Sebastian Bach has given his first extended account of what it is actually like to front TWISTED SISTER, three shows into the job.
Speaking to Cameron Buchholtz on Rock 100.5 The KATT FM, Bach — who took over after Dee Snider resigned from the band over health problems — rated the run so far. "They've been incredible. I think the best one was Alaska State Fair, which was the biggest crowd they said they've ever had there, which was a huge outside venue. Portland was great as well, but it was kind of rainy that day, but it was still great. And Jersey was really special."
Jersey meant the first show, August 28 at the Starland Ballroom in Sayreville — the state where he started a rather different band forty years ago, a coincidence he acknowledged with a laugh. He described the walk-on in unusual detail. "If you've ever been to the Starland Ballroom, the way it's formatted is when the band comes on, they have to walk into the room, and the whole crowd can see when the band is ready to start. So when we walked in, all five of TWISTED SISTER, when I walked in and the crowd saw me, they [gave me] a really heartwarming, New Jersey-style welcome. And I almost got teary-eyed because we were right about to go on, an AC/DC song is playing, and 'What You Don't Know [Sure Can Hurt You]' by TWISTED is such an intense opener. I've always thought it was one of the best opening songs of any band ever. I can't fake chills — I can't fake that."
He is also, by his own admission, still learning the words. "Credit where credit's due, there's a lot more words in TWISTED SISTER songs than you think. The song 'Under The Blade' is like a story. It paints a picture. 'Burn In Hell' has a lot of words. There was more than I thought. So I'm still getting the words completely right. I don't have them 100%, but that's okay. So I'm getting it."
His clearest frustration was not stage nerves at all. It was phones. "The nerves that I get as a singer is not really the show. It's the fact that every single person is holding up their phone and filming it. And before I get to my hotel room, the whole show is being dissected and analyzed. And no musician likes that. It really sucks... My job is to go out there and go crazy, go nuts and bring all the energy I got. At the same time, recording perfect videos. It's two different things."
The same complaint explains a piece of stage furniture fans keep asking about. "Some people say, 'Why do you have a drum shield around the drums?' 'Cause you're filming the fucking show. And I have to sing as good as I can, and I don't have a volume knob that goes louder than the cymbals. So, guess what you get? You get a drum shield."
He was also specific about which era of TWISTED SISTER he actually loves — the pre-Atlantic one. "'You Can't Stop Rock 'N' Roll' is such a metal album; it's a heavy metal album. And more so even is 'Under The Blade' — very, very metal. 'Tear It Loose', 'Destroyer' — I mean, you can't mess with those kind of songs."