Dee Snider speaking out against censorship at PMRC hearing (1985)
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View Reddit by reamkore – View Source
Dee Snider speaking out against censorship at PMRC hearing (1985)
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View Reddit by reamkore – View Source
Dude, with notable others, did more for America than millions of so-called “patriots”. A real hero and icon! Thank you Dee!
Other musicians who spoke out against the PMRC at the hearings were Frank Zappa and John Denver.
I loved when he had to define SMF!
I love what an eloquent smartass Frank Zappa was too.
All the artists that appeared on that panel destroyed the congressmen and made them look like the short sighted fools they were.
Congress was not expecting well briefed and very intelligent people armed with legally watertight arguments.
Schooled them.
And he won. Today we’re banning books, TikTok, and drag shows, but Beaver Shoot exists. Thank you Mr. Snider!
10/10 recommend watching him speak at the hearing. That dude rolled in there in his regular get up and absolutely blew everyone away with the most intellectual opinions/argument’s. Dee as well as many others not only saved rock n roll from censorship but the entire music industry 🤘
John Denver’s reply was epic. Dee Snider’s, a nuclear bomb, they expected him to be a dumb drugged up rocker, their expectations were shattered. I heard his testimony the next day, burned them to the ground.
Epic middle finger.
Gore: “Mr. Snider, what is the name of your fan club?”
Snider: “The fan club is called the SMF Fans of Twisted Sister.”
Gore: “And what does ‘SMF’ stand for when it is spelled out?”
Snider: “It stands for the Sick Mother Fucking Fans of Twisted Sister.”
*Audible gasps* lol
omg I love the ‘Mr Snider’ nameplate.
Wrote my sophomore English class term paper on this. Dee Snider is whipsmart. Seeing him sitting next to John Denver, making their statements was wild.
He’s not gonna take it (censorship)!
I respect Mr Snider!
Not a fan of twisted sister but i saw Dee at a con a few years ago and thanked him for testifying against the PMRC. He was a nice and genuine guy
Moral panics baby, moral panics. How incompetent and corrupt politicians get elected since Democracy began.
The day Dee and Company made everyone look stupid ✊🏻.
He, in fact, was not gonna take it
I had to vote with a Write-In in 2000, because I had vowed on the day this photo was taken that I would never support Al Gore in any endeavor. Dude sold out the Bill of Rights to make his wife happy.
And that is how Al Gore caused the Iraq War. /s
Ha, I remember when he did this, but I don’t think I ever noticed that he was wearing a shirt with his face on it.
**Dee Snider, on being asked to testify before the Senate about music censorship, taken from “Metal: A Headbanger’s Journey” (a great documentary from 2006 that had a big impact on me as a 13 year old).**
“They wanted me to carry the flag into battle. Hell yeah! Braveheart baby! Braveheart wasn’t even out. But that sort of mentality. Gimme the fuckin’ flag man! Let’s go!
I knew that they were, like everybody else, grossly underestimating me, I knew that they viewed me as just another dunderheaded rocker, and they would bring me in, make me look like a fool, and that I would help their cause.
They didn’t know that I could construct a sentence, and speak English fluently. And I’m there in my cutoff denim, my skin-tight jeans, my snakeskin boots, and a little bit of eye makeup left on underneath, and my big hair, and I ain’t gettin’ dressed up for nobody, I’m a dirtbag and I’m proud. And I’m playing these people. Like you know mentally I am setting these guys up for the kill.
I’ve got my speech in my back pocket, which I have worked on for a few weeks, and honed and refined until it’s a frickin’ nuclear weapon, folded up like a gazillion times like a bad kid bringing his homework to school, and you know I’m opening it up and flattening it out on the table, really delivering, and these guys are going “Oh man this is a lamb being brought to the slaughter.” And I started reading.”
I don’t know why people think musical types are stupid. It isn’t exactly easy writing music and lyrics and it’s even harder writing stuff that’s actually good.
Congress thought they were gonna be able to score political points that day, meanwhile they picked three of the most well-spoken musicians you can imagine and got their pants pulled down
Fuck off Tipper!
Ahh, the good old days. Back when Democrats held hearings on a moral panic.
All the PMRC did for me as a young kid was advertise which music was the naughtiest…the stuff I wanted to listen to.
I have struggled to take Al Gore seriously ever since this nonsense.
P.S. Downvote me if you like mate 😀 Being on the right side about climate change can’t erase this stupidity.
I can draw the TS logo blindfolded.
The PMRC hearings were a grift by the corporate record labels to undermine the growing indie music scene by stealing their distribution.
Tipper Gore acted like a right wing church lady but she’s a Democrat married to Al ‘Manbearpig’ Gore. This was never about the children, it was about giving the r labels the ability to market indie music in big box stores and cutting out independent mom & pop record stores. The stickers just helped market them.
I still watch this every so often, legendary speech.
I believe there are certain ages where certain things are appropriate, but stand firmly against censorship. Censorship is a fascist tactic. Fuck censorship!
I love that Congress was like “sure let the weirdo speak” and then got their asses handed to them.
He came in to my old job a few years ago and was so so so cool! I was a bit scared to ask for a picture, but he was more than happy to oblige. One of the nicest, down-to-earth musicians/celebrities I’ve ever had the privilege to meet.
https://preview.redd.it/b747zqis68vb1.jpeg?width=540&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=1ae3b5b2ba5e61dbf960bbc9a1e81f64b7b43330
Guess he wasn’t gonna take it anymore
“I came here to chew some bubblegum and kick some ass. And I’m all outta bubblegum!”
It’s kind of odd, when you think about it. Like, it’s super obvious they were looking for there, but if you wanted some bobble heads to embarrass themselves why would you invite a trio of song *writers* to the hearing?
Dee is cool! No need to elobarate.
Anyone have any video footage of this? Scanned the comments and don’t see anything. Was this before tv?
Edit: /s on that last sentence
Him and Frank Zappa going scorched earth on Congress is a thing of beauty.
I almost worked on a kid’s show with him. Unfortunately the job fell through.
https://preview.redd.it/67afzop5i8vb1.jpeg?width=1280&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=b1e9c78e3ab61f242cc080fceff89adcb1bc59eb
Twisted Sister? Never heard of her.
With Zappa right?!
Another great reminder that just because someone wears an authoritative suit, doesn’t make them qualified to dictate to others. Or anything else for that matter.
I wrote a whole term paper about this in high school in 1987! (God, I’m old.) But I found the whole thing so cool.
Dee Snider and Frank Zappa made the entire panel look stupid.
Hey PMRC you stupid fuckin assholes, the sticker on the record is what makes it sell gold. – Body Count
Senator: Why did you attack Senator Gore’s wife?
Dee: I didn’t. I attacked a member of the PMRC.
Senator: You were attacking her by name?
Dee: Tipper is her name. I didn’t say the Senator’s wife, I said Tipper Gore.
Oof.