A sinister pervert in clown make-up first reunited them in a storybook tale of murder, mayhem and rock & roll. Now, nearly a year after reforming for the soundtrack to frontman Dee Snider's horror film, Strangeland, Twister Sister are back with a vengeance. Though the glam-rock quintet has no plans to record together again, they are clearing their calendars this summer for the first national Twisted Sister tour in more than a decade. Concert booker Dave Kirby of the Agency Group says Twisted Sister hope to create or join a package tour with other nostalgic fist thumpers -- perhaps the recently reformed Iron Maiden, who also plan to do an arena tour in the near future. Though details of the road jaunt remain tentative, Snider told Rolling Stone Online in an interview last year that the band will insist on a "full KISS-style return, not like Motley Crue" if they ever decided to revisit the past. One way or another, Twisted Sister -- song/screenwriting frontman Snider, guitarists J.J. French and Eddie Ojeda, bassist Mark Mendoza and drummer A.J. Pero -- will dig out their baby blue eyeshadow and feel the noise again on an undisclosed date this summer. Stay tuned and hungry for more details . . .

Oh dear . . . you're being inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame on March 16, and because you've already been inducted once before (with that band of Beatles you used to run with), you figure the public could do with a little refresher course on your latter-day achievements. What's a knight like Paul McCartney to do? Simple: release a limited edition, Silver Anniversary version of 1973's Band on the Run, generously fattened with a bonus disc of twenty-one unreleased bonus acoustic and live tracks. The Capitol Records reissue of the classic Wings album will hit the shelves March 9 . . .

You saw the movie. You know the folks in Fargo, N.D., are different than most of us. That's why when the Rolling Stones' tour manager called the West Acres Bowl, out on the Interstate, night manager Steve Foss didn't bat an eye. And while the gentleman on the line didn't identify himself as being part of the Stones organization, Foss just had a hunch that these weren't locals. Maybe it was the accent. After reserving six lanes (right after Ladies League Bowling wound up at 8:30 p.m.), the tour manager playfully asked Foss if he knew where he could get some Rolling Stones tickets. A half-hour later, the voice on the phone, with seventeen people in tow, descended on the bowling alley. "I recognized Mick immediately," says Foss. "The minute he came into the alley a huge hush fell on the alley. All thirty-two lanes went dead silent. Some of the ladies were still around after their league finished up, and they *knew* it was Mick, but to their credit, they didn't bother him at all." Resplendent in black fur, a purple shirt, and black jeans, Jagger -- with his three children -- picked out balls and settled in at Lane two -- thanks to Foss, who put the celebrity bowler as far as he could from the hoi polloi. What size ball did Mick use? According to Foss, a hefty black and red one that weighed in at fourteen pounds. As for shoes, he wears a size 10. In fact, if you're interested, both are on display at West Acres right now. "I don't think I'll ever rent them out again," says Foss. "I'm keeping them as mementos." Foss also has the score sheets from their games, with the musician turning in a 110, and a respectable 152 . . .

Looks like the King of All Media is throwing his flabby weight around again. As he did with the Goo Goo Dolls last year, Howard Stern has put his official ban on angst-rocker Alanis Morissette in response to her backing out of his morning show yesterday. According to 92.3 K-Rock programming director Steve Kingston, "Since October, we have been diligently making requests for her to appear on the "Howard Stern Show", and numerous requests have been denied. And yesterday, Howard was like, 'I really love this woman's music, and I really want her to come spend time with me.' That's when he proclaimed the boycott." To assuage the damage, Kingston says, Morissette's label agreed to have the singer speak with afternoon radio-guy Will Pendarvis, who cunningly questioned Alanis about the Stern situation. "He wasn't trying to be one of Howard's lap-dogs, but [Alanis'] management was very unhappy with Will and proceeded to chew him out," states Kingston. "They ripped him apart. It was totally inappropriate." Of course, the boycott still stands, but comes at a time when no Alanis tunes appear on K-Rock's (or most of its affiliates') play lists, anyway, but no matter. If he keeps on her, perhaps the angry Canadian chanteuse will partake in an on-air slow dance with gay fans in their skivvies, just like the Goo Goo Dolls did . . .

The RSN Staff
(February 22, 1999)