Dee Snider Records Acoustic 'We're Not Gonna Take It' for Criss Angel's Cancer Charity
Twisted Sister’s “We’re Not Gonna Take It” was one of the great teen rebel anthems of the hard-rock ’80s. But now an older, wiser, kinder, gentler Dee Snider — the band’s infamous frontman — has transformed the fist-pumping rocker into a tear-jerking piano ballad for magician Criss Angel’s HELP (Heal Every Life Possible) charity.
Angel also directed the music video, which is a far cry from the original Twisted Sister version, which depicted a snarling, warpainted Snider terrorizing an uptight suburban family. Instead, Snider sings in the deserts outside of Las Vegas, his heartfelt performance juxtaposed with footage of young cancer patients.
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“Dee and I have known each other since the 1990s and he was a strong proponent of mine for years. We are both from Long Island, or as we like to think of it, ‘Strong Island,’ and his record publishing company gave me the rights to the song and it is our anthem for gratis,” Angel told the Las Vegas Review-Journal about the project. “Dee was unbelievably generous with his time and participation.”
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Last month, Snider re-released “We’re Not Gonna Take It” for a different cause: calling for fair compensation for members of the music industry. The tune was chosen as the official fight song for the Recording Academy’s advocacy efforts, including the “Fair Play Fair Pay” Act.
Coming up, Snider will perform his acoustic version of “We’re Not Gonna Take It” at Criss Angel’s HELP fundraising launch party and auction on Sept. 12 at Las Vegas’s Luxor resort; other scheduled performers and guests include Richie Sambora, Vince Neil, Mike Tyson, Black Eyed Peas’ Taboo, Jerry Lewis, and Wayne Newton.
