Snider chatted with Eddie Trunk on the heels of the band’s announcement
Twisted Sister returns in 2026 for its 50th anniversary. The group called it quits after its 40 and Fuck It Tour wrapped in 2016. Frontman Dee Snider was adamant the group wouldn’t reunite, but minds have changed, and the classic metal band will play global shows next year.
Snider recently spoke with Eddie Trunk on SiriusXM’s Trunk Nation, airing daily at 3 pm ET on SiriusXM’s Faction Talk 103. During the conversation, he opens up about the Twisted Sister reunion, why bassist Mark Mendoza won’t be joining, and what the band’s image will look like on tour.
“You know, it wasn’t kicking and screaming and, it really was, a milestone thing,” Snider tells Trunk. “I turned 70 years old in March and just, you know, milestones are what they are, but at the same time, they’re reflection times for people. And me reflecting and I realized, wow, next year is 50 years of, you know, since I joined Twisted Sister, since we became, you know, me, Eddie and John, Jay Jay, became a, you know, a band. And that’s significant. And the offers have kept coming in, and the interest is there to have us reunite. And I called the guys up and said, “What do you think?” I mean, almost as a challenge to each of us to say one more time, can we do it one more time? And certainly we’ve got, you know, people like McCartney and Jagger and Alice Cooper out there and Ozzy may rest in peace.”
He continues, “We talked about my performing style. We talked about the type of entertainer I am. And I, and you said, ‘Dee, you really did paint yourself in a corner. You created a stage persona, a stage energy that people come to expect. Right? And anything less will be disappointing, not just to the audience, but to me as well.’ So, yeah, I’m in shape and stuff like that. And you’ve seen me with Bret Michaels out there, but that’s four songs. It’s not, you know, 18 songs. It’s not, you know, so but you know what? I just said, “We’re still here and let’s do it. Let’s challenge ourselves.” And we’re doing it for all the right reasons. It’s not about money, it’s not about, you know what it is, none of those typical things. It’s like because we want to do it one more time and there’s interest there all over the world. So, we’re going for it, man, 2026.”
The band last toured with drummer Mike Portnoy in 2016, following the tragic death of drummer A.J. Pero. Twisted Sister will hit stages around the world in 2026 with the return of Joe “Seven” Franco on drums, a former member of Twisted Sister who last recorded and performed with the band in 1987 for the Love is for Suckers album and tour. Russell Pzütto will be on bass, having previously performed in concert with Twisted Sister and toured as part of Dee Snider’s solo projects. Snider addresses why Mendoza won’t be reuniting.
“I can only simply say irreconcilable differences and leave it at that. I won’t, I can’t get into the weeds and I can’t go down that path. And I won’t. But irreconcilable differences and people change, and however it is, and I’m not saying he changed, maybe we changed, whatever it is,” Snider says. “So in deciding who to use on bass, my bass player on the last two Dee Snider albums, For the Love of Metal and Leave a Scar, was Russ Pzutto. And he was Mark Mendoza’s bass tech, and a great bass player. And it’s funny, the thing is I didn’t even, when I was putting together the band for For the Love of Metal, Charlie and Nikki, they auditioned people and Russ just showed up for the audition and got the audition. And I walked in and I thought he was there to tech. I said, ‘Hey, what are you doing here, man?’ And he goes, ‘I’m your bass player.’ I’m like, ‘What?’ He goes, ‘Yeah, man, I got the gig.’ So, he did an amazing job on those two albums. He was a great guy to tour with. The band all knew him from years of working with Twisted. And again, he seemed like a likely choice. As a matter of fact, one time, he was Mark’s choice to fill in for him. And one gig, it was in Belgium at Grass Pop, and Mark couldn’t make it, and Russ stepped in and played with Twisted. So he actually has performed with Twisted once before.”
When asked if Mendoza may join the band in the future, Snider replied, ” I can’t imagine it right now. I can’t imagine right now. I mean, I plead the fifth. I can’t go beyond that, but I just, things have happened that I don’t see being reconciled, hence the term irreconcilable differences.”
Tour dates and more details are forthcoming.
