

"What I love about this new DVD is that it bookends two very important stages in our career," says Twisted Sister's Jay Jay French. The veteran guitarist is on the line with Noisecreep promoting his band's upcoming 'Twisted Sister Double Live: North Stage '82, NY Steel '01' DVD set.

"The 'North Stage' concert represents the end of the era when Twisted Sister played the bar circuit. When we were in the bar period of Twisted, we were a very different kind of band. We wrote so many songs in that time that we thought were going to be on our albums once we got signed. We played them for tons of producers -- year in and year out -- but no one cared. It just wasn't meant to be. It's interesting, but when Twisted Sister first started, we were a transvestite rock band. When Dee [Snider, vocals] joined the group three years later, we morphed into a shock rock type of thing. It was all influenced by the 'The Rocky Horror Picture Show' stuff," remembers French.

The guitarist then tells Noisecreep about 'Lady's Boy,' one of the early Twisted Sister songs included on the 'North Stage' set of the new DVD. "That was a song that reflected the image and attitude of that period in the band. I'm talking about the 'Rocky Horror' influence. Actually, I'm not sure if you know this or not, but we were the first band to play the very first 'Rocky Horror' convention back in 1977. So this song ['Lady's Boy] is about a younger kid satisfying an older woman. But it's being sung by Dee in the whole Tim Curry type of sexual ambiguity. When you see that performance on the DVD, you'll know what I mean."

French then tells us about the other half of the DVD. "I'm glad that the other show is included since it was such a special night for us. The 'NY Steel' concert was the band's first show together after many years of being broken up. It was a benefit for 9/11 victims that Eddie Trunk helped put together. It's us playing the hits without our makeup and stage clothes. It's hard to believe it's been decade since that show."

Watch 'Under the Blade' from Twisted Sister

'Twisted Sister Double Live: North Stage '82, NY Steel '01' is out July 26th via Eagle Rock Entertainment.