Gallery Books has recently released “Shut Up And Give Me The Mic” a memoir by legendary heavy metal frontman, Dee Snider. This book is not your typical rock and roll autobiography. If you are looking for tales of drunken nights, illegal drugs, and countless women, you will be sorely disappointed. That is not what the book is about. Instead, Dee has written an interesting and often times humorous story of his rise to success with Twisted Sister, his fall from grace, how he picked up the pieces, and who helped him along the way.
The book begins with an anecdote from 1993, a low point in Dee’s life, where he is reduced to passing out flyers on parked cars to promote his wife’s hair and makeup business. How did the multi-platinum selling rockstar fall this far? Dee actually answers this question and that is one of the best things about “Shut Up And Give Me The Mic.” Not only does Dee tell his tale of Twisted Sister’s rise to fame, but he shares the mistakes he made along the way. It is not often a rock legend is willing to admit his failures and that allows us to relate to Dee as just a regular guy.
Of course, Dee does talk about the early days of Twisted Sister playing clubs in the tri-state area, their rise to superstardom with “Stay Hungry” and the disappointment of “Come Out And Play.” The most poignant parts of the book, however, are not about the business of rock and roll but about his personal struggles. Dee comes to a profound realization that regardless of success or failure he has the one thing that matters most, his wife and children. Without them, all the fame and fortune he could ever hope to achieve would be meaningless.
“Shut Up And Give Me The Mic” is an extremely well written and enjoyable book. It is a crazy ride through rock and roll, a journey of success and defeat, a tale of perseverance, and most importantly a story of life and love. There is no doubt that Dee has an interesting story to tell and some important life lessons for everyone to learn along the way.
