Dee Snider ‘Incensed’ That Taylor Swift Is New York’s New Global Welcome Ambassador
As part of Taylor Swift's next wave of world domination, the pop princess was named New York’s new Global Welcome Ambassador on Monday, the same day she released her latest album, '1989.' And many New Yorkers, not so surprisingly, aren't too happy about Swift -- who was born in Pennsylvania and made her name in Nashville, but now lives in NYC -- representing their city.
Count Dee Snider among the natives who have a problem with Swift being their spokeswoman. “I’m incensed," the Twisted Sister frontman told the Daily News. “It’s insulting. She doesn’t have any life experience here or connection to the town."
In addition to being seen around town all the time with her cat, Swift's new album leads off with a song called 'Welcome to New York.' It's almost like she was lobbying for the position. Almost immediately after she was named New York's Global Welcome Ambassador by the tourism agency, residents, both famous and not-so-famous, were up in arms.
“There’s so many others -- Jerry Seinfeld, for instance, if you want a big name,” Snider said. “But Taylor Swift is the pop culture queen, so she moves into town, and she’s the ambassador.”
Locals were also quick to point out that Swift's New York -- she lives in trendy Tribeca -- is way different than most New Yorkers': She rents a $20 million penthouse whose lease is co-signed by her parents, and she gets around town via an always-waiting SUV.
The Daily News asked why homegrown artists like Jay Z or Nicki Minaj weren't picked instead. The answer is obvious, the paper notes: "Jay Z once dealt drugs. And Nicki Minaj sings about her butt."
Snider agreed with that assessment: “It’s all about who’s gonna get the most [positive] news coverage for New York, not who’s the most worthy."