Dee Snider recently shared his perspective on what makes a ‘great frontman’ in a post on X. When asked if Robert Plant was the ‘greatest frontman of all time,’ Snider replied:
“Nope. Amazing singer. But great frontman? He barely spoke to the crowd. ‘Does anybody remember laughter?’ James Brown is the greatest of all time!”
A user suggested David Lee Roth as another great frontman but criticized his singing abilities, stating, ‘when you have Eddie Van Halen on stage with you, you could be a mute and make it work.’ Snider responded:
“Like I said: singing and fronting are separate things! DLR was a great FM.”
Snider’s Thought Process
Snider’s views on frontmen have stirred debate on social media. In a previous interview with Ultimate Guitar, he clarified his stance:
“When I said they weren’t great frontmen, everybody thought, ‘Here’s Dee shooting his mouth off again.’ But I’ve actually put a lot of thought into it. This wasn’t an arbitrary statement. I researched and studied the subject thoroughly.”
He elaborated on the distinction between singing and fronting:
“A frontman doesn’t need to sing well but must engage and entertain the audience. A frontman who wows the crowd with their incredible voice entertains in a different way, but it’s not the same as a full-scale performance.”
Snider acknowledged Plant’s vocal talent but emphasized that showmanship is his forte:
“Plant is an incredible singer, but showmanship—that’s what I do well.”
