Former Whitesnake guitarist Doug Aldrich says Dee Snider “didn’t know what he was talking about” when he went on a recent Twitter attack challenging his contribution to the band.
Aldrich quit David Coverdale’s band last year and was replaced by Night Ranger’s Joel Hoekstra.
Twisted Sister frontman Snider called Aldrich out on Twitter, saying he was “tired of musicians who joined famous bands after their heyday claiming they are from those bands.”
The guitarist responded: “Dude, I just did my best to keep the band moving forward. Was blessed to compose 30 tunes. You are a total jackass though. Haha!”
Now Aldrich tells Eddie Trunk: “We’ve done gigs together, Twisted and Whitesnake, but I never really met Dee that I can remember. I’ve got no problem with the guy.”
He says the attack “hit me out of the blue,” adding: “I was up late scouring eBay, looking for old guitars, as I do at night a lot, and I got a message that Dee had posted something. And I went on there, and I was just like, ‘What is up with that?’
“Everybody knows Dee is a super-smart cat. I thought, ‘This is weird.’ It was like he was not educated at all and just spouted out this thing. So I tried to educate him a little bit of where I came from with Whitesnake, and I just tagged it with a little smackdown quick.”
Snider ultimately apologised – and while Aldrich understands his original point, it was misdirected. “Everybody knows what I’ve done with Whitesnake,” says the axemand.
“I definitely put my stamp on the band. I’m very proud of what David Coverdale and I did, and David is my bro. It’s all good.
“I get it what Dee is talking about – but he could have called somebody else out. Calling me out was a mistake.”
Aldrich is now with supergroup Revolution Saints alongside Journey drummer Deen Castronovo and Night Ranger bassist Jack Blades. They release their self-titled debut album on February 23, featuring guest appearances by Journey members Neal Schon and Arnel Pineda.
