Dee Snider: The thing about AC/DC, and the reason why I’ve chosen them as the focal point for this movement – to bring real rock back to the Super Bowl halftime show – is because they’re kind of down the middle, they’ve had a lot of hit records. “Back in Black” is the second-best-selling album in the history of recorded music (25+ million units sold in the U.S. alone) after Michael Jackson’s “Thriller.”

This is a band with broad appeal that is already part of the soundtrack to every football game. That’s what struck me when I see Shakira and J-Lo shaking their asses during the latest Super Bowl halftime show – and I have nothing against that – but where is the music that we hear week to week during the games? When it’s fourth down with one yard to go, they don’t play “Hips Don’t Lie” (2005 hit by Shakira and Wyclef Jean), they play “Enter Sandman” by Metallica for God’s sake. When they won the Super Bowl, not one person sang “Jenny on the Block” (2002 hit by Jennifer Lopez), they sang “We Are The Champions” by Queen. The go-to music is always hard rock, classic rock, great rock - and it’s been 10 years since one of those bands graced the stage at the Super Bowl.

The Maine Edge: It’s kind of amazing how huge the event itself has become. There was a time when the Super Bowl booked acts like “Up With People” and university marching bands for the halftime show. But you’re right - the last real rock band to play the Super Bowl was The Who and that was 10 years ago.

Snider: I’m not against anybody’s music. I think everybody at some point should have that great platform. Country music has been way too ignored in the halftime show. I did a tweet and it just exploded. It has become a movement.

The Maine Edge: The timing for this couldn’t be better. Lead singer Brian Johnson is back with AC/DC and I hear they’re recording a new record now. Do you know anything about that?

Snider: I know Brian, but I don’t know the rest of the guys. I should say that I have way too much inside information on the AC/DC reunion – and let’s just call it that – it’s a reunion in the truest sense. It’s the classic lineup in every way that you can imagine, and then some. Without saying too much, let me just say that the late Malcolm Young will be present on this great new record that they are recording in the studio as we speak.

The Maine Edge: What would it mean for the band, and for rock and roll in general, to have AC/DC play the Super Bowl?

Snider: I think this would be the crown jewel of an amazing career for AC/DC. There are so many levels to this. It’s a chance for people of all ages and all ethnicities to see one of the great live mega-huge rock bands. Playing football stadiums is what they do around the world.

They are a massive attraction and I think this could be the spark for many young kids to see them rocking out and get inspired to pick up a guitar and say, “I want to rock.” We need that spark again, and we need that message. There is too much talk about rock being dead. That’s complete BS. I go out to the clubs, I go to small halls and I see tons of very talented people doing it; the light just isn’t being shined on them anymore. Getting AC/DC on the halftime show at the Super Bowl would shine the light on rock in a huge way.

The Maine Edge: What will it take to the get the attention of the NFL? How many signatures do you want to see on that Change.org petition?

Snider: I don’t want to scare people here. We’re very excited to have hit 25,000 signatures in two weeks. I just started doing media yesterday and the numbers doubled. We’re going to need 250,000 signatures. The NFL can’t be bothered acknowledging a petition with 25,000 signatures. That’s an arena. They want to know who’s going to fill that football stadium. I’ll tell you who’s going to fill it: the people who are buying those $2,500 Super Bowl tickets and the people buying the electric Hummer that they advertised on the halftime show. It’s going to be the Gen-Xers and the boomers. They always like to cater to the kids and the millennials. Let’s remember who’s paying your salary, Roger Goodell, let’s remember who’s paying for that halftime show, Jay-Z and Roc Nation – it’s the boomers and the Gen-Xers. It’s been 10 years. It is time for a band like AC/DC to rock the Super Bowl, so give us our due.

(If you would like to assist Snider with the cause, you’ll find the petition at https://www.change.org/p/ac-dc-ac-dc-to-play-super-bowl. You can also find a link to the petition @deesnider on Twitter.)