Dee Snider is a successful musician who rose to prominence in the early 1980s as the frontman of the popular heavy metal band Twisted Sister. During his career with the band, he also contributed to the songwriting of their numerous hits. Moreover, he adopted his signature ‘twisted sister’ image with his drag look, which featured long blonde curly hair, excessive eye shadow, bright red lipstick, and a beauty mark.
Apart from his career with Twisted Sister, Dee Snider worked with several other bands such as Desperado or Widowmaker. He then mainly focused on his solo career and released some records. Besides, the iconic singer also contributed to other renowned artists, wrote and starred in films, and hosted radio shows. He is still active in the music industry and released his latest solo album ‘Leave A Scar’ on July 30, 2021.
As a result of his contribution to music and his various other projects, Dee Snider now has an estimated net worth of $7 million. However, the musician once became penniless and had to work in an office job just for $200. Let’s find out the details of the misfortune that befell De.
Dee Snider Was Penniless In The 1990s And Worked In An Office Job
Back in the early 1990s, with the emerge of grunge rock, hair metal lost its popularity. It is no surprise that this also had its effects on Dee Snider. Although he was a rock star who had an impressive fortune back then, he spent it like other rock icons; extravagantly. So, Snider became literally penniless at one point.
In a 2020 interview with Metal Hammer, the musician recalled those challenging days of his career. According to Snider, as grunge started to become popular and hair metal lost its prominence, he started feeling like an outsider in the music scene.
He said that he was married with three kids at that time and was broke as he spent his millions like a rock star. Snider then revealed that because of that desperation, he said yes to every opportunity he received. So, at one point, he got a desk job and answered phones for a little while.
Dee Snider told Metal Hammer that:
“That was 1989, ’90, ’91. The end of hair metal, the start of grunge. I got the call: ‘We’re not doing that anymore.’ I was like, ‘What do you mean, ‘that’?’ ‘We don’t do that. We don’t sing like you, we don’t perform like you, we don’t write like you, we don’t look like you.’ But that was it – over. I was married, I had three kids, and I was broke. Yeah, I’d made millions and I spent it like a rock star. And that was without drugs and alcohol.”
He then added:
“I said ‘yes’ to any and every opportunity I could. And that even meant everything from answering phones at a desk job for somebody to managing a recording studio for a little while.”
Speaking about his office job in a 2015 Rolling Stone interview, Snider gave the details of his occupation. He said he would go to work by cycling to save money and make $200 a week by answering phones. Following that, the musician admitted that when some people recognized him, he would lie to them by saying they were mistaken because he felt very embarrassed.
Dee Snider told Rolling Stone that:
“By 1994, I was flat broke. I had lost every penny I made. I was riding a bicycle to a desk job for $200 a week answering phones in an office, having people come in and go, ‘Aren’t you that guy …,’ and lying and saying, ‘No, I’m not,’ because I was so embarrassed.”
Although things were going pretty bad for the musician, Snider later searched for other opportunities. He did radio and reality television shows, movies, and more. As for now, Snider still pursues other ventures but continues to make music as well.
