Both the fight to survive and thrive and the humorous perspective of the band is compelling. “I was brought in initially because Jay Jay, who was not only playing guitar but did all the business for the band, was fried beyond recognition and couldn’t do it anymore. It’s about perseverance and things blowing up in your face. It is evident from the beginning that Mr. Horn has done his "homework," as the documentation of the history of the band will have the die-hard fan (SMF) contemplating their so called knowledge & have the average movie goer completely intrigued by the story .and what a story it is! There's not a lot of insight on the personal relationships within the band, but that would have taken time away from the incredible story, which is more than enough to fill the 135 minutes running time. This is the way to make a band documentary! I think this is a must see movie - regardless of how much of a SMF you are. They began playing in 1972 and disbanded in 2016. Was this review helpful? A girl tries to destroy her new friends life, and take her place in her family.
While the microcosm of Punk and New Wave was taking over downtown New York in the mid 70s – early 80s, Twisted Sister was battling their way to the top of a vast suburban, cover-band bar scene that surrounded Manhattan in a 100 mile radius, yet existed in a parallel universe.The film follows them from their beginnings as a cross-dressing glam band, playing cover songs for 4 shows a night, 6 nights a week – from New Jersey bowling alleys and Long Island beach bars, to the suburban mega-clubs of the late 70s/early 80s, and on to their bust-out appearance on the UK rock TV show, “The Tube”. It's sad that the story of Twisted Sister is coming to an end, but I'm really proud to be a part of it - being a SMF. has taken the long & grinding road, just like the featured subject, but instead of 5 guys slugging it out nightly in the clubs, you have one determined film maker believing in their story named Andrew Horn. For the most part, Twisted Sister was a sober band and would have to be, in order to keep up with their grueling schedule that kept them in the Clubs & Bars for nearly 10 years .That's right, 10 years! Garden. It's also about an hour and a half too long. Reflective conversation with current and former members of the band, managers, club owners, record producers and fans makes up the majority of the film. I said, ‘my job is to get you out of that world and if I’m caught up in discussions with club owners and booking agents and what the door count really was, or who hit who with a microphone, I’m never going to have time to get you a record deal and turn you into an international band.’” The girls maintain saintly appearances while promoting cutthroat seduction and destruction behind the scenes. But I digress, the movie is truly wonderful and gives a great overview of TS's struggle to be kings of the world. Hot-to-trot blonde teenager Sierra McCormick (as Sarah Marsh) is out partying.
I have never had so much fun watching a documentary! I've long known the stories and struggles and it is awesome to see the real footage from their early days.
“The first time I saw Twisted was when I became part of the agency, CTA, and had to go see all the bands we represented. It was kind of Punk second-time-around and everybody was really into it, and we charted every record that we put out. But for Dee I always went over the top.” Do not expect to see the aftermath of their We're Not Gonna Take It days (no cheesy behind the music shite here), this film is about the band, how they started out, the struggle they endured, and the success that catapulted them into the mainstream. And we normally got it right, you know? 0 out of 0 found this helpful. “Growing up in the heart of Long Island, you had a chance to get turned on to a lotta different things, quite a diversity to the musical landscape. Never given anything, always earning and a great fan following. I was the cute one in the band. :-)
I was lucky enough to attend a sneak preview of this movie, and I can only say excellent things about this film. Spinal Tap may have been clueless but Twisted Sister knew exactly what they were doing.It was both a great living and a dead end because once you reached the peak – headlining clubs attracting audiences of 2, 3 or 5 thousand a night – there was nowhere left to go.