Rock The Cradle

Age is just a number, right? Then why do I feel so old lately? As I look around and see my high school friends married off with babies (or should I say young adults for some of them), I realize that the days when I was just a youngster rockin' out to my favorite 80's bands have sped right by me. Now I'm an adult with responsibilities and marriage on the way and babies soon after. I never thought I would get to this place in my life. It's so strange.

Another factor for my old lady feelings is when I see my favorite rock stars with teenage kids. When I was listening to some of these rock stars, there were no kids in sight (at least that we knew of). All of a sudden, it's 2008 and these guys have full grown kids.

I turned on MTV last weekend and was surprised by a new show called Rock the Cradle. The show features the offspring of musical stars from almost every genre. From Olivia Newton John to MC Hammer to Joe Walsh. The mixture was weird...just as weird as some of the kids' talent. The show definitely proves that just because the parent is a rock star, doesn't mean the kid should be a rock star.

Of course my personal favorite was Jesse Blaze Snider, son of the infamous lead singer of Twisted Sister, Dee Snider. Here's where my old lady feelings kick in: I remember being in 2nd grade writing Twisted Sister all over my school folders, and now Dee Snider's got a full grown son? Damn! I feel old!

Honestly, I felt Jesse gave the best performance of the night. Unfortunately, the judges didn't agree with me. Top honors went to Lucy Walsh, who was significantly better than most, but I didn't feel like she had the showmanship needed to be on that stage. Jesse Blaze Snider on the other hand walked on that stage like he owned it and did a pretty impressive rendition of Led Zeppelin's Rock & Roll. Taking on a Led Zeppelin song is a VERY tall order, but he took that challenge by the balls and came out looking like the rock star he is. When Dee Snider's your dad, what else would you expect?

But Jesse's not depending on riding his father's coat tails just to make it in the biz. He's got quite the accomplished repertoire already. He's coached gymnastics, played semi-pro football, done voice overs for commercials, and even wrote some stuff for Marvel comics (relating to his father's movie Strangeland, of course). He also found time to be a VJ for MTV2, Fuse, and AOL 's Top Eleven Countdown, and a DJ for two New York radio stations. Whew! I'm exhausted just reading all of that! Thank goodness Daddy Dee taught his boy some good work ethic! Not to get away from his talent or his work ethic, but Jesse is pretty easy on the eyes as well.

Unfortunately, I haven't seen the next episode for Rock the Cradle, but from the synopsis I read online, Jesse kicked the judges asses with another exceptional performance. It was the parent's pick and Dee chose Rebel Yell for his son. Hopefully, I can catch the rerun on MTV this weekend.

Make sure to check out Rock the Cradle and cheer on your favorite 80's hair metal icon's son!

Do you think Jesse rocks as hard as his dad? Do you think he's as great as I think he is? Let me know.