Twisted Sister Documentary Coming

This is exciting for the Glam film lovers out there. The trailer for We Are Twisted F*cking Sister! was just released. The new documentary will chronicle the band's early club days. There's no release date yet, but the trailer is really cool - hopefully this gets some widespread play and maybe even gets aired on Vh1.

Comments

[Badland]

I saw TS back when they were starting out. They opened for RATT at the Bronco Bowl in Dallas. Out Of The Cellar tour 1984. Good times. Music and concerts were so much better back then.

[Tony]

Twisted Sister started out back in 1973 - still wish I could have seen them in 84 though.

[Badland]

Should have said started back with MTV fame.

[Metalboy!]

I look forward to seeing this.

The VH1 Behind The Music was actually quite informative, so it will be fascinating to see if there are any new revelations unveiled.

[Dj]

This looks really cool. I look forward to it.

[Bkallday]

Cool. Too bad theyre all old wusses now!

[Bob]

Speaking as an old NJ SMF, I am incredibly excited about this. they did start in '73, but didn't really hit their stride until Dee joined in '78 or so. By '80, they were absolutely unstoppable. They had good originals, and a very wide array of covers that they put their own spin on. Not to mention their uncompromising attitude -- they would literally get in fist fights with people in the audience who gave them crap. IMHO, 1983 was their last good year in terms of musical quality. Once they became the darlings of MTV, they softened up quite a bit. That said, even though fame ruined their sound, I'm still glad they got famous because nobody, and I mean nobody, worked harder, and put up with more nonsense than they did.

[Metalboy!]

BK! I saw 'em (yep, point blank) at M3 last year and they frickin' killed it!

Though they aren't one of my personal faves, there's no denying their greatness. They are TOTALLY Rock & Roll!!!

[Roy]

Saw Twisted many times over the years. Look for to seeing this documentary.

[Roy]

Saw Twisted many times over the years. Look for to seeing this documentary.

[Jack]

I too have seen TS several times over the years (also Dee solo, and even Bent Brother a couple time), and never a bad show, never just going through the motions. Hope this film does them justice.

[Him]

I have always had a soft spot for TS, from their early recordings to their last albums, for their live shows to the stuff that DS has done in marketing himself beyond the band. I guess I am something of a fan-boy.

While they gained the most notoriety for the middle years (in terms of _Stay Hungry_ and MTV saturation created mid-80s), the earlier and later stuff is just as good. The later stuff, in particular, is unfairly slagged in my opinion (even by some members of TS). It actually shows a fair amount of respect to their influences (movies, music, etc.) and contains some well-crafted songs that moved out of the _Stay Hungry_ mode, and the _Under the Blade_ sound of their hungrier youth. For that reason, and changing musical tastes, I think this stage in the band's career is overlooked.

"Come Out and Play" is still a staple of their live shows (as well as, less often, "The Fire Still Burns"). But I wish they would resurrect "Wake Up (The Sleeping Giant)" and even, perhaps, "Hot Love" if for no other reason than some set-list variety. I recognize that a set-list is a function of their pecking order in the show. But some of the covers they do in recent years could be replaced with songs from their own catalog.

People can slag Trunk all they want, but he was instrumental in getting them all back together again, after years apart, performing live (yes, I know that they worked together before the benefit in the studio on the soundtrack to DS's 1998 movie, _Strangeland_). It is sad that an event like 9-11 was necessary to make that happen, but it did. Sure, they are a nostalgia act now. But they, as others note, put passion into their shows and don't just go through the motions.

If DS is the face of the band (his testimony re: the PMRC stands up to this day), certainly French has been just as integral to the continuance of the band as a business. I think he is a bit too aggressive with copyright issues. While DS has taken to promoting himself beyond the band, French has protected and promoted TS's interests consistently.

I also tend to agree with French's position (one that seems to be shared/accepted by the rest of the band) that, aside from some promotional songs and one-off singles, recording a new album makes little sense for the band. Very few bands of that era are capable of making new music that will generate enough interest to be worth their while (for every Ratt, there is a Skid Row; for every Accept, there is a Great White). Cognizant of that fact, they do what they do best: put on great live shows, with original members, that deliver what the fans want.

SIDEBAR: One last comment . . . for the life of me, what is it about TS that leads you to label them "old wusses," bkallday? I am not trying to pick a fight with you on the anonymous Interwebs. But you are so consistent in your lack of perspective that the mind boggles. I can name at least one band that both of us like (with differing degrees of passion) that more accurately fit that label. Hint: it rhymes with Spotley Gue.

You seem to be a "shoot first, think later" sort of poster. A well phrased jab shouldn't turn into a boomerang. Are TS old(er) now? Of course. Wusses? I can't even begin to figure out how to categorize that description, save to assume you type and then think, go silent and then write again, hoping to gain some sort of traction or at least a feeble "that's right" from other posters.

I come here for the give-and-take, the back-and-forth, of the posters (and for what Allyson has created that allows for it). I come here to discuss--and, yes, debate--the music that I love. What is it, please tell, that keeps you coming back?

[Bob]

Him, a very insightful post as always. I think the reason why TS doesn't perform any of the songs from Love Is For Suckers on tour is because that album was really the straw that broke the band's back. Dee left the band only two months after that album was released. Not to mention that LOTS was not even supposed to come out under the TS name. It was supposed to be a DS solo album, but the record company insisted it come out under the TS name. I imagine that playing any songs from that album live would reopen old wounds.

[Him]

Excellent insight, Bob. I really appreciate it. I guess, as a fan, I sometimes lose sight of the behind-the-scenes issues. Still, there was some great music on that album. And I am always happy to catch them live.

[Metalboy!]

Great interchange, boyz! I appreciate even more, the fact that I was so fortunate to see Twisted Sister POINT BLANK.

The feeling that waved over me, watching them, is, indeed, what HIM points out -- There is no half as*edness involved in a TS stage performance.

Snyder, as well as the rest of the band, give it their all. There is no "Going through the motions" with them, no way. I actually find it virtually implausible that Snyder even knows the definition of that term, BK!

Heed HIM's advice, BK, think before you shoot. Believe me, my Metal Brethren, I know from experience!