Besides being a fan of heavy music, comedian Craig Gass has close ties to the hard-rock and metal comunities–he’s opened for Metallica, lived in Eddie Van Halen’s back house, and is buddies with everyone from Pearl Jam to KISS. He recently helped skewer Twisted Sister’s Dee Snider at Revolver‘s and Guitar World‘s second annual Rock & Roll Roast. And on his new live comedy album and DVD, The Worst Comedy Show Ever, which hit stores today, Pearl Jam’s Mike McCready, makes a hilarious cameo on the DVD, while Alice in Chains’ Jerry Cantrell and Sean Kinney lend their fractured personalities to several news blackouts on the CD. In keeping with all this, Gass compiled his list of the Top Five (Unintentionally) Funniest Hard-Rock Concert Moments he has ever witnessed. Check it out below, and at the bottom of this post, watch a teaser clip for the DVD.
“I’ve been a huge hard-rock/heavy-metal fan for most of my life and never get tired of going to see my favorite bands over and over again,” Gass says. “Over the years, I think it becomes obvious to a lot of us that part of the fun of going to see certain bands is the entertainment that you’ll get out of it in between songs when the singer of the band starts to talk. Whether it’s David Lee Roth’s insane arrogance or Dave Mustaine’s bizarre politics, there are some shows you can’t wait to see for the real moments in between.
“I love sharing these stories with my comedian buddies and hearing the stories they like to add, but here are my Top Five Funniest Hard-Rock Concert Moments. Keep in mind, most of these were unintentionally funny…”
5) PANTERA
“I’ve seen Pantera easily about 20 times. They’re one of the most powerful bands of all time, but Phil Anselmo adds a tone of comedy to every show. He’s always angry about something, and he always says it with limited words.
“Pantera was on Ozzfest 2000, and I saw a couple of those shows, including one at the venue outside of Boston that was then known as The Tweeter Center. In between songs, AND I’M QUOTING, Phil Anselmo actually said, very slowly, ‘HEY…. Motherfuckers…. Check it out…. You go home tonight…. And you tell your friends who fuckin’ missed out on Ozzfest….. You tell them… HEY…… ….. …. You fuckin’… You missed out….. (At this point, you could see that Phil realized that he had repeated himself, and added)….. And you’re stupid.’ And then he hocked up some saliva and spit on the ground.
“Keep in mind, I was in the 18teenth row for this show, and I saw SEVENTEEN ROWS of people in front of me turning to each other and smiling, as if to say, ‘That was fucking HILARIOUS.’
4) MÖTLEY CRÜE
“Vince Neil is a mess. Even when I saw Mötley opening the Bark at the Moon tour for Ozzy back in 1984, I noticed that Vince didn’t seem to remember all the lyrics to Mötley’s songs. Add to that, the occasional show where he’s completely hammered, and you’ve got a funnier show than ANYTHING going on at The Comedy Store that night.
“This was at The Key Club in 2005, I wanna say, and Vince was HAMMERED. A show that was highlighted with Vince falling off the stage (here’s the fucked up thing… We weren’t even looking at the stage during the incident, and we HEARD Vince fall) and this amazing on stage moment:
“Vince had taken a long time in between songs to grab another drink, came back out and said, ‘OK, everybody, how about we do a little bit of LIVEWIRE FOR YOU RIGHT N–WHAT (his guitar player was whispering in his ear)? Oh, we already played that? OK…. What else have we got?’
“I love that guy.”
3) DOKKEN
“In 2002, there was a tour of ’80s bands featuring Dokken, Warrant, Ratt, and a few others. I know that it’s a cooler move to dismiss these bands than it is to give them any credit, and if you’re one of those people, you really are an idiot, because you miss out on moments like the one I witnessed at The Celebrity Theater in Phoenix.
“Warrant was onstage performing, and in the middle of their set, a dude came climbing on to the stage and walked right into the middle of the band while they were playing. Was it a drunk audience member? No. It was Don Dokkem, who grabbed one of the microphones and started yelling at the band for going over their allotted time! He actually lectured Warrant onstage, and demanded that they ‘Play some “Cherry Pie” and get the fuck off the stage,’ threw the microphone in the air, and stormed off the stage.
“Mike Fasano, the drummer for Warrant at the time, grabbed the microphone when it landed and said, ‘How about a hand for the amazing Don Dokken, everybody’ to the boos of the audience.
“You always hear about bands not getting along on tour, but how often to you get to buy a ticket to watch it happen live?”
2) KISS
“OK, this one I have to admit is intentionally funny by the band, and me makes me immediately respect Paul Stanley.
“The band was on a really long tour with Ted Nugent and Skid Row, and the guys in Skid Row did a thing every night that the audience was never aware of, where they would dare Paul Stanley to incorporate some really silly word or stupid phrase into his onstage banter.
“In Raleigh, North Carolina, they tell Paul, ‘You need to somehow incorporate the words, “Diaper Fight” into your onstage banter tonight.’
“Nobody in the crowd in Raleigh was aware of this, obviously. All I know is that I’m watching KISS perform, and about three or four songs in, the crowd is going nuts, and I’m not sure that I’m hearing it right, but I think I just heard Paul Stanley say, ‘All right people, settle down, settle down…. Let’s not get all worked up here and turn this into a Diaper Fight…’
“WTF?
“I found out the story behind it later, and thought, That’s just cool.”
1) Without question: LOUDNESS
“Opening the Theater of Pain tour for Mötley, I saw this show at The TCC in Tucson and at The Compton Terrace outside of Phoenix. You haven’t lived until you’ve heard the singer of a Japanese heavy-metal band yell out, ‘ARE YOU LEDDY TO LOCK N LOLL, MUDDA FUCKAS?’ followed by waves and waves of laughter from drunk teenagers.”
On January 24, Revolver and Guitar World teamed up to host the 2nd Annual Rock & Roll Roast at the Grove in Anaheim, California.
The event honored Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, who withstood a barrage of barbs and one-liners from a slew of rockers and comedians — and actress and 2001 Playboy Playmate of the Year Brande Roderick, who created a roast video just for the occasion. You can check it out below.
the event, which was presented by Peavey Electronics and sponsored by Epiphone and Monster Energy Drink, featured live roasts by Black Label Society guitarist Zakk Wylde (last year’s Roast honoree), Scott Ian, comedian Jim Norton, That Metal Show co-hosts Jim Florentine and Eddie Trunk, Lita Ford, comedian Craig Gass and Snider’s son, actor and comedian Shane Snider.
The event also included video roasts by Roderick, Donald Trump, Sebastian Bach, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Alice Cooper, Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho, Donald Trump, Steel Panther, Playboy Playmate Brande Roderick and others.
On the night of the Roast, fans followed the action via Twitter (#DEEROAST) and watched the event live on AXS TV. Proceeds from the event benefit MusiCares, a nonprofit organization of The Recording Academy that provides financial assistance and addiction recovery resources to music people in need.
To read more about the Roast — and to see a red carpet photo gallery and video by Fuse — check out our day-after wrap-up story, which features some of the best one-liners from the event.
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On January 24, Revolver and Guitar World teamed up to host the 2nd Annual Rock & Roll Roast at the Grove in Anaheim, California.
The event honored Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, who withstood a barrage of barbs and one-liners from a slew of rockers and comedians, including business magnate, TV personality and author Donald Trump, who created a roast video especially for his Celebrity Apprentice cohort. You can check it out below.
the event, which was presented by Peavey Electronics and sponsored by Epiphone and Monster Energy Drink, featured live roasts by Black Label Society guitarist Zakk Wylde (last year’s Roast honoree), Scott Ian, comedian Jim Norton, That Metal Show co-hosts Jim Florentine and Eddie Trunk, Lita Ford, comedian Craig Gass and Snider’s son, actor and comedian Shane Snider.
The event also included video roasts by Trump, Sebastian Bach, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Alice Cooper, Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho, Donald Trump, Steel Panther, Playboy Playmate Brande Roderick and others.
On the night of the Roast, fans followed the action via Twitter (#DEEROAST) and watched the event live on AXS TV. Proceeds from the event benefit MusiCares, a nonprofit organization of The Recording Academy that provides financial assistance and addiction recovery resources to music people in need.
To read more about the Roast — and to see a red carpet photo gallery and video by Fuse — check out our day-after wrap-up story, which features some of the best one-liners from the event.
On January 24, Revolver and Guitar World teamed up to host the 2nd Annual Rock & Roll Roast at the Grove in Anaheim, California.
The event honored Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, who withstood a barrage of barbs and one-liners from a slew of rockers and comedians, including former Skid Row frontman Sebastian Bach, who roasted Snider with a Behind the Music spoof video made just for the occasion. You can check it out below.
There will be more videos coming your way, of course! Look for a new video from the Rock & Roll Roast of Dee Snider every day this week.
The event, which was presented by Peavey Electronics and sponsored by Epiphone and Monster Energy Drink, featured live roasts by Black Label Society guitarist Zakk Wylde (last year’s Roast honoree), Scott Ian of Anthrax, comedian Jim Norton, That Metal Show co-hosts Jim Florentine and Eddie Trunk, Lita Ford, comedian Craig Gass and Snider’s son, actor and comedian Shane Snider.
The event also included video roasts by Bach, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Alice Cooper, Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho, Donald Trump, Steel Panther, Playboy Playmate Brande Roderick and others.
On the night of the Roast, fans followed the action via Twitter (#DEEROAST) and watched the event live on AXS TV. Proceeds from the event benefit MusiCares, a nonprofit organization of The Recording Academy that provides financial assistance and addiction recovery resources to music people in need.
To read more about the Roast — and to see a red carpet photo gallery and video by Fuse — check out our day-after wrap-up story, which features some of the best one-liners from the event.
On January 24, Revolver and Guitar World teamed up to host the 2nd Annual Rock & Roll Roast at the Grove in Anaheim, California.
The event honored Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, who withstood a barrage of barbs and one-liners from a slew of rockers and comedians, including Steel Panther, who roasted Snider with a video made just for the occasion. You can check it out below.
There will be more videos coming your way, of course! Look for a new video from the Rock & Roll Roast of Dee Snider every day this week.
The event, which was presented by Peavey Electronics and sponsored by Epiphone and Monster Energy Drink, featured live roasts by Black Label Society guitarist Zakk Wylde (last year’s Roast honoree), Scott Ian, comedian Jim Norton, That Metal Show co-hosts Jim Florentine and Eddie Trunk, Lita Ford, comedian Craig Gass and Snider’s son, actor and comedian Shane Snider.
The event also included video roasts by “Weird Al” Yankovic, Alice Cooper, Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho, Donald Trump, Sebastian Bach, Steel Panther, Playboy Playmate Brande Roderick and others.
On the night of the Roast, fans followed the action via Twitter (#DEEROAST) and watched the event live on AXS TV. Proceeds from the event benefit MusiCares, a nonprofit organization of The Recording Academy that provides financial assistance and addiction recovery resources to music people in need.
To read more about the Roast — and to see a red carpet photo gallery and video by Fuse — check out our day-after wrap-up story, which features some of the best one-liners from the event.
On January 24, Revolver and Guitar World teamed up to host the 2nd Annual Rock & Roll Roast at the Grove in Anaheim, California.
The event honored Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, who withstood a barrage of barbs and one-liners from a slew of rockers and comedians, including the legendary Alice Cooper, who apparently is a bit of both! Cooper roasted Snider via a video made just for the occasion, and you can check it out below.
There will be more videos coming your way, of course! Look for a new video from the Rock & Roll Roast of Dee Snider every day this week.
The event, which was presented by Peavey Electronics and sponsored by Epiphone and Monster Energy Drink, featured sets by Black Label Society guitarist Zakk Wylde (last year’s Roast honoree), Scott Ian, comedian Jim Norton, That Metal Show co-hosts Jim Florentine and Eddie Trunk, Lita Ford, comedian Craig Gass and Snider’s son, actor and comedian Shane Snider.
The event also included video roasts by Cooper, Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho, Donald Trump, Alice Cooper, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Sebastian Bach, Steel Panther, Playboy Playmate Brande Roderick and others.
On the night of the Roast, fans followed the action via Twitter (#DEEROAST) and watched the event live on AXS TV. Proceeds from the event benefit MusiCares, a nonprofit organization of The Recording Academy that provides financial assistance and addiction recovery resources to music people in need.
To read more about the Roast — and to see a red carpet photo gallery and video by Fuse — check out our day-after wrap-up story, which features some of the best one-liners from the event.
Photos: Jeremy Danger
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On January 24, Revolver and Guitar World teamed up to host the 2nd Annual Rock & Roll Roast at the Grove in Anaheim, California.
The event honored Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, who withstood a barrage of barbs and one-liners from a slew of rockers, comedians — and Chris Jericho, the wrestler and Fozzy frontman, who roasted Snider via a video made just for the occasion. You can check it out below.
There will be more videos coming your way, of course! Look for a new video from the Rock & Roll Roast of Dee Snider every day this week.
The event, which was presented by Peavey Electronics and sponsored by Epiphone and Monster Energy Drink, featured sets by Black Label Society guitarist Zakk Wylde (last year’s Roast honoree), Scott Ian, comedian Jim Norton, That Metal Show co-hosts Jim Florentine and Eddie Trunk, Lita Ford, comedian Craig Gass and Snider’s son, actor and comedian Shane Snider.
The event also included video roasts by Jericho, Donald Trump, Alice Cooper, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Sebastian Bach, Steel Panther, Playboy Playmate Brande Roderick and others.
On the night of the Roast, fans followed the action via Twitter (#DEEROAST) and watched the event live on AXS TV. Proceeds from the event benefit MusiCares, a nonprofit organization of The Recording Academy that provides financial assistance and addiction recovery resources to music people in need.
To read more about the Roast — and to see a red carpet photo gallery and video by Fuse — check out our day-after wrap-up story, which features some of the best one-liners from the event.
Syndicated Envision Networks show Hangar 19 will dedicate a three-hour program this week to the Revolver/Guitar World Rock & Roll Roast of Dee Snider, which took place January 24 in Anaheim, California.
The show is set to include tracks, highlights and interviews from Snider and Twisted Sister, plus roasters and guests including Anthrax, Lita Ford, Zakk Wylde, Pantera, Queensryche, Guns N’ Roses and more.
Hangar 19‘s Thom Hazaert was on the red carpet at the gala, capturing interviews with roasters Lita Ford, Zakk Wylde, comedian Craig Gass and Anthrax’s Scott Ian, plus Metalocalypse/Dethklok/Galaktikon mastermind Brendon Small, Pantera/Down/Kill Devil Hill bassist Rex Brown, Queensryche’s Geoff Tate, Guns N’ Roses guitarist Ron “Bumblefoot” Thal, Ministry guitarist Sin Quirin, Hal Sparks, Lit, In This Moment, Huntress, Gary Hoey and more.
All of this will be stuffed into three hours of the best classic metal and hard rock paying tribute to Snider in one hell of an FM melee. Show co-host/correspondent Hazaert says, “It was an honor to be a part of this roast, and to pay tribute to someone as influential and important as Dee was, not just to me, but an entire generation of Metal fans. Not only was Stay Hungry the first album I ever owned, it honestly was instrumental in my evolution into the degenerate long-haired Rock N’ Roll ne’er-do-well I was to become.”
Hangar 19 relives the glory days of classic metal and features music from the artists who built the genre, including Megadeth, Judas Priest, Iron Maiden, Pantera, Metallica, Anthrax, Slayer and more.
Host Cutter, a 15-year rock radio veteran, steps down from the nostalgia just long enough to highlight new metal in a weekly “Then and Now” segment, and, with sometimes foil/minion-at-large Hazaert, to interview the metal greats that helped mold this speaker-shredding musical movement.
For a full affiliate list, airdates/times and more info on Hangar 19, visit or its Facebook page. Follow Hangar 19 on Twitter right here.
Photos are Thom Hazaert with Zakk Wylde, above, and Rex Brown (Pantera/Down), below.
Last night at Revolver and Guitar World‘s 2nd Annual Rock & Roll Roast, a host of rockers and comedians took aim at Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider, firing a nonstop barrage of barbs and one-liners that would make an ordinary man cry.
But, as last night’s endless stream of transvestite-themed insults and anecdotes made perfectly clear, Snider is not a normal man.
The event, which was presented by Peavey Electronics and sponsored by Epiphone and Monster Energy Drink, took place at The Grove in Anaheim, California, the site of last year’s inaugural Rock & Roll Roast, which skewered Black Label Society guitarist Zakk Wylde.
Wylde returned to the scene of the crime last night, however, as a member of the celebrity dais. He was joined by fellow Rock & Roll Roast vets Scott Ian of Anthrax, comedian Jim Norton and That Metal Show co-host Jim Florentine. The dais was rounded out by rocker Lita Ford, That Metal Show co-host Eddie Trunk, comedian Craig Gass and Snider’s son, comedian and actor Shane Snider. Jose Mangin of Sirius/XM and Headbanger’s Ball fame was the evening’s DJ.
The night also included video roasts by Donald Trump, Alice Cooper, “Weird Al” Yankovic, Sebastian Bach, Steel Panther, Playboy Playmate Brande Roderick, “Gene Simmons” and wrestler and Fozzy frontman Chris Jericho.
Fans were able to follow the action and one-liners live via Guitar World and Revolver‘s Twitter feeds (#DEEROAST) and watch the event live on AXS TV. A portion of the proceeds will benefit MusiCares, a nonprofit organization of The Recording Academy that provides emergency financial assistance and addiction recovery resources to music people in need.
Actor Mark Metcalf (Neidermeyer from Animal House) kicked things off by reprising his famous “Whaddya want to do with your life?” speech and introducing Snider, the dais and roastmaster Penn Jilette.
“Good evening, everyone. I’m Penn Jilette, a third-rate magician, here to roast Dee Snider, a fourth-rate musician,” said Jilette as he kicked off his set. “This motley crew — sorry, Dee, I didn’t mean to mention a real rock and roll band — hasn’t seen a television camera or a Weight Watchers meeting since they invented cellphones.”
After Jillette’s set, the other dais members took turns taking their best shots at Snider, who seemed to be having a great time in his big red throne at center-stage. In the end, Snider had his moment to get his revenge, and it was sweet.
Some memorable lines from last night:
Scott Ian to Dee Snider: “I wanna rock … to hit you over the head with.”
Eddie Trunk: “You can feel Twisted Sister’s love for Dee by their complete lack of attendance tonight.”
Scott Ian to Zakk Wylde: “For surviving last year’s Roast, did you earn another cute patch for your fake biker club vest?”
Scott Ian to Dee Snider: “Twisted Sister tribute bands don’t exist because no one wants to play two songs over and over again.”
Zakk Wylde on Shane Snider: “Man, those are some big gay shoes to fill.”
Dee Snider: “Jim Norton’s career is going so poorly, he’s opening for my son, Shane.”
Craig Gass to Scott Ian: “Anthrax. What a great name for a band that makes people fucking sick.”
Eddie Trunk: “Dee, you’re in great shape. Maybe from running from your good career choices.”
Zakk Wylde on Mark Metcalf: “His voicemail just says, ‘Yes, I’m available. BEEP.’”
Craig Gass on Zakk Wylde: “Zakk, Sons of Anarchy called. They want you back at the clubhouse.”
Lita Ford to Dee Snider: “I hope menopause hasn’t affected your singing voice.”
Alice Cooper (via video) to Snider: “Congratulations on your regionally successful music career.”
Jim Florentine: “I thought Scott Ian came to my house, but it was a garden gnome.”
Jim Norton: “You can tell Lita is a Ford because no one has wanted to get inside her since the early ’80s.”
Penn Jilette: “Lita Ford is one of the best female guitarists. That’s kind of like being the world’s tallest jockey.”
Stay tuned for more Roast quotes, plus photo galleries from the event! In the meantime, be sure to check out our red carpet photo gallery below.
Photos: Damian Fanelli
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