Why Dee Snider Thinks Robert Plant and Dio Were Not Great Frontmen

Published Jan 10, 2023 By Dowell De Los Reyes

IMG via altrevolt.com

Dee Snider, the former vocalist of Twisted Sister, sparked a discussion on Twitter on December 30 when he stated that he didn’t think Robert Plant, the frontman for Led Zeppelin, and the late Ronnie James Dio were excellent frontmen.

The discussion started after Snider praised the late drummer Cozy Powell, who performed with Rainbow’s Dio and appeared on a few tracks of Plant’s 1982 first solo album, Pictures at Eleven.

Despite loving both vocalists, Snider claimed in Heavy Consequence that he didn’t think any of them had the charisma necessary to be a great frontman.

A supporter even tweeted Snider that Dio was the second-greatest frontman behind Queen’s Freddie Mercury. The ex-Twisted Sister singer then responded as follows:

“You are confusing singing with performing. There is a huge difference between a great frontman & a great singer. Ronnie was one of the greatest singers of all time, but as a frontman, he pretty much just stood on stage & sang. Freddie was an amazing singer AND frontman.”

Then, following the support of Plant by a different fan, Snider wrote:

“I’m a HUGE Plant fan vocally…but he showed me nothing as a performer. Looked amazing, great hair…stood on stage with one hand raised and sang his ass off. Not a frontman in my opinion. And FYI many great frontmen are not great singers.”

Obviously, Snider’s opinions sparked a heated discussion; one commentator even called Snider’s viewpoint on Dio an “absurd approach.” Snider believes that his viewpoint wasn’t wholly unjustified, though. He explained, using his own interactions with Dio:

“I toured with him. … He is one of my vocal heroes, but… My frontmen are all over the stage and interact with the crowd. Showmen. Think David Lee Roth, Paul Stanley, Mick Jagger, Freddy Mercury, Axl Rose…the list goes on.”

Snider continued to further his argument by defining performance and “stage presence.” He stated:

“I knew this would upset people. I am NOT saying that Dio, Plant etc, don’t have stage presence. They have it in SPADES! But they are not performers.”

Bruce Dickinson, Bono, Rob Halford, and James Brown were among the other frontmen highlighted by Snider as examples of brilliant frontmen. He contentiously added Kid Rock to this set as well. He stated:

“Love him or hate him, @KidRock is one of the best I’ve ever seen. … Facts are facts. The guy is a killer in concert. Period. (and I am REALLY critical).”

Check the tweet thread below: