What Makes The Rock Band KISS So Special?Formed in January of 1973 the rock band KISS consisted of four players. Paul Stanley had the Starchild make up and played rhythm guitar. Gene Simmons was the Demon and played bass. Ace Frehley, the Spaceman played lead guitar, and Peter Criss, who was under the cat make up, played the drums and percussion. If you are wondering who sang, well they all did at one time or another, some even having a few solo vocals now and again. What made the rock band KISS famous was many different things. One was their make up and outlandish costuming. The make up each member wore was not only a reflection on how they felt and their outlook on life, but also because they were taking on the personae of comic book characters, and even had a few real comic books. One of the many things that made them great was their live stage performances, which featured a number of outlandish things, including fire breathing and blood spitting. What person who was and is still a fan of the rock band KISS doesn't remember Gene Simmons sticking out what appeared to be the longest tongue in the world at every performance. They had great songs as well. Simple, ass-kickin rock 'n' roll. My favorite early KISS songs are "Deuce", "Strutter" and "Black Diamond". Then later "Love Gun", "Lick it Up" and "I Was Made For Lovin You". What also made them great is that they pretty much stuck their middle finger up at what was considered 'normal' at that time. They were definitely different than many rock bands of that era, and rightly so. Many church groups made up rumors that the name KISS actually meant things like Knights In Satan's Service, and all kinds of weird garbage in hopes that it would deter younger people from being devoted fans. Did it work? Hell no, and in fact, it only made their following all that greater. I left out a mini story from my Rockin Rodwell Story that involves the rock band KISS; that I will reveal for the first time ever. KISS were playing in DesMoines and I came up with a plan to get a note to Gene Simmons telling him how great a voice or scream I had and asked if he could help me; I was naive and a little crazy at the time but thats what makes this so entertaining. My plan was to use my sister; nobody I knew could resist her so I figured that she could easily get him my note. So she got on my shoulders to get within arms reach of Gene and sure enough he got my note. He got my note but I never got my call (no pun intended); but I did get another part of my story. Remember my saying in The Rockin Rodwell Story "Are You Crazy? No But I Was In The 70s". Well, this fits here. Perhaps one of the best movies that describes the mentality of the generation at that time, and how devoted fans were to KISS is a movie called Detroit Rock City. While labeled as a comedy, it could also be described as a mocumentary, because that is the way some people acted at that time, including the mother of the drumming character in the movie. It really wasn't until 1983 that people actually saw what the band actually looked like under all of the make up, when they started touring el natural. Unfortunately, by that time both Ace Frehley and Peter Criss had left the group, but Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons still perform as KISS, with new members Eric Singer, and Tommy Thayer. There was a reunion of all four original members in 1996, performing in full make up and the same outrageous stage performances that made them great. KISS was named by VH1 tenth out of the 100 greatest artists of hard rock ever, and on September 23 of 2009, they were nominated for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, finally, ten years since they were first eligible. While Gene Simmons still appears on his own cable television show, depicting the daily lives of him and his family, not much is known about the others' private lives. While the rock band KISS performs still, only Gene and Paul remain constant. I hope all KISS fans and Rock & Roll fans in general enjoy my personal history of rock 'n' roll. It's been in the making for 35 years! ROCK ON!
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