Rocker-Twisted

Monday, January 17th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

ATLANTA (AP) -- Members of Twisted Sister, protesting the John Rocker's comments disparaging gays and minorities, asked the Atlanta Braves to stop using their song "I Wanna Rock" to introduce the reliever. "We've got Hispanics in this band, Italians in this band, people who are Polish and Russian," said guitarist Jay Jay French ,the heavy metal band's co-founder. "We're all immigrants, all foreigners -- quote unquote -- and this is our way of saying his comments were not acceptable." In an interview in Sports Illustrated, Rocker said he would never play for a New York team because he didn't want to ride a train "next to some queer with AIDS." He also bashed immigrants, saying "I'm not a very big fan of foreigners. ... How the hell did they get in this country?" Rocker later apologized and in a subsequent interview with ESPN said his comments were in retaliation for verbal and physical abuse he said he received from New York Mets fans during the NL Championship Series. New York-based Twisted Sister is best known for its 1984 hit single "We're Not Gonna Take It." The song's video featured lead singer Dee Snyder and other band members wearing garish makeup and wild hairstyles. French, 42, said he still legally represents the band and that all its members were in agreement over the action. He said he told both his record label, Atlantic Records, the band didn't want the song used in conjunction with Rocker and and left a message with the Braves. French would not speculate on what he would do if the Braves continued to use the song, written by Snyder. Braves officials did not return phone calls seeking comment. "These comments were way too damaging to be considered flip comments," French said. "One must take responsibility for the ramifications when you say something like that, and this is just our way of voicing our displeasure -- the one thing we could do. This is just another voice in crowd that lets him know that what he did was not acceptable."