The Paul Stanley KISS Bust by Illusive Originals Numbered 178 of 15,000. This was during the era when KISS took over Spencer’s, and visiting a Spencer’s store in 1996 was like entering Willy Wonka’s factory. It’s crazy that was over 20 years ago. The simple joy of shopping malls, music stores, KISS Merchandise, and leaving the house without a phone.
My post from yesterday got the imagination rolling, and the desire to pen to paper. In the same vein of THE SEASONS OF KISS post, I might soon start sprinkling in…
THE ITSALLFORYOUDEMON BAR GUIDE (Nightcaps for the Kings of the Night Time World)
Avoiding obvious choices like, “Cold Gin”, and being more of a beer boy myself, this should be interesting, challenging, and fun. Most of all fun…
Since it’s Friday, why not create a KISS related nightcap? I present to you, “Thrills In The Night” 1 oz. Triple Sec Blood Orange Soda Dash of Grenadine Dash of Peach Syrup Now there’s your million dollar idea…THE KISS KOCKTAILS RECIPE BOOK. Have a good weekend everyone…
I have always been a Marketer’s dream. If you package something right, or place it in the right setting, I want it. From E.T. and Reese’s Pieces, to Barbasol Shaving Cream Cans with the Jurassic Park logo on it. I’m sold. The same goes for rock stars. When I heard rumor that Eddie Van Halen boiled his guitar strings? There I was, a day later, ruining sets upon sets of Ernie Balls. The Motley Crue logo came from a bottle of Löwenbräu Beer? Better pick up a six pack. Backstage photos, like this one, Lynn Goldsmith captured in 1977, have the same effect. I’m a sucker, but it’s all in fun. Now…if they only still made Michelob with the Gold label and curvy dark bottles….
Uploaded a new video to my YouTube Channel…Conjuring the good vibes of Spring by celebrating all that is fun with one of the greatest ‘Spring’ releases of the non-makeup years, ASYLUM. Happy a good week everyone. Spring will be here before we know it…
For another round of NEVER BEING ABLE TO LOOK AT AN ALBUM THE SAME WAY AGAIN… A few weeks ago, my friend Gery commented that upon seeing the LOVE GUN album for the first time at K-Mart in 1977, the album motif struck him as having a strong Southwestern influence. Peter’s bandolier, Ace’s semi-bandoliered-space suit, the lounging exotic women, the steps, the pillars, the color scheme…it all adds up. Now, I cannot stop NOT-seeing it that way. The LOVE GUN album is my favorite album cover of all time. Adding one more way to view it, only makes it that much better. Combining it’s beauty with some Southwestern cuisine and a cold Trooper, only adds to the fun…
My freshman year of high school, there was a video store in town that sold SUPER SAVER CD’s for $9.99. They came in super cheap packaging, clear plastic long boxes, with the compact disc at the bottom, and the CD artwork / booklet on top. My friends and I thought we hit the jackpot, when we noticed that someone at the store had mis-marked the KISS ALIVE’s for $9.99, when most double CD’s were $19.99. Both sets of ALIVE! were purchased before the store became any wiser. I remember falling in love with ALIVE! almost immediately, particularity “She” and “Watching You”. Around the same time I had a $99 JcPenny Harmony electric guitar, that I couldn’t play a lick of, but spent many nights wearing it around my neck, make believing I was in a rock and roll band to the strains of KISS ALIVE! Pretty cool to imagine, what I was doing in 1990, had been done by kids 15 years prior upon it’s release. Dreaming big dreams to the sounds of the greatest ‘live’ rock record ever.
As the rumors are flying the end of KISS may be around the corner, with the band trademarking the the phrase, “End of the road”, I thought it was time to put pen to paper on my thoughts and feelings, imagining a world without our heroes. WHAT DO I THINK WILL HAPPEN? I imagine Ace will become a part of the band again, and possibly Peter, resulting in a FULL MAKEUP “End of the road” World Tour featuring the four original members. MY THOUGHTS? Don’t do it. It’s been done. We’ve seen it. We saw it happen in 1996, and it was magic. Then, we saw it fall apart. We saw it get ugly. And from that final standpoint, (hate to say this), but if the band would reunite like this, it appears simply for one last bankroll. WHAT DO I WISH WOULD HAPPEN? Ditch the makeup. It’s time. The music of KISS is what we love. Go out, showcasing to the world the MUSIC of KISS. Lastly, bring EVERYONE back. Gene, Paul, Eric, Tommy, Bruce, Ace, Peter, Vinnie. Do a huge non-makeup show celebrating EVERY incarnation, every amazing song, every unexpected B-Side, and blow up every bomb you have left in your arsenal. Give the world KISS. In all it’s magnificent glory. It should be interesting to see how all this plays out. Good times ahead….
Over the weekend, my friend Mike mentioned that he loved the DRESSED TO KILL album cover for the cover’s “Gangster” tie-in. I have NEVER in all my life looked at this album cover through that lens. I have always seen the album from the Clark Kent / Superman photo shoot the band did for Cream Magazine. But, his view makes sense, especially tied in with the album title. And now, I will never look at it the same again…and that is awesome. Trading insights with fans and learning something new everyday. It’s fun to be a KISS Fan. (Although per yesterday’s trademark, the end is nigh?)
Uploaded a new episode of DEVEREAUX’S LABORATORY. Changing things a bit from the first episode, dropping the Podcast and going for a straight up Vlog. In this episode, Dan, Todd, Mike and myself wax the first three records and try to decide what constitutes CLASSIC KISS. Enjoy…