Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider has slammed the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame committee as “arrogant elitist assholes,” citing a lack of respect for hard rock and heavy metal acts.
Snider went on a rant against the Rock Hall during a Q&A session with fans on Twitter over the weekend. The subject popped up when a fan asked about Iron Maiden singer Bruce Dickinson’s declaration in 2018 that he would refuse induction if the legendary metal act was ever voted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. It just so happens that Iron Maiden are among the acts recently nominated for the 2021 class.
Faced with the question, “Why would [Dickinson} or anyone for that matter refuse [induction]?”, Snider responded, “The RnR Hall committee members are arrogant elitist assholes who look down on metal & other bands that sell millions because we’re not their definition of cool.”
He continued, “The fan vote is their ‘throwing a bone’ to the peasants. I want to say FU, but I want them to have to deal with us!”
The fan vote of which Snider speaks collectively counts as one single ballot among the hundreds of committee votes, rendering it pretty much inconsequential as far as the final results.
When another fan suggested that the Rock Hall was “catering to the masses,” Snider replied, “If they were catering to the masses they would have the biggest selling bands. Corporate rock bands that sell tens of millions are ignored because they aren’t ‘cool’.”
Snider also claimed that the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame museum in Cleveland is “struggling,” and that he didn’t see any crowds when he last visited.
In response to a fan who declared that Rolling Stone founder Jann Wenner wholly decides who gets in each year, Snider answered. “Jan Werner [sic] (founder [of] Rolling Stone) has been the puppet master since day one. If it ain’t in Rolling Stone, it is hard pressed to get into the Hall of Fame!”
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Along with Iron Maiden, this year’s nominees include Foo Fighters, Rage Against the Machine, JAY-Z, DEVO, the Go-Go’s, Kate Bush, and others. The Class of 2021 is set to be announced in May, with a ceremony taking place in the fall.
See Dee Snider’s tweets about the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame below, followed by our own video conversation in which he explained why the late Lemmy Kilmister may have been a real-life angel on Earth.
The RnR Hall committee members are arrogant elitist assholes who look down on metal & other bands that sell millions because we’re not their definition of cool. The fan vote is their “throwing a bone” to the peasants. I want to say FU, but I want them to have to deal with us! https://t.co/mUoUbkYx3C
— Dee Snider🇺🇸 (@deesnider) February 21, 2021
If they were catering to the masses they would have the biggest selling bands. Corporate rock bands that sell tens of millions are ignored because they aren’t “cool”. The fact is the RnR Hall of Fame is struggling. Was it crowded when you were there? It wasn’t when I went. https://t.co/NuxQ0EdVoh
— Dee Snider🇺🇸 (@deesnider) February 21, 2021
AND THERE IS YOUR ANSWER! Jan Werner (founder is Rolling Stone) has been the puppet master since day one. If it ain’t in Rolling Stone it is hard pressed to get into the Hall of Fame! https://t.co/XFbk34ijki
— Dee Snider🇺🇸 (@deesnider) February 22, 2021
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