Twisted Sister

From HitStory, the pop encyclopedia of School of Rock · Artist

Twisted Sister is an American heavy metal band, formed in 1972 in Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey, and later based on Long Island. The group grew out of Silver Star, a glitter band that wanted to be the New York version of the New York Dolls. The name Twisted Sister came from singer Michael O'Neill in 1973. In its early years the band played almost every night, and by 1974 guitarist Jay Jay French had already clocked up nearly six hundred nights. In 1982 the line-up that recorded the first four albums came together: Jay Jay French and Eddie Ojeda on guitar, Dee Snider as singer, Mark Mendoza on bass and A. J. Pero on drums.

Music and breakthrough

The first albums, Under the Blade (1982) and You Can't Stop Rock 'n' Roll (1983), were well received and made the band known in the underground. The breakthrough came with Stay Hungry (1984) and the single We're Not Gonna Take It, their only song in the top 40 of the American Hot 100. Come Out and Play (1985) and Love Is for Suckers (1987) did less well, and in 1988 the group broke up. In 2003 it returned for good, with Still Hungry (2004) and A Twisted Christmas (2006). After Pero's death in 2015 a farewell tour followed.

Influence

The group is as well known for its hairstyles and androgynous clothing and make-up as for its music, and is counted among the hair metal of the 1980s. Its music videos for We're Not Gonna Take It and I Wanna Rock stood out for their slapstick. In this way the band showed that hard rock was allowed to be funny.

Listening

Discography

Studio albums

• 1982Under the Blade
• 1983You Can’t Stop Rock ’n’ Roll
• 1984Stay Hungry
• 1985Come Out and Play
• 1987Love Is for Suckers
• 2004Still Hungry
• 2006A Twisted Christmas

See also

• You Can’t Stop Rock ’n’ Roll