I WANNA WRITE
About a week after Dee Snider embarked on his journey into memoir writing, I received a voice message from the aspiring writer, concerned that the process was not going as hoped. “Mick, it’s Dee”, he said. “I’m taking a dump here. Could use your help.” No, it’s not what you think. The legendary Twisted Sister front-man was not looking to utilize me vaunted butt-wiping skills – as impressive as they may be. Instead he was hoping that a seasoned memoirist, with four (yes four) autobiographies to his name, could offer a little guidance.
Dee’s message had confused me however. I pictured the poor guy at the bowl of rock n roll literature, struggling in vain, straining away, unable to produce even a single nugget of knowledge. Instead, when I arrived at the Snider home – every bit as beautiful as it appears on reality television – I discovered that Dee could simply not producing these nuggets; the bowl of rock n roll literature was in real danger of over-flowing. They seemed to be just spilling out of him, word after word, story after story, with no end in sight.
My advice? Let it out. Let it all out. We can clean it up later.
Weeks later, I was flattered to be among the very first readers of the initial manuscript. Dee’s strain is our gain. “Shut up and Give me the Mic” is a great read; laced with the same humor, audacity and knowing appreciation for the bizarre that made Snider’s best songs so iconic. More importantly, Snider’s book serves as a valuable document to rock n roll history – about a band that played literally thousands of shows before they became an ‘overnight” success.
We’ve all read the somewhat typical tales of rock-star excess and debauchery as told to a journalist or ghost-written from hazy recollections. Snider’s book is different. By possessing both the foresight to remain clean and sober throughout his journey, and the determination to insist that every word on every page be his and his alone Dee Snider has given us a memoir that wants to –and does – rock. Thanks for all those nuggets of knowledge, Dee. You clean up nicely.
About a week after Dee Snider embarked on his journey into memoir writing, I received a voice message from the aspiring writer, concerned that the process was not going as hoped. “Mick, it’s Dee”, he said. “I’m taking a dump here. Could use your help.” No, it’s not what you think. The legendary Twisted Sister front-man was not looking to utilize me vaunted butt-wiping skills – as impressive as they may be. Instead he was hoping that a seasoned memoirist, with four (yes four) autobiographies to his name, could offer a little guidance.
Dee’s message had confused me however. I pictured the poor guy at the bowl of rock n roll literature, struggling in vain, straining away, unable to produce even a single nugget of knowledge. Instead, when I arrived at the Snider home – every bit as beautiful as it appears on reality television – I discovered that Dee could simply not producing these nuggets; the bowl of rock n roll literature was in real danger of over-flowing. They seemed to be just spilling out of him, word after word, story after story, with no end in sight.
My advice? Let it out. Let it all out. We can clean it up later.
Weeks later, I was flattered to be among the very first readers of the initial manuscript. Dee’s strain is our gain. “Shut up and Give me the Mic” is a great read; laced with the same humor, audacity and knowing appreciation for the bizarre that made Snider’s best songs so iconic. More importantly, Snider’s book serves as a valuable document to rock n roll history – about a band that played literally thousands of shows before they became an ‘overnight” success.
We’ve all read the somewhat typical tales of rock-star excess and debauchery as told to a journalist or ghost-written from hazy recollections. Snider’s book is different. By possessing both the foresight to remain clean and sober throughout his journey, and the determination to insist that every word on every page be his and his alone Dee Snider has given us a memoir that wants to –and does – rock. Thanks for all those nuggets of knowledge, Dee. You clean up nicely.
Funny read! You're a pretty creative dude. Keep up the good work....made me laugh!
Posted by: Meltdown WRIF | 05/08/2012 at 03:33 PM
This is great, but I am saddened that this post is not about YOU writing another book.
Posted by: Thomas Weber | 05/09/2012 at 05:20 AM
I'll be sure to seek your counsel when I'm trying to get my gig diaries published.
Posted by: Chris Brooker | 05/09/2012 at 03:16 PM