Ratt Attack

An Open Letter to Dee Snider of Twisted Sister, Respectfully, you got it wrong.

Dear Dee,

I’ve always admired your "we’re not gonna take it" attitude. It’s the very definition of the rock 'n' roll spirit. But recently, you called tribute acts "non-creative garbage." As someone who has dedicated years to meticulously honoring the legacy of Eddie Van Halen in our tribute, Fan Halen, I felt compelled to offer a different perspective.

To be clear: I’m not foolish enough to believe that any tribute artist is "as good" as the original. The originals are the Masters—the Van Goghs, the Rembrandts, and the Michelangelos of our world. They were the architects; we are simply the actors performing the play they wrote. But just because a Shakespearean actor didn't write Hamlet doesn't mean his performance isn't art.

When an actor steps onto a Broadway stage to portray Alexander Hamilton, we call it Live Theater. When Rami Malek spends a year studying every twitch and breath of Freddie Mercury for Bohemian Rhapsody, or Jamie Foxx vanishes into the role of Ray Charles, we call it Award-Winning Art. Both men won Academy Awards for those "tributes." $900 million worth of fans thought Freddie’s story was worth seeing on the big screen, even if it wasn't Freddie himself.

Is that garbage, Dee? Or is it only garbage when it’s on a concert stage instead of a theater stage or movie screen?

The reality of 2026 is a hard one for rock fans. Sadly, many of our heroes are no longer with us. Iconic bands have disbanded, or let’s be honest—the price of a ticket to a legacy stadium tour is now more than a monthly mortgage payment for the average fan.

Tribute acts fill the void that time and the economy left behind.We aren't "stealing" creativity; we are curators of a moment in time. We provide a space for people to revisit their youth, to hear the "Brown Sound" or the "Twisted" riffs in a live concert setting where they can close their eyes and feel 17 again. For a new generation of kids who will never get to see Eddie Van Halen or the original Twisted Sister lineup in their prime, we are the closest thing they have to a physical history lesson.

You’ve always stood up for the fans, Dee. Well, the fans are the ones in our front rows, singing every word, AIR-guitaring to every riff, and thanking us after the show for helping them remember a time they thought was gone forever.

If keeping the spirit of rock 'n' roll alive for the people who love it most is "garbage," then we’ll wear that label proudly. But to us, it’s just another form of theater—and the standing ovations say the audience thinks it’s art.

Respectfully,
Derek Fuller - Fan Halen