Awful Library Books recently brought Dee Snider’s Teenage Survival Guide to my attention.
I guess I fall into the classification of ‘hipster’, according to the posters over there. (shudder) Just because I would find this book ironically amusing. This was the guy who had to answer to Congress for the content of his act, handing out advice to kids on how to get through their teenage years. I’d have to assume that this book predates Snider’s run-in with the PMRC, because I don’t think too many publishers would have held him up as an example after the fact.
(My parents would probably have found it funny, had I been a teenager at the time, but then my parents are different. We’re talking parents who had a freak-out over finding a copy of David Cassidy’s Cherish in my room, but didn’t bat an eye at Black Sabbath’s Mob Rules.)
Really, though, if we look at the book as a historic artifact, it’s not that far out of place. Dee Snider, along with the rest of the hair metal crowd, were some of the biggest celebrities out there in their day. And for some reason, the 1980′s were really big on the celebrity-fronted public service announcement. (CBS still does them to some degree, but they use actors from their TV shows. You can’t tell me that William Petersen has the same name recognition in 2006 that Dee Snider did in 1988.)
I think they’re right though–in terms of relevance, this book has passed its expiration date. I think the commenters are right–the library should sell it on ebay and use the proceeds to buy a few new books to replace it. It’s definitely a collectible now.
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Tags: Dee Snider, Twisted Sister