Dee Snider Disses Todd La Torre for Challenging His Plant + Dio ‘Real Performer’ Statements
This past Wednesday (Jan. 4), Loudwire reported on outspoken Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider’s claim that Ronnie James Dio and Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant and aren’t “real performers.” In response to Queensrÿche vocalist Todd La Torre openly disagreeing with him, Snider tweeted – with characteristically concise derision – that he’s not even sure who La Torre is.
To be fair, Snider's original series of back-and-forth tweets with fans (posted on Dec. 30, 2022) credited both Plant and Dio as extremely talented vocalists who have a ton of “stage presence.” Yet, he also specified that there’s an important contrast between “singing” and "performing,” adding, “There is a huge difference between a great frontman & a great singer. Ronnie was one of the greatest singers of all time, but as a frontman, he pretty much just stood on stage & sang.”
You can see a couple of those tweets below:
Naturally, many other music publications wrote about Snider’s thoughts as well, including Blabbermouth. On Jan. 4, they shared their own story on Facebook, and amongst the hundreds of other comments it received was the following reply from La Torre:
Dio and Plant didn't have to run around doing jumps, spinning mic stands, or anything else, unless one's subjective opinion requires that as a prerequisite. They commanded the stage with their sheer presence and voice, and that alone was all anyone wanted, needed, and more. I'd say that makes them great frontmen.
You can view his response below:
Expectedly, many people saw La Torre’s feedback, including Snider.
So, how did the Twisted Sister frontman react? Be retweeting Blabbermouth’s story with a simple but effectively snarky “Who?”:
Regardless of how sincere or sarcastic Snider’s retweet was, it undoubtedly spoke volumes in just a few words. (Well, only one word, to be exact.) Predictably, he received mixed reactions from some Twitter followers regarding it, too.
For instance, one user wrote, “I was sticking up for you, Dee, but this strikes me as just uncool and pointless,” whereas another declared: “Todd has more musical integrity than you’ll ever have Dee. You’re famous for dressing like a Halloween clown and your only hit song is a nursery rhyme. He plays multiple instruments and has an incredible voice.”
We’ll have to wait and see if La Torre himself fires back.
How do you feel about Snider and La Torre’s opinions on the matter? Let us know!