Jay Jay French recently addressed questions about Mark Mendoza’s absence from Twisted Sister’s reunion activities, offering his perspective on lineup changes in an interview with The Metal Voice. When asked why Mendoza was not part of the reunion, French shed light on the band’s long-standing approach to personnel decisions.

“It happens with bands. Bands are like I was clear when I said this. Me, Dee, and Eddie have played through 10 different drummers and bass players, right? Most people don’t know this,” French said. “We have never spoken about why someone is in and why someone is out. We never have.”

French highlighted the business side of maintaining the band, noting the importance of keeping operations steady without public disputes.

“My attitude is a realignment takes place for better word for however way you have to do it to keep your business moving and you make your business move. And that’s really all there is to it,” he explained. “And I don’t want to bring in any more than that. People know what they know and I have no reason to throw, you know, dirt on anything whatsoever. You make the move to keep the business moving forward and it’s exactly what Twisted Sister has always done.”

The guitarist also defended the current lineup, pointing out that Twisted Sister has retained more original members than many other classic rock acts.

“If you look at Priest and you look at Mötley and you look at Aerosmith and you look at every one of these bands, how many people are left originally? The answer is one, two, three guys. We have four original members. We have 80% original,” French said. “Joe Franco is back with us. He was one of our drummers. He played on our albums and toured with us. So, we have a very high percentage of original band members.”

French concluded by recognizing the realities of the music business, while also expressing respect for bands that continue touring regardless of their original lineup count.

His comments come as Twisted Sister prepares for a highly anticipated return to the stage after years of retirement from touring. According to 98 Rock, the group is gearing up for a 50th anniversary reunion tour in 2026—their first performances since stepping away in 2016. The lineup includes Dee Snider on vocals, French and Eddie Ojeda on guitars, Joe “Seven” Franco on drums, and Russell Pzütto on bass.

Pzütto officially takes over from Mark Mendoza, a decision Ultimate Classic Rock noted was influenced by his prior collaborations with Snider on solo projects. Joe Franco’s return also marks a full-circle moment, as he played on the band’s 1987 album Love Is for Suckers and toured during that era.

Other band members have been more direct about Mendoza’s absence. Blabbermouth reported that Dee Snider acknowledged it is unlikely Mendoza will rejoin, citing “irreconcilable differences.”

Despite these changes, French has remained consistent in framing lineup shifts as a natural part of a band’s evolution—especially one with decades of history. He emphasized that the group wishes Mendoza well, while focusing on moving forward with their current formation for the milestone anniversary.

The post Jay Jay French Opens Up as Mark Mendoza Sits Out Reunion appeared first on Ntertain Us!.

Dee Snider recently slammed a tweet suggesting he was ‘terrified into silence’ by ‘cancelation’ attempts on September 2.

A user recently tweeted how names such as Alice Cooper, Paul Stanley, and Snider had been ‘silenced’ due to their anti-gender affirmation comments.

Upon seeing the statement, the Twisted Sister frontman responded with a tweet of his own, stating whether he was ‘terrified into silence:’

“Excuse me? Terrified into silence? Selective listening much. Go to my Facebook page and check out how terrified I was. My response got international coverage. They couldn’t cancel me in the 80s, and you can’t cancel me today. And you can’t make sh*t up as you wish.”

Snider had received backlash on a previous note after supporting Paul Stanley’s controversial stance against gender affirmation care. However, although the KISS frontman apologized for his comments later on, the Twisted Sister frontman stated he’d stand by his words.

On the other hand, Alice Cooper also was dropped by his cosmetics collaborator, Vampyre, upon taking an anti-trans stance in a recent interview. A short while after that, the rocker also announced that he wouldn’t be continuing his longtime radio show.

You can check out Dee’s tweet below.

Excuse me? Terrified into silence? Selective listening much. Go to my facebook page and check out how terrified I was. My response got international coverage. They couldn't cancel me in the 80's and you can't cancel me today.

And you can't make shit up as you wish. https://t.co/Xv2UfythzP

— Dee Snider🇺🇸🎤 (@deesnider) September 2, 2023

The post Dee Snider Defends Himself Against The ‘Cancelation’ Attempts appeared first on Ntertain Us!.

Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider recently answered some fan questions on Twitter. In response to one of them, he repeated his early claims about Metallica’s future and revealed how James Hetfield reacted to it years later.

When a fan asked the following question:

“I don’t know if you ever addressed this, but what was your first reaction from watching/hearing Metallica when you shared a bill with them in the mid ’80’s?”

Snider recalled his early prediction and the Metallica frontman’s delight with it as follows:

“I’ve made this statement many times. Hetfield reached out to me for the 1st time in almost 40 years when he heard it on SXMLiquidMetal with Jose Mangin. Told me he busted out laughing…

‘These guys (Metallica) have a lot of heart, but they’re never gonna go anywhere.'”

Upon this tweet, another Twitter user reminded him of a 2021 interview with Speak & Destroy, where the former Twisted Sister vocalist appreciated the band’s success. So, he stressed his point in that chat and wrote:

“People, please, listen! I loved the band. I go on to explain Metallica were just so uncompromising & heavy I couldn’t imagine radio or MTV ever playing them. Metallica never gave a damn inch. They did it their way. Nothing but respect for those boys. Like I said, James love it!”

Then, a fan got curious about the band members’ attitudes after decades of fame and asked:

“Did the guys from Metallica really remain down to earth despite the success and glory? I hope so! It seems they still are, and I find it inspiring that rockstars like Metallica and you [are] still able to remain true to who you are and be connected to people.”

Referring to the last time he talked to Hetfield and the others, Snider explained:

“Last time I saw the guys was after our tour in Holland when they came to congratulate us on our success at the Cow Palace in San Fran. Very down to earth. Just spoke to James for the first time in 39 years a few months ago. Sounded the same to me!“

You can read the Twitter thread below.

I've made this statement many times. Hetfield reached out to me for the 1st time in almost 40 years when he heard it on @SXMLiquidMetal with @josemangin. Told me he busted out laughing…

"These guys (@Metallica) have a lot of heart, but they're never gonna go anywhere." https://t.co/8hslbke0Nt

— Dee Snider🇺🇸🎤 (@deesnider) June 10, 2023

PEOPLE PLEASE LISTEN! I loved the band. I go on to explain @Metallica were just so uncompromising & heavy I couldn't imagine radio or MTV ever playing them. Metallica never gave a damn inch. They did it their way. Nothing but respect for those boys.

Like I said, James love it! https://t.co/fL8RgD4wjI

— Dee Snider🇺🇸🎤 (@deesnider) June 10, 2023

Last time I saw the guys was after our tour in Holland when they came to congratulate us on our success at the Cow Palace in San Fran. Very down to earth.

Just spoke to James for the first time in 39 years a few months ago. Sounded the same to me! https://t.co/q7g8XNCqnN

— Dee Snider🇺🇸🎤 (@deesnider) June 10, 2023

The post Dee Snider Recalls James Hetfield’s Reaction To His Prediction About Metallica appeared first on Ntertain Us!.