DEE SNIDER Defends His Right To Speak Out On Political Issues: ‘We Should Be Allowed To Express Ourselves’

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Dee Snider has defended his right to speak out on political issues, saying that he "should be allowed to express" himself publicly. The TWISTED SISTER frontman, who got to know President Donald Trump personally after appearing more than once on "The Celebrity Apprentice", has been an outspoken critic of America's 45th president, tweeting incessantly against Trump's administration and blasting the billionaire real estate mogul as "a commie-loving traitor" who is prostituting our democracy. Snider talked to the "Appetite For Distortion" podcast about the fact that many believe celebrities are too far removed from the real world of ordinary people and that they should keep their mouths shut when it comes to politics. He said (hear audio below): "It's mind-numbing, actually — the 'stay-in-your-lane,' 'know-your-place' mentality. I mean, they are plumbers or lawyers or doctors — they're speaking their political minds. Why shouldn't an actor or a musician be allowed to speak theirs? I think the thing that is the rub is that we have a greater outlet to more people to express it to. But after having a B-movie actor as president and a reality-show star as president, shouldn't ['stay in your lane'] have been said to Ronald Reagan and Donald Trump? 'Stay in your lane. You're not a politician.' So, it's wholly offensive. It goes against everything democracy has ever stood for. And music has been political forever. Politics has been expressed through music since… Before rock and roll, since the beginning of time, it's been one way of getting your message out there, has been through music. "Someone said the other day, 'You're losing half your audience, Dee.' And then somebody said, 'Well, CROSBY, STILLS, NASH [& YOUNG] sang 'Four Dead In Ohio', and it didn't seem to kill their career.' "We should be allowed to express ourselves," he added. "And then, of course, don't get me going. I mean, [the 1984 TWISTED SISTER anthem] 'We're Not Gonna Take It' was all about that. I just never thought that I'd have to be turning my guns on fellow rockers. That was a 'fuck you' to parents and teachers and bosses and 'The Man,' and now, all of a sudden, I've got my fellow rockers behind me going, 'Hey, you can't say that. You can't do…' What the fuck? And now I'm sticking guns on them. I'm sticking it at the people that I wrote it for in the first place. "So, I haven't changed my stripes one iota — same belief system, same person. I mean, I've grown, I've matured, I'm a better person, I will say that. But as far as beliefs and the things I stand for, nothing's changed. And if you expect them to, you've got the wrong rock star, okay?" Back in November 2017, Snider said that he could no longer be friends with Trump because he did not share the president's views on important issues, including the Trump administration's harsh immigration policy. Snider found himself in the middle of controversy in 2016 when he asked Trump to stop using "We're Not Gonna Take It" in his campaign. The singer said at the time that Trump was very gracious about the request.