The three couch dummies at Fox & Friends opened an October 24 segment with the Twisted Sister’s ubiquitous rebellion anthem “We’re Not Gonna Take It” playing as video of GOP congressmen/Donald Trump lackeys stormed impeachment proceedings.
When cohost Ed Henry remarked off camera that the show doesn’t use music from the ’80s hair metal band that often, Fox & Friends cohost Ainsley Earhardt said: “In this instance, it’s the perfect song … you have all of these Republicans. They stormed the impeachment inquiry.”
Fox & Friends celebrates House Republicans storming the SCIF with Twisted Sister's 'We're Not Gonna Take It': "It's the perfect song for what happened yesterday." pic.twitter.com/PoT2ZWzHvm
— Bobby Lewis (@revrrlewis) October 24, 2019
Not everyone agrees that the 1984 rock hit is the “perfect song” for a Brooks Brothers riot remix entailing 47 Republican congressmen, including noted dim bulb Rep. Matt Gaetz (R-FL), busting in on a deposition taking place well within the established House rules. First and foremost, Twisted Sister themselves take issue with Fox News‘ use of their song.
“While our song ‘Were Not Gonna Take It’ is the most famous anthem worldwide for many disparate groups, we do not support the Republican agenda,” the band said in a statement issued to SPIN via manager and founding Twisted Sister guitarist Jay Jay French. “Uses of this kind are nearly impossible to stop, but sadly, some fans may feel that we either approved of it’s use or were paid to have it used.”
The statement continued: “We have absolutely not received a request for use of our song, not received any compensation and, more importantly, we do not approve or endorse the antics pulled off by these rogue congressmen who violated House rules with a cheap political stunt at this stage of the inquiry.”
That’s kind of the problem when you write a song that so perfectly encapsulates the righteousness of rebellion that it can be co-opted and applied to any minor grievance or bad-faith propaganda. Case in point, in 2012, Twisted Sister frontman Dee Snider said he “emphatically denounces” former VP candidate Paul Ryan’s use of the song during the lawmaker’s campaign with GOP nominee Mitt Romney.
“There is almost nothing on which I agree with Paul Ryan, except perhaps the use of the P90X,” Snider said.
Good to know.
