly, the PMRC didn't have as much of a problem with the lyrical content of the song as they did with the violent content of the video.

The violence is as serious as a Bugs Bunny cartoon, but not as funny. Snider also thought the same and admitted in his opening comments that it was his inspiration. The video for "We're Not Going to Take It" was simply intended to be a cartoon with human actors performing variations of the Road Runner, Wile E. Coyote theme. Each trick was selected for my extensive personal cartoon collection. Snider suggested that the PMRC confused the lyrics with the video when it came to the song's intent, noting that no actual violence was mentioned. Several decades later, "We're Not Gonna Take It" has become an anthem for Republican and Democratic politicians, teachers striking for fair wages, and charities like the United Way.

Score another one for glam rock. During his opening remarks, Snider was able to criticize Tipper Gore for one of his lies that he thought would strengthen his case. A few days before the hearing, Tipper reportedly said that he was repulsed by a Twisted Sister t-shirt he had recently seen. Snider highlighted a statement from Tipper Gore that says if you look at even the t-shirts kids wear, you see Twisted Sister and a handcuffed woman with her arms open. Snider called the accusation of him... an outright lie. Tell the committee that... Not only have we never sold such a t-shirt, but we have always tried very hard to stay away from sexism in our merchandise, records, shows, and personal lives.

Furthermore, we have always promoted the belief that rock n roll should not be sexist but should cater to men and women equally. He challenged Tipper Gore to make him a t-shirt like that. And when Senator Al Gore asked him about it again, the

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man clarified for the record that the word t-shirts was plural, and one of them referred to Twisted Sister and the other referred to a woman in handcuffs. Snider stood his ground, insisting that Tipper was referring to Twisted Sister before Senator Gore changed the subject. Hmm, semantics, another rock victory. There was one point where a member of Congress criticized Snider for his parenting skills and whether or not the singer would know what music to keep from his underage son.

Snider gave three options. First, he would look at the cover. Well, just as a parent and a rock fan, I know that when I see an album cover with a goat's head severed in the middle of a pentagram between a woman's legs, it's not the kind of album I want my son to make. be listening Good. Secondly, he read the track listing and lyrics. If I read a title on the back of, say, if someone said Ice Cream Castle, a title called "If the Kid Can't Make You Come," whatever it is, I realize it's a sexually explicit song. just by looking at the cover.

Looking at the lyrics, looking at... I should say... the titles, you cover almost all the bases. Finally, he had heard it. The few albums that don't express their intentions on the cover or in the song titles, I think a parent could list them - take them home, listen to them, and I don't think there are many retail stores that would deny them the ability to return the album for something different. Another clear and concise response from rock, unlike the flimsy accusations from Congress. We'll give this round to Snider. Snider identified himself as a Christian when he spoke before Congress, a fact that committee members took advantage of to try to discredit him.

Snider's band, Twisted Sister, had a fan group called SMF Friends of Twisted Sister. Senator Gore asked Snider about the group and what the acronym SMF meant. Snider responded that it meant: Twisted Sister's sick mother friends. Is this also a Christian group? I don't think blasphemy has anything to do with Christianity. Thank you. Senator Gore went on to say: That... is an interesting choice because I got the impression from your presentation that you were a very healthy performer and that is an interesting title for your fan club. So how kind the moment was with Dee Snider and his accusers.

We'll see. As far as the PMRC rating system was concerned, an album with a parental advisory sticker on the cover usually meant more sales and higher chart positions for all offending bands. In an MTV interview, Skid Row lead singer Sebastian Bach even said that his band used to hope that the explicit content of his album would earn them a coveted PMRC sticker. The sticker became a badge of honor. Dee Snider and his wife have been together for more than 40 years, were married for most of them, and have four children, each of whom have enjoyed successful and respectable careers in the entertainment industry.

Meanwhile, Al and Tipper Gore split after a handful of vague rumors about growing apart and disagreeing in the former senator's Hollywood spotlight. There are still people who are loosely married, but now they are dating other people. As for the record industry backing down so easily in the face of the PMRC's feeble threats in Congress, it's a shell of its former self. Physical albums have become novelties in a download-driven world. However, warning labels still adorn individual song lists and albums online. So what do you think? Do you want to rock or do you want to rock? Let us know in the comments below, and while you're at it, check out some of these other stories from our Strange History.