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| News Archive / March 16-31, 1999 | ||
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KISS NEWS IN LATE MARCH 1999 | APRIL 1, 1999 |  |
| Disclaimer: Not necessarily all of the news as it appears on these pages is confirmed by or coming from official sources. As much as possible we try to avoid unsubstantial rumors, but KISS Kollector can not be held responsible for the validity of any of the information, nor do we accept responsibility for views expressed here by other people. | ||
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MARCH 31, 1999 |  |
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Tour of Russia cancelled because of Kosovo war | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
| The three shows that were to take place in Russia in the first week of April have been cancelled because of the war in Kosovo, Yugoslavia, where NATO has decided to take action. Anti-American sympathies in the regions of countries such as Yugoslavia and Russia have made the band decide to cancel the Russian shows. The road crew was informed about this late last week. Band and crew returned to the USA last monday. The American embassies in several countries have been the target of demonstrations and some have even been shot at by protestors. | ||
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Robbie Williams video features KISS reference again | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
| The video for Robbie Williams' latest single Strong has a KISS reference again. In the video for Let Me Entertain You Robbie and the other musicians in the video resembled the KISS band members. This time he sings about KISS, or at least he mentions the band in one line: "And early morning when I wake up, I look like KISS, but without the make-up." | ||
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KISS interviews in several European magazines | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
In the last couple of weeks, quite a few European magazines featured KISS interviews or
articles. Some of these even did cover stories, such as German guitar and bass mag Guitar
in their February issue (pictured here), for which Paul and Ace were interviewed. What follows
are some of the more remarkable quotes. Paul: "The 3-D tour surpasses the previous tour
by far. We don't want the kind of 'Las Vegas Show' or anything that many other bands do, where
it's all about money and not about a rock concert anymore". Ace: "I think we all
are grown up people now, better songwriters, better musicians with more control over our
instruments. I think that if we would do solo albums again, they would turn out a little
better. (...) I have played many guitar solos. I try to set my mind free and don't think
about it — as long as I know what key I'm playing in. It has to be as spontaneous as
possible. The best solos are the ones where I don't think about what I'm playing. When someone
says after the first take that I should play it one more time, I often don't know anymore what
I just played. (...) A lot of kids come to me with their 'Ace is God' t-shirts and quivering
hands. And I always say: 'Relax, I'm still the kid from the Bronx. I just got lucky'."
In Belgium, Humo had a three page article consisting of an interview with Peter and one with Gene (for the highlights see the update below) and P magazine, a lifestyle magazine including a TV guide, had a two page interview with Gene (and a 1982 photo of the Gene, Paul, Ace & Eric line-up). Here are some highlights from that interview. Gene: "(...) Anyway, I saw Peter again for the first time at a KISS convention in Los Angeles. He came by with his daughter and played a song with us. That went well, it seemed as if he had never left. When we had to do a session for MTV Unplugged in New York, I invited Ace and that too went well. After that we agreed there wouldn't be any fooling around with drugs and booze. Now we have the rule: 'If you get high, you get fired'." You talk about him as an employee who's getting fired and enlisted. Does it really work like that? Gene: "Life is business. Even a party is business: someone has to buy coca cola and crisps. Everything in life costs money. Even when you go out with a girl for dinner: one of the two has to pay the check. A rock group is business too. (...)" |
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No confirmation about a return to Europe yet | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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Quite a few fans have already asked us about a possible return of KISS to Europe. Rumor is
going around that the band might head back for Europe in November, with tickets going on sale
in September. At this point we have no confirmation whatsoever, so for now it's just what it
is: a rumor. Earlier the band's management mentioned a possible return in the year 2000.
Recently KISS Kollector Online asked Mojo Concerts, the promoter in Holland, if they were
already planning a new KISS concert at the end of this year. They told us they don't know
anything about another concert for this year.
Also, there's (obviously) word about a very special gig on New Year's Eve, to step into the new Millennium. No confirmed news about that show either, but it seems the band is considering to either have the Millennium concert take place in the States, Japan or even Europe. Once we get confirmation on anything, you'll read it on these pages. For now, all we can say is that a quick return to Europe wouldn't be that unrealistic, since the European tour has turned out much more successful (with quite a few extra shows added) than the US leg of the Psycho Circus World Tour, which mainly took place in November/December of last year. |
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Interviews with Peter and Gene in Humo magazine | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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This week's issue of Belgium's Humo magazine features a three page KISS article,
including a 1997 live shot of Gene and a photo of the band posing at a 1998 press conference.
The article basically consists of interviews with Peter and Gene. The heading of the article
translates into: "Gene Simmons: 'I slept with more than four thousand women. That's the
only reason I'm in KISS'." Below is most of Gene's interview. The highlights of Peter's
interview will be online later this week.
Gene: "KISS isn't more relevant or more profound than fireworks. We never sing about whales or rain forests, and we don't want to become goodwill ambassadors for Bosnia-Herzegovina. As far as I'm concerned, I'm only in KISS to get laid. I fucked more than four thousand women." Do you have scouts who check out the venues over here first and adjust the show to these venues? "Coming to Europe is like going back in time. You guys are behind in comparison to America. The electricity is worse over here, the venues aren't as big, the PA systems are too small, even the sandwiches and cokes are smaller than ours. We put less ice in our drinks. "See, less again. Why don't you guys fill your coffee cups up 'till the rim?" Because we want to hold it without burning our hands. "Let me ask you a question: do you want more or less money in your wallet?" Ehhm, more. "Me too. We are alike. Do you want a big or a small house?" ... "Ha, you have to think about that one. That's good, for someone has to pick up my garbage." I would be scared in a big house. "Yes, well, that's not the point. You want to be able to choose for yourself between a big house and small one." I guess so. "Everybody wants more. Do you want a better or a worse life?" Better. "Ha! I tell you, we are alike pal. Don't get me wrong, I'm not a chauvinist American. I'm not even American, I was born in Israel and I lived there until I was nine years old. But in America everything is better, it's a simple as that. When KISS comes to Europe, we have to keep it smaller. Your arenas are bad because every few years they're being bombed. The European countries are always in a state of war with each other. It's very clear that you don't build big arenas, sooner or later they're being bombed anyway. Get to the core of the problem, stop making war." You guys always make war elsewhere. "Because we are one fucking country. Where do we have to make war? It's about time you guys really introduce that European Community. Make sure that the euro becomes common use, start speaking one language. Doesn't matter which one, even if it were Japanese, but pick one fucking language! For America it would be better if the rest of the world stays stupid, but I want the best for you [grins]. And there's enough space for everybody. Everybody has to be their own leader, and enjoy it at the fullest." Could I ask a question again now? "Be my guest." When did you become your own leader? When did you realize, or force yourself, to believe yourself, that your truth is the only truth? "Good question. I'm an only child, no brothers, no sisters. And that helps, because there's none around with a different truth. You don't have to make compromises. You learn to plead for yourself, because you have to. When I got beaten up at school, I didn't have a brother to call upon." Couldn't you call upon your father or mother? "No! ...[thinks]... Okay, I recall perfectly when I became my own leader. My parents divorced when I was six. Then I started living with my mom. My mom worked at night, and I remember that one night — I was still six — I woke up and established that I was very much home alone. I was scared to death and started crying. My mom didn't come home all night and I cried until the morning. When the sun came up, I stopped crying and thought: weird, nothing happened. Why did I cry? It's no use, for everyone is alone. Everybody has to plead for himself. I'm the only one I can always count on, I can trust myself. I'm the only one." When you're six you can't have your own standards and values yet, can you? Or at least you're not aware of it yet. "That's true. That night I learned something. I didn't know yet what it was but I begun practising my attitude to life. I became the practising Gene Simmons [grins]. I begun to understand what I had learned that night, and I liked it. It turned out I was right. Ever since that night I didn't cry anymore. Not out of fear, not out of sadness, and definitely not because of someone else." When was the last time you fell in love? "Doctors say falling in love is like a very small hart attack. Hence the tingling feeling. In my case falling in love is a slightly heavier hart attack: I realize my freedom is at stake. And then I'll fight like a madman to keep myself under control." You slept with more than four thousand women. Did you always use the same opening line? "Are you nuts? If I find a woman attractive, I tell her right away. I do have a favorite opening line: 'I'd like to figure out a way for us to make passionate love. Forget about dinner, forget about the movies, I want you and I want you now.' There's always the risk of the short answer: 'Get lost, buddy.' But usually the answer is: 'Oh, thank you.' I'm just lucky. If you're in one of the most popular rock groups in the world, you can be as ugly as I am, and still fuck four thousand women. Believe me, fucking a rock star is much more interesting than fucking your dentist." Considering your philosophy, how do you explain you have been living together now for fifteen years with ex-Playmate Shannon Tweed? "Living together with someone you like is nice, especially if the other likes you too. But you can't confuse it with 'living life together', for that's absurd. You're alone, it's that simple. And being in love is a drug. It gives you a great feeling, but you can't think straight anymore. Otherwise, how would you explain someone saying: 'I can't live without you'? What the fuck? What do you mean? You've got two arms, two legs, everything is okay. Anybody can live alone. Every time I left a woman and she told me: 'Stay, I can't live without you', I said: 'Oh, yes you can'. Six months later that woman meets someone else and it turns out I was right." Did you ever meet someone who was living a completely different life than yours, and you thought: I could live like that? "... No... I'm not always completely happy with the kind of human I am, but the only thing I'm extremely happy with, and I could never do without anymore, is the fact that I can choose. I can choose between so many things. I'm doing what I wanna do. I live the life that makes me happy the most." Can you understand what Kurt Cobain did? "No. A white, blonde kid with blue eyes who's making lots of money and playing in a popular rock group doesn't have the right to feel bad. There's nothing to justify that. Molested as a child? Tied up against a tree? Raped by a bear? I don't give a shit. You're an idol, act like one. For our previous tour we asked Stone Temple Pilots to open up for us. It seemed like a nice gesture: the old pricks of KISS taking the hype of the day by the hand. Guess what: Stone Temple Pilots had to cancel because their singer Scott Weiland was on heroin. He couldn't handle the success anymore. What the fuck? What does he know about success? Nothing, zero." |
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MARCH 27, 1999 | |
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New issue of KISS Kollector Magazine being printed now | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
The new issue of KISS Kollector Magazine (No. 28) is being printed right now. Pictured
here is a test print of the cover. The issue includes a report on the European tour, part two of
our exclusive interview with Gene, reviews of the mini live album and The Second Coming
home video (which has only been released in the USA), a piece on David Lee Roth's
autobiography in which he shares some KISS secrets (Gene gets mentioned quite often!), an
article on the latest KISS bootlegs, a hand-written questionnaire by Paul, both full color and
black & white photos from the Psycho Circus World Tour, and much, much more. Members of
KISS Kollector Fanclub should expect the new issue by the end of the month, or (if the postal
service is a bit slow) early April.
If you're not a member of the fanclub, but would like to receive the newest issue of our magazine nonetheless, you can order a copy by sending 15 Dutch guilders (or the equivalent in any other currency) in cash to: KISS Kollector Fanclub, P.O. Box 1159, 1200 BD Hilversum, Holland. The magazine will be sent out to you using 'standard mail'. For orders outside Europe, please add $2 if you prefer 'priority mail'. If you prefer payment by check or International Money Order, please add $7 to cover for the additional bank charges. If you're thinking of joining the fanclub, make sure you check out the Membership section of this web site, where you will find all the info and details. For more info on the magazine, please head over to the Magazine section. |
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On-the-road updates from the European tour (2) | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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The European leg of the Psycho Circus World Tour is coming to end, so it's about time we present
you with another update from the road. From the reviews we already have online and the ones
still to come, you can see that it's funny how opinions from different fans on the same show
can differ. One fan might think a particular show was the best one on the tour, while another
fan might say that same show sucked or was mediocre at best. A good example is the show in
Brussels, which we here at KISS Kollector Online thought was a pretty amazing show (and from
talking to other fans after the show we found out a lot of other fans agree), but we also
received e-mails from fans who didn't think the Brussels show was that special. Different
opinions like this apply to probably each and every show. So, don't forget to check out all
the different reviews in the Psycho Tour section
of this site, to find out how your fellow KISS fans rated some of the European shows.
Looking back at the shows that KISS Kollector attended, it strikes me that once again there was quite a lot of bootleg merchandise available outside the different venues (especially t-shirts, sold by a group of British bootleggers, as usual). Pretty much the same goes for tickets on the black market, in some cities these illegal ticket sellers even had the nerve to try and sell their tickets right in front of the box offices where the official tickets were sold. Call me stupid, but I don't understand how all these counterfeiters can do there business without the promoter calling the local police. As for as all the illegal merchandise goes, you would expect Gene to have a strong-arm squad, making sure 'The Demon' gets all the money he deserves from KISS merchandise. On the previous European tour, the promoter in Germany had hired a seemingly dubious team that looked like they were the neighborhood's bodybuilders or recruits from the local boxing school or something like that, to roam the streets around the venues for merchandisers selling illegal stuff. This time, with a different promoter being responsible for the German shows, there was no such a gang of ruffians. However, official authorities took care of at least some of the illegal merchandising: in Bremen local police arrested bootleggers (check out yesterday's report from a German newspaper). In Brussels, we saw KISS' own merchandiser, Spiro Papadatos, checking out the merchandise stands in the streets surrounding the venue. A striking fact on this tour is that, ever since they have kids themselves, Gene and especially Paul have a weak spot for little children at the shows. The best example probably is the story we ran early January about a 7-year old kid, at the December 16 show in Omaha, who — with his dad — was invited by Paul to watch the show from the side of the stage, sitting next to Ace's daughter. The 7-year old fan got to meet the entire band backstage after the show and took Paul's smashed (and signed!) guitar home. At the show in Utrecht, Holland, Paul stepped down from his Love Gun platform to hand an even younger fan a guitar pick, and at the recent show in Brussels, Belgium, Paul threw lots of guitar picks to a kid in the front row and also made sure the little fan got his smashed guitar. On a less serious note, you could say this is brilliant marketing. These little fans no doubt instantly turn into fans for a lifetime. |
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Another remarkable thing on this European tour is the band's, or at least Paul's, interest in
each country's national anthem. It's his new way of introducing the last song of the main set:
Rock And Roll All Nite, which is of course the *worldwide* rock 'n' roll anthem. In
Germany (the picture above shows the band on stage in Cologne at Köln Arena) Paul started
singing the national anthem himself at certain shows. In some other countries he asked the
fans to sing their national anthem. In France this turned out very well, the whole audience
sang along with the Marseillaise. The next night in Belgium however, it was a bit
embarrassing, as none of the Belgian fans started singing their national anthem. Luckily a
few fans from Holland, who were standing in the front rows, began singing the Dutch national
anthem, so the band did get to hear a national anthem that night after all.
Concerning TV coverage over here during the tour, things weren't really exciting, because the band still isn't interested in doing too much press. Last Saturday, Dutch music station TMF aired a 3-minute interview with the band (as usual, only Paul and Gene got to speak) and two minutes of live footage from the concert in Utrecht, Holland. In Belgium, national TV station VRT TV1 aired about three minutes on Monday, which included some live footage from the concert in Holland, plus a very short interview. On Wednesday, Belgium's other nationwide public channel, KetNet, aired a 3-minute report on the concert in Brussels, including a short (but very funny!) interview with Gene. |
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MARCH 26, 1999 | |
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KISS Kollector returns (from show in Belgium) | |
| - From KISS Kollector, RH - | ||
After five days of absence, KISS Kollector is back with a bunch of new concert reviews from
the European tour trail. In the last week we visited the KISS show in Brussels. Pictured here
is the beautiful ticket for the Belgium show. Two reviews of that show have been added to our
Psycho Tour section. The day before Brussels, KISS
played in Paris, France. A review of that concert has also been added. Finally, we flash back
to the opening show of the European tour in Helsinki, Finland, exactly one month ago today.
Coming up soon: reviews of the shows in Munich, Stuttgart and London. So stay tuned!
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Why did German fans boo Paul for singing the anthem? | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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As we reported in one of our recent 'on-the-road' updates, in Germany Paul managed to make part
of the audience angry by singing the beginning of Germany's national anthem at some shows. This
might come across as a strange thing: fans booing one of their idols for something that seems
so innocent. Well, German KISS fan Martin Diz Vidal informed us that it was the censored part
that Paul sung. Of course Paul, or anybody else outside Germany, most probably isn't aware of
the fact that the first two verses have been forbidden by law in 1949 (when the new democratic
constitution was established in Germany). Paul surely didn't intend to stir up the crowd this
way.
Originally, the German national anthem contained three verses, but since the first two aren't tolerated anymore (because it reminds people of the days when Hitler ruled Germany), it now only features the third verse, which is less aggressive. However, for foreigners the first verse still is the part known best, out of the entire anthem. One more fact to finish this history lesson: Germany's national anthem was born during the first democratic revolution back in 1848. |
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Merchandise pirates arrested on European tour | |
| - From Juern Schulze - | ||
| This is from the Thursday, March 25, issue of Bremen newspaper Weser Kurier: "HIT AGAINST MERCHANDISE PIRATES — Local police and customs have confiscated around 1000 merchandise articles of the group KISS. As was reported yesterday, action against merchandise pirates took place on March 12th, the day KISS played at the Bremen Stadthalle. Before and after the concert merchandise had been sold without any license — this merchandise was produced in foreign countries and offered far below official prizes. Legal proceedings have been initiated against 14 people from Europe and Israel." | ||
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Winner of Paul's Washburn guitar in Dutch newspaper | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
| Last week we reported that the winner of De Telegraaf's contest, in which you could win a signed Paul Stanley Washburn guitar, was announced in the Saturday March 13 edition of the newspaper. The following Saturday, March 20, the newspaper reported how the winner, Ed Smouter, received the guitar. Backstage at the show in Utrecht, Holland, he had to wait for many hours before Paul personally presented the signed Washburn guitar to him, just minutes before the band took the stage at a packed Prins van Oranjehal. Click here to see the actual article from De Telegraaf. | ||
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MARCH 20, 1999 | |
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New issue of OOR magazine features photo of concert | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
| In the latest issue of Holland's major music magazine, OOR, a full color photo of the KISS show in Holland is prominently featured on the magazine's two concert pages. There's no review however, the accompanying text is a quote from one of the members of KISS Kollector Fanclub who can be seen on the other photograph. Click here to view the actual piece from the magazine. | ||
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Paul Stanley to play Phantom | |
| - From Wall Of Sound - | ||
Bankrupt theater company Livent is closing down production of The Phantom of the Opera
at Toronto's Pantages Theater, shortly after the show's 10th anniversary in late September. To
celebrate the shuttering of the long-running spectacle, the company has announced that Canadian
and American pop stars will take their shots at playing the title role. One of artists enlisted
is none other than KISS singer Paul Stanley. For 10 weeks, kicking off May 25, Stanley will put
on different make-up to croon Andrew Lloyd Webber's songs. "It's a big challenge," he
told the Associated Press from Germany. "I'm crossing lines into new territory."
Stanley will take a leave of absence from KISS's Psycho Circus world tour to play the Phantom,
and will resume touring in North America in August and in Asia in the fall.
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Eric Carr merchandise through Streetgang Productions | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
Loretta Caravello, sister of late KISS drummer Eric Carr, informed us the other day that Eric's
Rockheads CD is selling very well. But do not worry: the mini album is still available.
Streetgang Productions — the name of the company that Eric set up in the eighties for his
Rockheads animation and other projects — offers four officially licensed Eric Carr
items:
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MARCH 19, 1999 | |
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More from the Orlando Hard Rock Cafe KISS collection | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
Last week, we showed you an exclusive photo of the KISS costumes from last year's Halloween show
at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, California. They have been purchased by the Orlando Hard Rock
Cafe in Florida. Today, you can check out another picture of some of the KISS items they have on
display in Orlando. The highlight of the photo is Gene's signed axe bass, used on stage during
the concert at Dodger Stadium. To the left of the bass guitar you can see a platinum award for
the Rock And Roll Over album, while a live photo of Gene circa 1983 can be seen on the
right. More photos of the Orlando Hard Rock Cafe KISS collection soon.
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KISS madness in France | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP, special thanks to Tristan Glassey - | ||
| French rock magazines Hard 'N' Heavy and Hard Rock are in complete KISS madness! It was previously reported that the March issue of Hard Rock is a special edition, with four different KISS covers and a new title: Hard Rock Circus. Hard 'N' Heavy featured very good coverage of the upcoming KISS show in Paris (double page adverts, giveaways, interviews, the story of KISS). Now in its latest issue, it's KISS again, with Gene and his Punisher bass on the cover. Readers can also win tickets for special seats at Bercy in Paris. According to French fans, the show is selling well. Bercy is the biggest arena in France with a capacity of 16,000-17,000 people. KISS rocked Paris in 1988 in front of 2,800 fans and sold out the Zenith arena in 1996, which holds 6,000 people. You can imagine what a challenge it is to play Bercy now. | ||
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KISS' only show in Southern Europe: a review from Milan | |
| - From KISS Kollector, RH - | ||
Last Monday, KISS played at the Filaforum in Milan, Northern Italy. Today we bring you a
review of this only KISS show in Southern Europe. They day after, the band started travelling
back north, to Vienna on Wednesday and Prague on Thursday. Today they're back in Germany,
for their sixth show in that country this tour. There are only nine shows left after tonight,
including dates in Paris, Brussels, London and Moscow. Click on the picture of the tickets
(Cologne and Utrecht) to read our review of the March 15 Milan show.
Check out our Psycho Tour section for more reviews from the European tour trail and the remaining tour dates. |
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Check out the KISS guitars on the internet | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP, special thanks to Edwin van Ooijen - | ||
| The web site of Ed Roman's World Class Guitars features "the guitars of legendary rock group KISS". Check out several of the band's guitars at: www.edromanguitars.com. | ||
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MARCH 18, 1999 | |
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Gene's upcoming 50th birthday... Can you keep a secret? | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
If you promise to keep it a secret to Gene until August 25, we'll share a something with you:
KISS Kollector Fanclub is planning a surprise for Gene on his 50th birthday. When The Demon
turns 50 on August 25 of this year, in exactly 160 days from now, we'd like to present him
with a very special gift that you can be part of. We want you to send us a photo of yourself
sticking out your tongue in Gene 'The Demon' Simmons style (without make-up though!), along
with a few lines in which you explain how Gene has influenced your life. If you don't feel like
sticking out your tongue, any other typical 'Gene pose' is fine as well.
You can e-mail your contribution to kiss@animalize.com (please attach your picture as a JPEG/JPG file), You may also write it down and send it through regular mail, along with your photo, to: KISS Kollector Fanclub, P.O. Box 1159, 1200 BD Hilversum, Holland. Please state your name, age, profession and the country you live in as well. Any other personal info is welcome, but make sure you don't include anything that you don't want to see published. When the magical day comes, the complete collection will be presented to Gene. Meanwhile, check out this great picture of The Demon, taken at the KISS show in Utrecht, Holland, five days ago. With some delay (for which we apologize), the review of is show is now online as well. Click on the picture to read it. Coming up tomorrow: a review of the March 15 show in Milan, Italy. |
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KISS on TMF's Mainstream Rock Weekend in Holland | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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In the weekend of March 20/21 you can see some footage from the recent KISS concert in Utrecht,
Holland on TMF — Holland's answer to MTV. As we reported earlier, DJ and TMF presenter
Mental Theo attended the concert with a camera crew to shoot some material for TMF's Mainstream
Rock Weekend special. Expect the KISS footage to be aired on Saturday (12.30 PM CET), while on
Sunday you can see the Mainstream Rock Top 50.
The best part about the latter is, that you can have a say in compiling the Top 50 by surfing to the TMF web site. Once you get there, click on 'What's Hot' and then select 'Rock Weekend'. Scroll down to the line 'Mainstream Rock Top 50' and click on this link. Fill out the questionnaire with 'je naam' (your name), 'je e-mail adres' (your e-mail address), your No. 1, 2, 3, 4 and 5 and click on 'versturen naar TMF' (send to TMF). Unfortunately TMF doesn't have too many KISS video clips, so we probably all have to vote for I Was Made For Lovin' You to get KISS in the Top 10, or maybe even at the No. 1 spot. |
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Check out the Washburn Paul Stanley merchandise | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
| Washburn Guitars now offers their new and official line of Paul Stanley signature accessories for sale through their web site. Check it all out at: www.washburn.com. | ||
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MARCH 17, 1999 | |
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KISS Kollector trip to Canada to see Paul in The Phantom | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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KISS Kollector Fanclub is organizing a trip to Canada, to see Paul Stanley wear the mask of
The Phantom Of The Opera at Pantages Theatre in Toronto. As reported last week, Paul
will star in Andrew Lloyd Webber's world-famous musical from May 25 to August 1. This
particular incredibly successful production has been playing in Toronto for the last ten years.
Before taking its final curtain call, you can see Paul star as The Phantom during a break in
KISS' Psycho Circus 3-D World Tour. Paul will put on the trademark white mask eight times a
week during a 10-week run.
You can be part of this unique experience. KISS Kollector Fanclub's one week trip, from June 6 to June 13, includes hotel (6 nights, double room), flight (Canada 3000), airport tax and one ticket for the musical. The price for the trip will be 1395 Dutch guilders (approx. $700) if you book the trip soon (limited seats). If you need more time to consider booking our trip, please be aware that the regular price for the trip is 1695 Dutch guilders (this offer ends at the end of May). If you're interested and would like to receive more details, send e-mail to kiss@animalize.com and you'll be updated as soon as possible. Please don't forget to include your full name, postal address, phone number and e-mail address in the body of the message. |
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Even Kerrang! does four different KISS covers | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
After French rock magazine Hard Rock did a four cover KISS special earlier this month
(like American magazines Spin and go figure! already did before), English rock
magazine Kerrang! is going to publish four different KISS covers as well.
Kerrang!'s March 27 issue hits the newsstands in the UK on March 24 and will have a
separate cover for each band member. It seems the UK is going KISS crazy after all, although
the band will only play one concert over there. Click on the picture to see the four
Kerrang! covers.
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On-the-road updates from the European tour | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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Although every KISS show is basically the same, sometimes strange or funny things happen. In
Sweden the band fooled around a lot and had water fights on stage, while in Germany Paul managed
to get part of the crowd angry and booing by singing the beginning of the German national anthem.
After some shows in Germany, Gene finally got Paul to forget about the national anthem (by
shaking 'no' with his head). On the fourth German date however, Ace all of a sudden started
singing it — again to the disliking of the audience. Still in Germany, on March 12 the
band wasn't allowed to use any pyro or blow up things at the small venue they were playing
in Bremen. Instead, they kept all the fireworks for the final song of the night. This enormous
display of pyrotechnics must have driven the local fire brigade nuts. There was no flying at all
at the Stadthalle in Bremen, just like there are no hydraulic lifts on the entire European
leg of the tour.
In Utrecht, Holland, Gene didn't fly either, because of the low ceiling at the venue. He also got pissed at one of the security guys, who was looking at Gene most of the time, instead of watching the crowd. As was the case at more shows in Europe, Bruce Kulick (who was travelling through Europe as the special guest on the KISS Expos) attended the show in Holland and met the band backstage. He also got interviewed backstage, by the only TV crew that was present at the Utrecht show. Not unlike other KISS tours in the past, the sound checks in the afternoon turn out to be much more interesting than the actual set list during the concerts. At sound check the band has been playing Coming Home, Hotter Than Hell, Two Timer and Got To Choose, to name but a few. |
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KISS and Bruce Kulick to appear on Dutch TV? | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
| Dutch music station TMF (The Music Factory), Holland's answer to MTV, was filming at last Saturday's KISS concert in Holland for their upcoming rock weekend special. DJ and presenter Mental Theo attended the show with a camera crew to shoot some footage of rock's biggest spectacle. The KISS footage will be aired this Saturday, March 20, in Mental Theo's show The Bass-ment. With a bit of luck, you will also see Bruce Kulick, who attended the show in Utrecht and was present backstage. The program starts at 12.30 PM CET. | ||
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Great reviews in Holland's biggest newspapers | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
As mentioned here on monday, all the big newspapers in Holland paid attention to KISS that
day. They either reviewed the concert in Utrecht from last Saturday or published a photo. Some
did both. Most of the papers had positive reviews. While de Volkskrant only had a great
photo of Paul and Gene and no review, Trouw didn't have a photo but a very positive
review instead. This must be the most positive review KISS ever got in Holland, a country known
for it's negative KISS reviews. Holland's biggest newspaper De Telegraaf had a positive
review as well, but a pretty lame photo of Gene and Paul (pictured here with part of the
article). Interestingly, their reviewer turns out to be the only one of the 15,000 people in
attendance to have heard the band play Sure Know Something!?!.
Algemeen Dagblad had an awesome, huge photo of Paul, alongside a somewhat negative review, in which the reviewer (despite being a fan) mixed up Gene's blood spitting ("during Firehouse") with his fire breathing ("during God Of Thunder") and vice versa. Ace was strongly criticized in this review. However, in NRC Handelsblad Ace was rated the best part of the show. This positive review unfortunately didn't include a photo. The last review, also without a photo, appeared in Het Parool. This article called Ace Frehley "the only KISS musician with technical ability" (!). This makes you wonder about some of these reviewers... Check out these newspaper clippings: Algemeen Dagblad: article (including great picture!), plus a transcription (in Dutch) Trouw: full-size picture of the review (in Dutch) de Volkskrant: photo of Gene and Paul on stage in Utrecht |
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Winner of signed Paul Stanley guitar announced | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
| In the Saturday March 13 (the day of the KISS show in Holland) edition of Dutch newspaper De Telegraaf, the winner of last week's contest (win a signed Paul Stanley Washburn guitar) was announced. The announcement was accompanied by a full color photo of Paul in concert. Click here to view the actual piece from the newspaper. | ||
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