Twisted Sister's Dee Snider visits Hauppauge to shoot ad for moving company

Twisted Sister lead singer Dee Snider made a triumphant return to Long Island Thursday, but it wasn’t to take the stage. Snider, who grew up in Baldwin, came to Hauppauge to shoot a TV commercial for Relocators, a Long Island moving and storage company, that is set to air January in the tristate area.

Snider was doing a favor for Relocators owner-president Rob Esposito, who moved the rocker's family from Los Angeles to North Carolina in July.

“I love working with people from Long Island and I knew Relocators were reputable. People I trusted used them to move their families out of state,” says Snider, 69. “I reached out to Rob and he said, ‘Not a problem.’ I couldn’t be happier.”

After the move was successful, Esposito asked Snider to write a segment for his upcoming book, “Nobody Move (Without Reading This),” which is set to come out Jan. 15.

“The book is focused on the logistical and emotional factors that deal with moving. It’s something most people are not prepared for,” says Esposito, 39, of Dix Hills. “We asked Dee for a feature and the one he gave us was beyond what we expected. He has the prologue chapter and we became buddies.”

Snider’s segment, called “The Fickle Finger of Fate,” is a horror story about a move his family made from Long Island to Florida earlier in his life.

“I didn’t want to repeat those mistakes,” says Snider. “Anybody who is moving needs to read Rob’s book. It will give you guidance on the right things to do when you are making a big move.”

The commercial, which was filmed at the company's headquarters in Hauppauge and was directed by Emmy Award winner Mike Amoia, starts with Snider doing a voice-over explaining the stress of moving while B-roll footage of the company is shown.

“There’s a big reveal of Dee coming out of our moving truck. He says, ‘Trust these guys. They rock! My buddy Rob wrote a book on it,’ ” says Esposito.

At this point, Snider rapidly spins around like he did in the 1984 Twisted Sister video for “We’re Not Gonna Take It,” transitioning into Esposito, who is holding up his book. The commercial ends with Snider and Esposito’s kids — Presley, 10; Kage, 8; and Elle Jae, 9 — saying, ‘Call Relocators!’ ”

“Any chance to come back to Long Island, I welcome it,” says Snider. “This is where I’m from, where I grew up and it will always be my home.”

By David J. Criblez

david.criblez@newsday.comDavidJCriblez

David J. Criblez is a reporter for Newsday's exploreLI, covering entertainment-related events from local music to stand-up comedy to festivals.