After Twisted Sister made the divisive announcement that Sebastian Bach was set to take over Dee Snider’s vocal duties, Jay Jay French has said it’s up to fans to decide if they want to embrace him or not.
Back in February, Twisted Sister were forced to cancel their planned tour with Snider at the helm, as they revealed the frontman had been suffering from degenerative arthritis for several years.
They later salvaged their 2026 reunion tour and confirmed that former Skid Row frontman Bach would fill in on the upcoming tour, which marks their 50th anniversary and first reunion in ten years, following their retirement from touring in 2016.
In a recent appearance on Rock ‘N’ Blues Experience, guitarist French spoke about the band’s decision to recruit Bach, saying he was “the only person that could do it”.
“He’s the only larger-than-life guy with the chops and the stage presence to do it,” he said, adding that after eight hours of rehearsal with him, he had “no doubts how great it’s gonna be.”
However, some fans felt the band shouldn’t continue to tour without a vocalist many consider irreplaceable. When this was put to French, he said it was up to fans to embrace him or not.
“It’s either gonna work, or it’s not gonna work,” he said. “The public buys it or they don’t buy it.” He also pointed to other legacy acts who were out on the road without all original members, highlighting the likes of Lynyrd Skynyrd, Foreigner, and Queen.
On the latter, he said: “Freddie Mercury, greatest vocalist in the history of the world, can never be replaced. Guess what? They got a guy [Adam Lambert] from The Voice [to replace him]. Steve Perry, greatest singer in the history of the world. Guess what? They got a guy [Arnel Pineda] from YouTube [to replace him].
“I’m just saying, we got a guy whose pedigree is metal, who’s a legitimate artist with platinum records. A phenomenally talented human being. And, of course, now the public is gonna ultimately decide. They decide. If the public likes it, they like it.”
After an outpouring of concern for Snider’s health, he came out and insisted that he was not on his “deathbed, and the glam-rock icons also took to their official website to share more insight into the struggles facing Snider, which includes degenerative arthritis, that has in the past led to him undergoing multiple procedures.
Earlier this year, he gave a further update on his House of Hair radio show, saying: “I’m not dying! No, not never; I mean, we’re all dying, but not immediately.
“My announcement about cancelling the tour for health reasons, problems with my heart, arthritis, things like that… the rumours have run wild that I’m on my death bed, I am not. I just can’t do those things that I did in my 20s, 30s, 40s, 50s and even 60s. Alright? Otherwise I’m alive and well. I’m enjoying life.”
Snider added that he’ll continue to host his radio show, write, and direct but he won’t be hitting the road anytime soon.