D
ee Snider is the legendary vocalist for Twisted Sister, but his
newest project is his first musical, Dee Snider's Rock & Roll Christmas
Tale (premiering in Chicago on
November 4th). The production meshes a
family friendly musical with a genuine
and heartwarming holiday story, and
naturally Snider is incredibly excited
about this new venture. IE's Mark
Kadzielawa sat down with Snider during
the rehearsals and discussed how this seasoned rocker found himself on Broadway.
Illinois Entertainer: Since you're promoting a Christmas play, let's begin
with your own personal experiences
growing up and celebrating the holiday.
Dee Snider: Christmas has always had a
special place in my heart. For any kid,
it's a great holiday. It's a kid's day, and
your whole year sort of leads up to the
event. I grew up with a great family, a
church- going family. So, singing in a
choir, going there every Sunday, and
counting down the days to the birth of
Jesus and all that stuff. But once you
start opening up the presents all that
stuff is out the window. It just comes
down to what you got. I met my wife,
Suzette, 38 years ago. My family never
had a lot of money, so it was limited but
nice. Her family was just insane, over
the top. I remember being buried in
gifts the first Christmas I spent with
them. And I was like, "This is how I
want my Christmas to be!" So I wanted
it to be that much of an event, so that
really took it to the next level for
me.
IE: This is not your first vent