Dee Snider recalls Lemmy saving the day for Twisted Sister

Dee Snider recalls Lemmy saving the day for Twisted Sister

A day after Motörhead‘s Lemmy Kilmister passed away, Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider was interviewed by Artisan News Services and recounted an old story dating back to 1982 when Lemmy saved the day for Twisted Sister who had yet to even have an album under their belt and were playing their first show on U.K. soil. The story or at least portions of the story has been told before but Snider is his usual colourful and entertaining self while recounting the encounter.

Snider stated: “We had to go on in the daylight which we had never done before. We had heard that bands that wore make-up had been uh, cere… unceremoniously bottled off the stage — bands like Girl with Phil Lewis from L.A. Guns and what’s his name? From? Phil Collen? Phil Collen is his name? Phil Collen from Def Leppard — they wore make-up and you know, basically, they were killed. So, we were going on in the daylight on top of everything else. No cloak of darkness and we were really um, pretty terrified. There was actually talk of not wearing make-up and costumes backstage and I said ‘Look.’ I was scared as anybody because Motörhead‘s crowd don’t get much uglier. Uh. I mean. You’d rather have sex with one of the guys than the girls in the crowd. And uh, you know, I said, ‘We’ve done this for six and a half years now. I’ve been through hell with this make-up and costumes and I am not taking them off now. And so, we are going to go out anyway.’

And Lemmy Kilmi — Kilmister — I would say — knew the smell of human excrements. He knew we had shit in our own pants. So he came in and said, ‘I am going to introduce you guys’ which I thought was one of the most gracious things for a headliner to do to come out before his set. And uh, he — we walked out on stage and the people had bottles in the back like this — people ready to start throwing, and because the crowd saw us. And Lemmy walked out and the crowd froze and Lemmy said. I am going to say it in English so that you understand because Lemmy is like ‘[impersonating Lemmy]’ — he said uh, ‘These are some friends of mine from America. Give ’em a listen. Twisted Sister.’ And we played a ferocious set. And the place went nuts — so nuts in fact that a) it was one of the most memorable reactions in my career. Ten minutes after our show as we sat in the locker room towelling off, we heard the stadium — just and you heard ‘Pom pom Twisted pom pom Sister pom pom.’ Ten minutes after the show and we were like ‘Whoa!’ And then Lemmy came in and said to me, “I introduced you. Now you introduce me.’ And I was like — I was stunned to be asked by Lemmy to if… I went up on stage and the place went crazy. I brought on Motörhead and then stood on the side of the stage and headband ferociously with…  He dedicated America to me and it was one of those nights that I will never forget and it launched Twisted Sister‘s career in England and subsequently the world and I think that if Lemmy had not stepped in, that it would have been a very different story to tell. I love you Lemmy!