Dee Snider Picks David Lee Roth As A Better Vocalist Than Robert Plant

Dee Snider shared his perspective on what makes a ‘great frontman’ in his recent post on X. Responding to a tweet asking if Robert Plant was the ‘greatest frontman of all time,’ Snider expressed his view clearly:

“Nope. Amazing singer. But great frontman? He barely spoke to the crowd. ‘Does anybody remember laughter?’ James Brown is the greatest of all time!”

When a user suggested David Lee Roth as another exemplary frontman, albeit a ‘horrible singer,’ they mentioned that ‘when you have Eddie Van Halen on stage with you, you could be a mute and make it work.’ Snider replied:

“Like I said: singing and fronting are separate things! DLR was a great FM.”

Snider’s Long-Considered Views on Frontmen

Snider’s opinion on frontmanship has sparked discussions before. Last year, his comments caused a stir on social media, leading him to clarify his stance in an interview with Ultimate Guitar:

“When I said they weren’t great frontmen, everybody said, ‘Here’s Dee shooting his mouth off again.’ But I’m not just shooting my mouth off. I’ve actually taken a lot of time to think about it. I didn’t just make an arbitrary statement. I’ve thought about it. I got on my computer, and I studied and researched it.”

Snider elaborated on the distinction between singing and fronting:

“Now, a frontman doesn’t have to sing well but needs to be a guy who can engage the audience and entertain the people who stand there. A frontman that can wow the crowd with their incredible voice, yeah, that’s entertaining on a different level, but it’s not the same as a full-scale performance.”

Snider acknowledged Plant as ‘an incredible singer’ but emphasized that ‘showmanship, that’s what I do well.’ His perspective underscores the idea that great frontmen captivate and engage the audience. It’s more than having the vocal abilities, it’s about bringing a unique presence and energy to the stage.