My friend, my brother, my band mate passed away today. My heart is broken. RIP A.J. Pero.
— Dee Snider (@deesnider) March 20, 2015
On Friday I got an email from my brother with the subject like “AJ Pero” and the message was just one line:
Twisted Sister drummer dies at 55
I replied with a simple “Noooo!” It struck me. Not because I knew this man, not because the man was a favorite drummer of mine or because he was in a favorite band of mine. It just struck me that this guy, whose band really created an anthem for a certain generation, was gone. It made me feel old, and it made me feel like a part of my childhood was gone.
I learned later on in life that Twisted Sister was a band before this song and album, but as an eight year old kid in 1984 – a kid who was basically brought up during the original days of MTV – this song and video was the first image I had of Twisted Sister.
They kinda freaked me out. Scared me a bit, but excited me more. I remember learning all the words to the video. Not just the song – but the entire opening. I even remember the song coming up at my church as a kid. The priest talking about how ths song was disrespectful to authority.
How rock and roll is that?
I knew this was the kind of music I loved – and the first notes that I ever heard from this song, from this band, were the opening drums of AJ Pero.
I know it’s a few days late, but I still wanted to say it.
Rest in Peace AJ Pero.
