Shout It Out Loud!

When I was growing up, I was a fan of KISS. I think I was in the third grade when my best friend, Steve Monroe, introduced me to them. His older brother had Love Gun on 8-Track and we would listen to it in his room.

I idolized Star Child (Paul Stanley), Space Ace (Ace Frehley), the Cat (Peter Criss) and the Demon (Gene Simmons).

At Easter, I remember making KISS Easter eggs with Steve and bringing them home to my mom and dad who were less then impressed.

When I got into junior high school, I remember KISS taking on a more sinister image due to the church we were attending. I had read a book, either at the church’s urging or my parent's, about Satanism in rock and roll. The book freaked me out and convinced me that KISS really stood for Knights in Satan’s Service.

During high school, my friend Derek Etten brought me back into the KISS fold. He was really into them. This was the period of time when KISS abandoned their make-up and changed a couple of members. I was more into Oingo Boingo and Van Halen at this time, so KISS was really a second tier band for me.

In the late 90s, the original KISS group reunited for a tour and an album. I started following them again and was disappointed I couldn’t make one of their concerts. This is the only band I’ve regretted not getting a chance to see.

Last year, I stumbled across Gene Simmons Family Jewels, a reality show on A&E about the KISS bassist and his family. The program showed the Demon as a boisterous businessman devoted to his family. I started becoming more interested in KISS yet again.

I picked up a copy of Sex Money Kiss, Gene Simmons' “self-help” (loosely used) book covering everything from business to marriage. Simmons is a huge proponent of not getting married, as it is fundamentally a giant screw against men. I roared when I read the chapter. I loaned the book to a female KISS fan in the office. She didn’t think the marriage chapter was as funny as I did.

Anyway, I really enjoyed Simmons’ writing style so I ordered his biography, KISS and Make-up. It took me only a few days to read it and I felt like I was a kid again. It was interesting to get the inside scoop on things that I remembered clearly. Love Gun, Destroyer, the Marvel Comics Super Special comic book and the movie KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park.

He’s neither a drinker nor a partier, but chased skirts with a passion. Some of his stories were so outrageous they could only be true.

I also liked Gene’s honesty regarding the business of rock and roll. He talked about the tremendous marketing plan that is KISS as well as his side businesses.

The whole book was fascinating and I would readily recommend it to any fan of KISS.

After finishing the book, I pulled out my Marvel Comics Super Special KISS comic book and reread it.

What a fan boy!