Rock Star Fights Back Against Anti-Heavy Metal Crusade With Genius Move

With wailing vocals, smeared eyeshadow, and an attitude as unruly as his hair, heavy metal vocalist Dee Snider wasn't a guy to cross. From the moment Twisted Sister frontman penned the band's anthem "We're Not Gonna Take It", he let the world know that rock and roll meant never backing down. But no one expected Snider would carry his rebellion to the biggest platform in America.

Rock 'N Roll Attitude

As the band's sole songwriter, Snider crafted much of Twisted Sisters' in-your-face messaging. The shock-jock nature of their surreal music videos was largely envisioned by Dee, something he was proud to defend. Low and behold, by the mid-'80s, that opportunity appeared. A movement directly criticizing Snider and everything he stood for was about to bubble over

The PMRC

The drama started when a group of politically connected individuals formed the Parents Music Resource Center committee, also known as PMRC. Led by Tipper Gore, who was the spouse of then-senator Al Gore, and Susan Baker, the wife of James Baker, the Treasury Secretary under the Reagan administration, the committee had concerns about the accessibility of music they deemed too inappropriate for certain audiences.

Call To Change

For Gore, her call to change was when her 11-year-old daughter played Prince's Purple Rain album on the family stereo. As the song "Darling Nikki' filled the household, the first few lines plainly detailing a sexual encounter, Tipper wished the album had come with a warning. 

Moral Debate

Gore and the rest of the PMRC weren't the only ones concerned about the effects of supposed lewd music on their children. In the mid-'80s, heavy metal music was a topic of heated moral debate. The entire genre was linked by critics to disturbing activities, child sex crimes, and the growing Satanic Panic. As for their proof, the PMRC said the explicit lyrics spoke for themselves.