German company Rockhaus Television has posted a full Twisted Sister concert shot recently at the London Astoria for what vocalist Dee Snider calls a "possible pay per view special." During the show, the band performs a cavalcade of hits, including "We're Not Gonna Take It," "Burn in Hell," "The Kids Are Back" and "Ride to Live, Live to Ride." Click more to watch the ugliest elderly transvestite you've ever seen fronting a gangbuster '80s metal show. Read more...

Preachers may hate him, but we always knew Dee Snider was a Holey Dude

In 1998, Twisted Sister singer Dee Snider injected "Captain Howdy," a character from their 1984 three-part song "Horror-Teria," into a horror movie called "Strangeland," which received mixed reviews, but has since turned into a bit of a cult item. Snider starred in and wrote the movie, which is about a pierced, sadistic, Internet chat room predator who lures teenagers into his house and tortures them with unusual body piercings.

At the time, Internet-based horror stories weren't so ubiquitous, so the plot was pretty compelling, even if the execution was far from perfect. “I came up with the idea of Internet crime before anybody had ever committed Internet crime,” Snider gloats. “And if I am the father of torture films, I’ve got to come back like a sledgehammer to reclaim my crown!”

To that effect, Snider has decided to resurrect Captain Howdy in "Strangeland: Disciple," which goes into production later this year. And while the movie may, indeed, revolutionalize the genre, it'll take a lot of creativity and originality. Today, with the coming and going of flix like "Pulse," "the Card Player," "Untraceable," "fear dot com," ".com For Murder" and "Stay Alive," Internet stalker movies are as common porn Web sites. Read more...

photo by Cody Smyth

Before "Headbangers Ball" got its name, the show was called "Heavy Metal Mania" and was hosted for about two years by Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider. Then, the program changed to the "Ball," and Kevin Seal and Adam Curry were hosts for a brief time before Riki Rachtman took over in 1987 and Headbangers Ball" quickly became an institution.

For years, the show persevered with Rachtman alternately playing the roles of rocker, clown and interviewer. He accompanied Alice in Chains on a trip to a water part, in which singer Layne Staley fished in a public aquarium, members showed up in flippers and a duck life preserver and general mayhem ensued. On other programs, Rachtman went skydiving with Megadeth, partied with Pantera and stood bemused as Niravna frontman Kurt Cobain appeared for a "Headbangers Ball" interview in a full ball gown.

After the decline of metal, "Headbangers" went off the air for a while, starting in January 1995. But it was resurrected in 2003 on MTV2 and was hosted by Hatebreed frontman Jamey Jasta until early 2007. Along with the usual slew of headbanging favorites, Jasta brought in more underground acts, such as Pig Destroyer, Cattle Decapitation and Meshuggah.

To celebrate the 20th anniversary of "Headbangers Ball," Snider, Rachtman and Jasta took part in a roundtable discussion hosted by Sirius radio programmer and personality Jose Mangin. Click "more" to check out some of the discussion and debate: Read more...

Sure, that's Lemmy, but can you ID the other folks in the pic?; photo by Nancy McDonald

Just three days left until MTV2 launches it's 20th Anniversary of "Headbangers Ball" celebration. In the spirit of old-school headbanging, we've got some vintage photos for you that'll either make you feel really, really old or really young.

Either way, tune in to "Headbangers Ball" Saturday from 11 p.m. to midnight EST and catch the on-air premiere of Divine Heresy's "Bleed the Fifth." Then chill for the rest of the weekend before we launch a week of what Spinal Tap might call "Heavy Metal memories." Read more...

photos by Cody Smyth

Okay, all you oldtimers. Surely, you remember 1990s-era "Headbangers Ball," back when Riki Rachtman was the host. Who could forget the classic episodes, like when Riki went skydiving with Megadeth or when Nirvana frontman Kurt Cobain showed up for an interview wearing a ball gown? But you may not know that before Riki, Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider and VJ Adam Curry helmed the ball. Of course, when "Headbangers Ball" returned to the airwaves in 2003 following an eight year hiatus (damn, that alternative rock!), Hatebreed singer Jamey Jasta was the new host.

In commemoration of the commanders of the Ball, MTV2 invited Snider, Rachtman and Jasta  to take part in a roundtable discussion moderated by Sirius - XM Radio “Hard Attack” on-air talent and format manager Jose Mangin. Read more...