Dee Snider has set about debunking the myth of rock stars as disloyal womanisers.
The Twisted Sister frontman has been with his wife Suzette, a costume designer, for 38 years. And he says other successful entertainers such as Gene Simmons, Angus Young and actor Kevin Bacon are proof that there is no higher percentage of relationship breakdowns among famous people than regular members of the public.
Simmons has been with his wife Shannon for more than 30 years, and the pair finally married in 2011. AC/DC guitarist Angus Young and wife Ellen met more than 30 years ago and Kevin Bacon has been with actress Kyra Sedgwick since the 1980s.
Other examples of entertainers at the top of their game who have been married for years are Alice Cooper and Jon Bon Jovi.
Snider tells Mitch Lafon: “As a young man I had an odd wisdom about finding someone who loved me for me before I knew I was gonna become famous. She thought I was a nice guy and I turned that into a 38-year relationship.
“In the 80s that’s when I became a megalomaniac and nearly destroyed everything, my band and relationships and it nearly ended up in a divorce because I wasn’t a nice guy.
“But that’s been a major job for Suzette over the years, to be the one who says, ‘No, that doesn’t look good.’ She’s not always right, she didn’t like We’re Not Gonna Take It, I just wanted to point that out. But she is right a lot, a good 95% of the time and she’s always been a really good sounding board for me.
“I was talking with Kevin Bacon and I said to him, ‘You’ve had a long relationship with Kyra, what do you attribute that to?’
“And he said, ‘You just don’t hear about the successes, only the failures.’ I started to think about it and started putting a list together, and it’s fucking long. It’s a long list of successful entertainment relationships in rock ‘n’ roll, in theatre and in movies.
“And he’s right. You don’t hear about Jon Bon Jovi and his wife, Bono and his wife, Alice Cooper and his wife. It’s only the fantastic flare-ups and blow-ups and failures you hear about. It turns out there’s a lot of us but nobody cares because it’s not interesting.
“Even go to Gene Simmons, for all he talks like he’s a philander – he’s full of shit. It’s his image, he’s supposed to be a lothario, although it’s fucking embarrassing now. He’s been with Shannon for a long fucking time.
“Angus Young and his wife, over 30 years. Looking at these people, the success, the brains on these people and the choice they make. It’s a smart choice.”
Snider also revealed the titles of three new solo songs he plans to release as part of the Rock And Roll Ain’t Dead – Dee Snider Essentials 1983-2015 collection this year. They are called Rock And Roll Ain’t Dead, Soul Lady and To Hell And Back.
