When CBS interviewed Jay Jay French as part of their coverage of David Bowie’s passing, Jay said, “I can tell you unequivocally if it wasn’t for David Bowie, there would be no Twisted Sister. The Bowie medley, which are three songs from the Ziggy album, were our staple for about five years. You couldn’t come and see Twisted Sister without listening to those songs from that album. It was as simple as that. We loved Bowie, and we changed as Bowie changed.” 

The Twisted movie has preserved at least a bit of that in all its early rawness and energy. Film producer Andrew Horn didn’t use the medley (not enough time or money) but he did have them tearing into one of his favorites from the Ziggy era. Here’s the clip as it appears in the film, used to introduce Dee Snider into the band:

The setting is mid-1970s New York City: five rockers decked in platform boots and dramatic make-up embarked on a heavy metal journey. Little did they know the impact they would make, and that, forty years later, they would still be renowned for their songs, one-of-a-kind live shows, and take-no-prisoners attitude.

We Are Twisted F***ing Sister! - a new 134-minute documentary film by Andrew Horn capturing that expedition from bar band to international stardom - will be presented in theaters via Music Box Films in February 2016. The first ever documentary of the band that defined an early MTV with their no-holds-barred music videos opens in New York and Los Angeles on February 19th with a one-night-only event at Chicago’s Music Box Theatre on February 22nd. On February 23rd, the film will be released on DVD, Blu-ray, VOD, and digital formats, with an included 2 hours of bonus material and director commentary.

Charging out of the gate with a lethal combination of grit and glitter, Twisted Sister (Jay Jay French, Dee Snider, Eddie Ojeda, Mark “The Animal” Mendoza, and the late A.J. Pero) established themselves as one of the staple acts of Glam Rock and Heavy Metal with anthems “We’re Not Gonna Take It” and “I Wanna Rock.” However, “the band that killed disco” was no overnight success.

Director Andrew Horn, who is known for his films East Side Story (named one of the 10 best films of the year by Time Magazine), The Nomi Song, Doomed Love, and The Big Blue, said of the film:

“I realized as I was working on the film, that it was really very much a story of how a band becomes a band. They are truly unique in that their overnight success actually took 10 years, so you really get to experience everything Twisted Sister went through to do it. I have to say, I don’t think I’ve ever experienced any group of musicians as ferocious...or as funny.”

We Are Twisted F***ing Sister! puts the fan in the trenches with the band from their early, hungry days in New York City onward through their legendary career. Recounted directly from the band themselves, their managers, and biggest fans, We Are Twisted F***ing Sister! is the mesmerizing, never-before-told story of the ten grueling years leading up to the band’s break out success.

Are you ready to really get to know Twisted F***ing Sister?

For more information on theatrical screenings, please visit this location (check on “Theaters”).
 
Official trailer: