‘I Wanna Rock’ Exclusive Clip: Dee Snider Goes ‘Into Battle’ With Congress Over Metal’s Explicit Lyrics

September 19, 1985, is simply a day that holds a spot successful metalheads’ hearts: the time that euphony went to warfare with Washington. That day is recounted successful the 2nd occurrence of Paramount+’s docuseries, I WANNA ROCK: THE 80’S METAL DREAM. In HollywoodLife’s EXCLUSIVE sneak peek astatine occurrence 2, Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider remembers the time helium testified earlier the Senate Commerce, Science, and Transportation Committee implicit implementing a standing strategy implicit euphony lyrics. “Conservatives decided to complaint stone records,” Dee says successful the clip. “This was a ace successful the First Amendment.”

“The telephone came successful to attest earlier the Senate hearing,” says Dee. “I thought I was being asked to transportation the emblem into battle. ‘Dee, we privation you to pb the armies – the Rock & Roll Armies – into battle.’ Hell f—cking yeah!” From there, I WANNA ROCK shows the classical footage of Dee walking into Congress successful a denim vest, a studded leather belt, bluish jeans, and axenic confidence. “They truly thought they were going to marque a fool retired of me,” says Dee. “You truly should person vetted maine a batch better.”

(ITV/Shutterstock)

This infinitesimal was 1 of 80’s metal’s highest oregon lowest points, depending connected who you ask. I WANNA ROCK, the three-part docuseries connected Paramount+, details however dense metallic took clasp of America successful that decennary and however it faced galore challenges passim the 80s: cause use, sexism, Congressional hearings, and changing philharmonic tastes. While the archetypal occurrence elaborate the rise, the 3rd volition transmission the fall, with grunge and alternate dilatory taking implicit the spotlight erstwhile held by spandex and elephantine hair.

I WANNA ROCK premiered exclusively connected Paramount+ successful the U.S. and Canada connected July 18. It’ll deed the streaming work successful the U.K. and Australia connected July 19, with further planetary markets to travel aboriginal this Summer.

(Paramount+)

As for what Dee spoke astir successful Episode 02, the 1985 proceeding was successful effect to the Parents Music Resource Center, a radical founded by 4 women with governmental connections: Tipper Gore, woman of Senator/Vice President Al Gore; Susan Baker, woman of Treasury Secretary James Baker; Pam Howar, woman of Washington realtor Raymond Howar; and Sally Nevius, woman of ex-Washington City Council Chairman John Nevius. The PMRC is known for publishing the “Filthy Fifteen,” a database of songs with lyrical contented that they recovered objectional. The database included:

Prince, “Darling Nikki” Sheena Easton, “Sugar Walls” Judas Priest, “East Me Alive” Vanity, “Strap On ‘Robbie Baby'” Motley Crue, “Bastard” AC/DC, “Let Me Put My Love Into You: Twisted Sister, “We’re Not Gonna Take It” Madonna, “Dress You Up” W.A.S.P., “Animal (F—K Like A Beast)” Def Leppard, “High ‘N’ Dry (Saturday Night)” Mercyful Fate, “Into The Coven” Black Sabbath, “Trashed” Mary Jane Girls, “In My House” Venom, “Possessed” Cyndi Lauper, “She Bop”

The PMRC wanted akin ratings for records arsenic determination were for movies – e.g. O for occult themes, S for sex, D for drugs, V for violence. With 9 songs making up the “Filthy Fifteen,” Dee spoke retired against the anticipation of a authorities assemblage determining what was suitable for nationalist consumption. Two different musicians – Frank Zappa and John Denver – joined Dee successful opposing governmental regulation.

“The quality of literature, poetry, and euphony is that they permission country for the assemblage to enactment its ain imagination, experiences, and dreams into the words. The examples I cited earlier showed wide grounds of Twisted Sister’s euphony being wholly misinterpreted and unfairly judged by supposedly well-informed adults,” Dee said successful his testimony. “We cannot let this to continue. There is nary authorization who has the close oregon the indispensable penetration to marque these judgments, not myself, not the Federal Government, not immoderate signaling manufacture committee, not the PTA, not the RIAA, and surely not the PMRC.”

Before the proceeding ended successful November, the RIAA agreed to instrumentality the present infamous “Parental Advisory” stickers connected records.

Snider has ne'er shied from expressing himself. In 2023, helium inadvertently recovered himself successful the halfway of a governmental contention aft weighing successful connected a station by KISS member Paul Stanley about trans kids. Paul, 71, said that “because a small lad likes to play formal up successful his sister’s apparel oregon a miss successful her brother’s,” it shouldn’t mean that parents should “lead them steps further down a way that’s acold from the innocence of what they are doing.” Dee shared the statement, adding, “There was a clip wherever I ‘felt pretty’ too. Glad my parents didn’t leap to immoderate rash conclusions!”

There was an contiguous backlash, with galore taking Paul’s comments arsenic anti-trans/transphobic and Dee’s words arsenic condoning those sentiments. “I saw what Paul said, and I fundamentally agreed astir him saying kids aren’t acceptable to marque those decisions,” Dee told Fortune about the comments.

Dee was expected to look arsenic the Grand Marshal for San Francisco’s Pride Parade, but Dee told Fortune that the determination for him not to be was mutual. “‘I deliberation I should not attend. Look, we disagree connected this subject, I’m successful enactment of you guys, I don’t privation to origin you problems, fto maine bow retired earlier you adjacent denote it.'”

“You can’t spend to beryllium alienating supporters, radical who basal with you, sing with you, march with you, conscionable due to the fact that they don’t hold with each azygous happening you say,” helium told Fortune. “I americium a protagonist of the trans assemblage and the cheery community. I dressed successful resistance and stood tall, and inspired millions of young men and women to beryllium themselves.”

Paul aboriginal issued a statement astir however “while my thoughts were clear, my words surely were not” and that helium supports “those struggling with their sexuality individuality portion enduring changeless hostility and those whose way leads them to reassignment surgery. It’s hard to fathom the benignant of condemnation that 1 indispensable consciousness to instrumentality those steps. “Dee would besides constitute connected Twitter that helium was “open to educating myself truthful I tin beryllium a amended ally” pursuing this incident.

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