Is there any reason to care about Paul Stanley and Dee Snyder having a war of words in the press?
For anyone not paying attention, Paul called Dee a poser and his band, Twisted Sister, "buffoons" a month or so ago on Chris Jericho's podcast. This was in response to Dee bitching about scabs playing the characters of Peter and Ace in Kiss.
Dee responded with a strange challenge. He wants to have a no frills "Rock-Off" on a stage with Paul. He said to Paul "I will bury you son!"
Paul is not responding and Dee is never silent. He continually talks about the verbal attack from Paul Stanley. The latest was actually kinda respectful, saying that he is a Kiss fan, and bought their albums early on because Kiss were New Yorkers like Dee. Honestly, Paul should be used to criticism about his scab players anyway. Maybe he had a moment of weakness or was tired of the question?
It's good press for both of them. As a metal fan, I like that these guys can occupy time in my social media stream. I absolutely love them both, and to think that 40 years after both bands started they can get any press is interesting.
Here's the thing: Dee knows how good this is for him and Twisted Sister. It's a backhanded endorsement for him in a way. Dee loves to be heard, and this type of press keeps him talking.
Dee stirs up a lot of beehives. He got a ton of press after he attacked Doug Aldridge earlier in the year, which got people listening to his podcast waiting to see what he would say next.
The common denominator in all of this is the podcast medium. For me, it great to see this form of talk radio soar to new heights. It's still a bit underground, yet fans of anything can find something relevant to listen to when all other forms of media become stale. Best of all, it's still free content.
Back to this feud. Paul Stanley will probably not spend another second talking about this. Kisstorically, Paul has no issue ignoring controversy. He's not going to roll around in the mud with Dee. He said what he said, he meant it, and his stance will not change on it.
It's not surprising that Paul doesn't like Twisted Sister. Fans of that band, like me, have invested more time into the raw, non-commercial material that made them great. We don't buy Christmas albums, we typically don't like the "hits" or campy videos, and can separate that garbage from the good stuff. Paul Stanley probably thinks of TS as a ripoff band, and maybe even an old competitor that was left in the dust.
Paul may need to get a little bit humble about Kiss and his legacy. I mean, we all suffered through buffoonish moments from Kiss and we still love them anyway.
Both bands entertain by dressing up like comic book heroes and bringing nostalgic Rock to the masses. It's not exactly rushing into burning buildings on a daily basis. They matter because they distract people from their daily grind, and they entertain. They are cheerleaders. With respect to Neal Peart, a concert hall echoes with the sounds of salesmen. We make the salesmen successful because we care enough to buy their product.
There really is no core difference between "I Wanna Rock" and "Crazy Nights." Neither is timeless art, and both are examples of throw-away, pop culture anthems that are fun to sing. Dee Snyder absolutely gets that. He has no delusions about his place in music history.
Dee will continue to milk this for all its worth, and Paul will continue to do whatever he wants. They both have earned the right to do so. If it makes them happy, I support it.
In conclusion: no, it doesn't matter one bit, but it's amusing and entertaining and that's what we pay them for.
Nago
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