Published on Nov 12, 2000
Twisted Sister has often been viewed as the bastard child of
heavy metal, especially in the last few years. They were the clown
princes to some people: grown men dressed up like they went through
Madonna’s closets and processed them through a meat grinder,
singing songs which gave the finger to parental authority and the
status quo.
But people have conveniently forgotten something about Twisted
Sister over the years: these guys were actually pretty damn good.
Their third album (and quite possibly their best-known),
Stay Hungry, is a prime example of that. Once you drop all
the hype surrounding the band and the controversy over them
(especially Dee Snider’s testimony in Congress against the PMRC),
you’re left with a very enjoyable album, even after 16 years on the
market.
Let’s get the best-known songs out of the way first. “We’re Not
Gonna Take It” – ah, the ’80s update of what The Who sang about in
Tommy. Think about it for a minute: both songs rally against
an all-controlling, oppresive authority figure. Both call for the
oppressed group to strike out and think for themselves. It’s just
that Twisted Sister doesn’t give the parents a chance to respond
(and at least no one returns to a world of deafness and blindness
as The Who’s version does). As a song, it’s admittedly a bit
fluffish – especially in the guitar solo. As an anthem, it still
rings out, even as I approach the big three-oh.
The follow-up single, “I Wanna Rock,” is simply a lot of fun,
even today. It’s another rebellion against parents who just don’t
understand, albeit not as revolutionary. It’s more explanatory –
knowing full well the message will go over the authority figures’
heads. (Word of advice: if you remember the video, don’t try to
repeat the scene where kids are slamming their heads into lockers.
My buddy who now lives in Florida and I tried that once, and he
nearly brained himself doing so. I still have the audio-tape of
that moment in time, Ryan.)
Yet
Stay Hungry is much more than these two hit singles. The
two-song suite that makes up “Horror-Teria (The Beginning)”,
“Captain Howdy” and “Street Justice,” is a powerful selection that
explains how Snider was able to transform one character into his
movie
Strangeland. “Captain Howdy” is a captivating (while not
gruesome) picture of someone who manipulates his victims into his
own world of torture and murder. Frankly, it doesn’t need to be on
the graphic side; the listener’s mind fills in details much better
than if Snider had spelled them out. The second part, “Street
Justice,” is a call to arms in defense of victims of society and
against those who know how to manipulate the system. No, in reality
the band isn’t calling for mob action. But they do challenge us to
not accept the status quo and to work for change in our
society.
For the most part,
Stay Hungry remains a powerful album from start to finish.
Only on “The Beast” do things grow a bit weak – and, as mentioned
before, as enjoyable as “We’re Not Gonna Take It” is, it
is a bit on the fluff side. Still, this disc has a lot more
going for it than people might be willing to admit – and it remains
a disc that should be a must-own for anyone who enjoys ’80s
metal.