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| News Archive / May 1-31, 1999 | ||
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KISS NEWS IN MAY 1999 | JUNE 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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MAY 19, 1999 |  |
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Bruce Fairbairn, producer Psycho Circus album dies at 49 | |
| - From KISS Kollector, RH - | ||
"Producer Bruce Fairbairn was found dead of unknown causes at his Vancouver, British Columbia, home Monday. He was 49. Fairbairn had worked with Aerosmith, KISS and Van Halen, and he had been producing Yes at the time of his death." This is how RockDaily reported the tragic news yesterday. Canadian Bruce Fairbairn was one of the most successful producers of the 1980's and 90's. He lived in Vancouver and also worked here most of the time. Most bands he produced recorded at Little Mountain Sound Studios in this city.
Fairbairn got his big break in 1986 with Bon Jovi's Slippery When Wet album, which became a worldwide million seller. Among his other successes are Aerosmith's Pump (1989) and albums by bands like AC/DC, Cinderella, The Cranberries, Poison and Van Halen. KISS's 1998 Psycho Circus album turned out to be one of his last productions. Aerosmith's long form video The Making Of Pump is highly recommended, if you want to get an idea of the way Bruce Fairbairn worked. |
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Promotional 1-track CD of I Finally Found My Way | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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Although it saw the light of day a while ago (the copyright control on the disc even states "1998"), we thought that nobody would be annoyed if we — only now — present the I Finally Found My Way promo CD single on KISS Kollector Online. Better late than never, especially since most fans probably never get to see things like these, as usually they're being given away to radio stations and record stores.
The CD comes in a jewel case without an inlay, there's just a full color star shaped sticker in Psycho Circus style on the front. It shows the KISS logo, plus "I Finally Found My Way" above the line "from the album 'Psycho Circus'." On the disc itself a black and white star is printed plus some text that reads: "KISS - I Finally Found My Way - 3:40 (P. Stanley/B. Ezrin) - Produced by Bruce Fairbairn - Taken from the KISS album 'Psycho Circus'." At the bottom of the disc it says: "for promotional use only - not for sale" above the Mercury Records logo. 
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MAY 18, 1999 | |
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Eric Carr home video and book in the works | |
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| - From KISS Kollector, JvP, special thanks to Loretta Caravello - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Exciting news for all fans of late KISS drummer Eric 'The Fox' Carr. Last week KISS Kollector Online learned that a video on Eric is in the works, and a book on The Fox is planned too. The even better part is that you can be involved in both the video as well as the book.
These great Eric Carr projects are being done in conjunction with the Caravello family, and they are looking for fans to contribute to the video and book. Or any Eric Carr/Paul Caravello related projects in the future. So, if you have any Eric Carr stories or photos that you would like to send to his family for possible inclusion in the video or the book, please mail it out to Eric's sister: Loretta Caravello P.O. Box 315 Lyndhurst, NJ 07071 USA Please also enclose a signed letter stating that the Caravello family may use any stories/photos that you send for any Eric Carr/Paul Caravello project, and include the date when you sign. Also, be aware that they will not be able to return any material. The deadline to send in your material is June 15. We will have more info on all this, plus an interview with the producers of the video, soon. So keep checking this area. And don't forget that there's also a full length Eric Carr album in the works for later this year. With the 4-track Rockheads album — consisting of material Eric wrote for his animation project — already available, 1999 sure proves to be an excellent year for fans of The Fox. |
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KISS Psycho Circus comic in Spanish | |
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| - From KISS Kollector, JvP, special thanks to Carlos Pascual Palomar - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
The KISS: Psycho Circus comic is now available in a Spanish translation too. Check out the picture for the cover of the first Spanish KISS: Psycho Circus comic. The comic contains the first episode of the monthly series that the American version is, a Gene Simmons article, an editorial and a piece on the Spanish KISS Army.
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KISS... or The Hellacopters? | |
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| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| In Holland the brand new Hellacopters album Grande Rock was released last Saturday. The Hellacopters have never made it a secret they're KISS fans, but this time they've went out of their way to prove it. On their latest record they sound more like vintage KISS than KISS does nowadays, and one song even is titled Paul Stanley. More on The Hellacopters' 'KISS copy' album in about a week. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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KISS Concertology needs your help | |
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| - From Jeff, KISS Concertology - | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Hello European KISS fans! For those of you familiar with the ever-ongoing KISS Concertology, skip ahead to the next paragraph. For those who don't know what this project is... The KISS Concertology project is an attempt to create an archive (which will be published as a book) of every concert KISS has ever performed from 1973 to the present. Included in the vast database of information are show dates, venue names, city/country, opening and headlining acts, attendance figures, promoters, set lists, etc. Currently, we have information on over 1,800 shows.
Despite over four years of detailed research, we are still missing some valuable information. It is exceptionally difficult to find information on European KISS concerts, mostly because of the language barrier. So, we are looking for European KISS fans (from Germany, Denmark, France, Spain, Italy, Norway, Finland, The Netherlands, Switzerland, UK and Austria) who are willing to help us out by doing a little research in your local area, for example, calling a venue or a promoter to get an attendance figure, or visiting a local library to find ads or reviews of shows, etc. Everyone who contributes information will be thanked in the book and all assistance is deeply and sincerely appreciated. Send all responses to: radagast5@aol.com. First, a couple of general questions:
Well, that's it! Thanks to one and all for your help, it is tremendously valuable and greatly appreciated! |
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MAY 16, 1999 | |
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Gene Simmons' songs in the key of life | |
| - From New Musical Express Online - | ||
First record you can remember.
White Christmas — Bing Crosby : "I came to the United States from Israel when I was nine years old and I'd never heard of Santa Claus, Jesus Christ or Christmas; I didn't know what it was. It seemed so odd worshipping this Jewish kid; they all talked about the Father but worshipped the Son. I didn't get it — the President's got all the power but everyone wanted to talk to the Vice-President. Anyway, my neighbours used to play this song at Christmas and I liked it even though I really didn't understand what it meant. Ironically enough, White Christmas was written by a Jew, Irving Berlin." Record that reminds you of school. The Star Spangled Banner : "What was the name of that song they played when they raised the flag? You know, the National Anthem. This was the way that we had to start school every day; we all stood in the schoolyard while they raised the flag, with The Star Spangled Banner playing in the background. Did we have to salute? You didn't have to, this was America after all — it's a free country." Song you fell in love to. Georgia on my mind — Ray Charles : "I've never been in love. I believe people abuse the word; the only true love I have is the love I have for my kids. When people talk about the love between man and woman — [laughs] God, that says it all — they're not talking about real love. Have you seen my on the cover of Playboy, by the way? It's me and 20 of the most beautiful women in the world wearing only KISS make-up. Anyway, this is a love song about a city." Heartbreak tune. See The Funny Little Clown — Bobby Goldsboro : "This was a really horrible record when I was growing up. [sings] 'No-one knows he's crying/No-one knows he's dying from the inside/Though he's laughing on the outside/No-one knows, no-one knows/Yes, no-one knows I'm that funny little clown'. When I was younger that always used to break me up." Song that evokes the greatest summer of your life. California Girls — The Beach Boys : "I grew up in New York so when I first heard that song they may as well have been singing about an alien landscape. In New York City the falsetto group was The Four Seasons and the songwriters like Leiber & Stoller were writing things like Up On The Roof which was a song about tenements. When you heard The Beach Boys for the first time, they might as well have been aliens, with songs about beaches and surfboards. I didn't even know what a surfboard was. It was very . It was only when I finally moved out to Malibu that I worked out why all the world was jealous of that beach lifestyle." Song for a night on the tiles. Quarter To Three — Gary US Bonds : "I've never been drunk. Drinking is a waste of time because, as I understand it, your breath smells, you feel awful the next day and your willy doesn't work as well as it should. I define partying as women. So while the rest of the guys were drinking I was getting their women. This is just a good record for a party, though." Record that inspired you to form a band. I Want to Hold Your Hand — The Beatles : "This is not so much about the record but the experience of seeing The Beatles for the first time on the Ed Sullivan Show when I was ten or 11 years old. It was the weirdest thing I had ever seen and at first I didn't know whether I liked it or not. It was only when my mother walked in and she said, 'How bizarre!', that all of that weirdness suddenly became cool. Therein lies the secret of rock 'n' roll; freaking out your mother." Record guaranteed to clear the tour bus. Feelings — Morris Albert : "Well, I don't know if I should say this but I haven't travelled by bus for many years; we have our own jet. If anyone put this record on the plane I'm sure I would be reaching for my parachute. Do you know it? [sings] 'Feelings, nothing more than feelings'. When I hear it I always want to retch." New Year's Eve, 1999. What's on the hi-fi? Everyone's Gone To The Moon — Jonathan King : "I've always been a fan of people like Jonathan King, people who could make music and do business — it is called 'show business' after all. I'll do my Dick Van Dyke English accent for you. All Americans trying to do British accents always try to sound like Dick Van Dyke in Mary Poppins. [does lengthy Dick Van Dyke impersonation] Did you know that a lot of British TV shows are subtitled in America? Coronation Street has subtitles — you have far too many different accents. [does silly Liverpool accent]." Record you would like played at your funeral. Rock and Roll All Nite — KISS : "At my funeral I want a celebration of what a wonderful life I've had. Nothing sad, really; I've been very blessed to have my cake and eat it. This would be a pretty good song to go out on." |
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GT Interactive Software press release | |
| - From GT E3 - | ||
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GT Interactive Software brings the best of legendary rock 'n' roll band KISS to your computer: everything you wanted to know about KISS in an interactive trivia game for the PC.
E3, Los Angeles, May 13-15, 1999 — A journey into the past, present and future of one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands of all time is compiled in GT Interactive Software's (Nasdaq: GTIS) KISS trivia game for the PC from WizardWorks. The title features challenging trivia questions about the band with music and video clips, and also includes full-length videos and voice over narration made exclusively for the game by band members Peter Criss, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley. "KISS is one of the greatest rock 'n' roll bands of all time and they have a huge worldwide following of dedicated fans who want to learn everything possible about the band," said Paul Rinde, senior vice president of Product Acquisition and Development for WizardWorks. "Our upcoming KISS title will give those fans the information they've been looking for with more than 8,000 trivia questions that will challenge even the most seasoned KISS follower." Developed by WayForward Technologies and Running Dog Software, WizardWorks' KISS title will be available this summer at retail outlets nationwide for a suggested retail price of $19.99 as well as through secure online transactions at www.gtstore.com. |
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MAY 13, 1999 | |
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More from Orlando Hard Rock Cafe KISS collection | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP, special thanks to Ina Nieboer - | ||
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A while ago we presented some photos taken at the Orlando Hard Rock Cafe, where some cool KISS items are on display. These items include the costumes and instruments as used by the band during the opening show of the Psycho Circus World Tour on Halloween night at Dodger Stadium in Los Angeles, as well as the 1978 KISS dolls. Also taken in Orlando, Florida, is the photo of a signed KISS poster that's on sale for no less than $1295!
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No farewell tour yet, but more side projects | |
| - From Metal Edge Online - | ||
| Will the next KISS tour be the band's last? Rumors of a 'farewell tour' have been floating, but that remains to be seen. According to manager Doc McGhee, "As long as they can continue to give 110%, they'll keep doing it." In any case, McGhee sees the members doing more solo and side things in the future, like Paul Stanley is doing now with the stage musical Phantom of the Opera and Gene Simmons' movie producing endeavors, including Detroit Rock City, while remaining active in KISS. | ||
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KISS This poem not written by Nikki Sixx | |
| - From KISS Kollector, RH - | ||
Last week we ran a story on a poem about KISS, which supposedly was written by Nikki Sixx of Motley Crue. Now it turns out this story was untrue. Nikki Sixx e-mailed KISS Kollector Online and simply stated "I NEVER WROTE THAT POEM". We regret the mistake of course, but the story came from — what we thought to be — a reliable source. Due to the nature of the Internet, we do not always have time to check and double check everything, like we do for KISS Kollector Magazine. It turns out the poem was actually written by Crue fan Tim Whitney, who wrote it for a friend that is a huge KISS fan. Nevertheless, KISS Kollector still thinks it's a great poem.
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KISS Meets the Phantom of the Parking Lot | |
| - From E3.NET - | ||
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Everyone's favorite blood-spewing rocker/marketing genius will be in attendance at this year's E3. That's right, none other than Gene Simmons himself will be a guest of the Gathering of Developers gang, the publishers of Third Law's upcoming KISS Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child.
But don't look for The Demon on the show floor. The Gathering will be located in a parking lot across from the LA Convention Center, known as 'The Promised Lot'. Besides showing off games like Psycho Circus and Max Payne, The Promised Lot will feature live music and food, along with a happy hour from 5-7 PM. Gene Simmons will be at The Promised Lot May 13, time to be determined. |
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MAY 11, 1999 | |
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Record company develops piracy proof Internet system | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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KISS' record company Universal Music Group, the largest music company in the world, is developing a piracy proof system to sell music over the Internet. Early April KISS Kollector Online reported that the combined forces of Universal and BMG have set up an Internet CD store by the name of getmusic.com. They hope to start selling their music by Christmas.
The entire music industry has been scrambling to find an alternative to the popular MP3 format, which allows near-CD quality recordings to be transmitted over the Internet and stored on computers, but it also has led to widespread piracy because music fans trade unauthorized copies for free. Universal is now investing in the technology to distribute and sell music through the Internet, and working with Intertrust Technologies to develop the necessary software. The technology is dubbed Digibox and designed to embed a code within recorded music that would prevent consumers from listening to it without paying for it. Insiders state that Universal — the first 'major' to do this — will be months ahead of the industry as a whole with this plan. Universal also plans to use this technology on hidden (extra) tracks on regular CD's. |
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KISS items in May issue of Previews | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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This months issue of Previews, "the comic shop's catalogue for comics & related items scheduled to ship in July 1999", includes a full page on issue 22 of the KISS Psycho Circus comic and small pieces on other KISS items throughout the catalogue.
On the monthly KISS comic it says: "Twin Sisters Bare Their Horrible Secret To The Circus". "Reveal the secrets that you keep inside... Go behind the veil... and Into The Void. A pair of twin sisters who share a frightful secret venture into the Circus of Souls, unaware that they will soon be confronted with their violent past. They soon learn that nothing remains hidden for long from the Elder spirits that haunt the Psycho Circus. There are some secrets too terrible to say out loud, but sometimes it's the things you don't say that just might Kill you." The other KISS items include the KISS: Psycho Circus trade paperback Volume 1 ("Reprinting of the sold out first 6 issues. Enter the real of the Psycho Circus - If you Dare!"), the KISS: Psycho Circus magazine No. 1 ("For fans of both the rock group and the comic book alike. This one has something for everyone.") and The KISS Years trade paperback ($24.95) by photographer Barry Levine as well as Outtakes: KISS ($59.95) by photographer Chip 'Rock' Dayton.
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MAY 7, 1999 | |
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Dutch girl band Close II You covers I Was Made | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
One month ago today, we briefly mentioned the possibility of Dutch all-girl band Close II You (Holland's version of the Spice Girls, only younger and much better looking) releasing their cover of KISS' biggest hit I Was Made For Lovin' You on single. Turns out it's not certain yet if their record company wants to put the cover out on single. The girls however are doing the song during their live performances and are planning to include it on their next album, which is now scheduled for the end of 1999.
The other day KISS Kollector Online talked to Natasha from Close II You to find out why a young pop group like Close II You would be wanting to cover an old rock band like KISS. "We've all been KISS fans for quite some time, and we attended the KISS concert in March in Utrecht. It was just awesome! And I Was Made For Lovin' You is a cool song. Now that we're doing that song in our live set, we get lots of mail from fans of ours who like KISS as well. The same happened when we did KISS by Prince live: we received mail from fans who were also into Prince." The girls of Close II You are also hoping to perform I Was Made For Lovin' You when they're appearing on television shows again. |
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More on Gene and KISS in Famous Monsters magazine | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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As we reported on April 14, issue 26 of Famous Monsters Of Filmland comes with four attached covers, each featuring either Gene, Paul, Peter or Ace, and includes a candid interview with Gene. In the interview Gene talks about growing up on classic horror films during the sixties, shares his thoughts on monsters and how his love of classic horror helped influence KISS.
The current issue, no. 25, of Famous Monsters features a two page photo of KISS while on the cover it reads: "Sneak Peek: KISS is coming to FM!" Check out the picture to see Gene with his favorite Monsters magazine, each issue of which is loaded with dozens and dozens of vintage photos from treasures like Frankenstein, Dracula, The Phantom Of The Opera, the Mummy and the Wolf Man.
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Reminder: be part of Gene's 50th birthday surprise! | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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On March 18 we first revealed our plans on how to surprise Gene on August 25, when he turns 50. We asked for a photo of yourself — preferably without make-up — sticking out your tongue (or any other pose that you see fit), plus a few lines in which you describe how Gene influenced your life.
By now we have received quite a few contributions (a lot of these praise Gene for his drug free life!), both by e-mail as well as by air mail. But we need much more, so please keep your contributions coming, we've got only 110 days to go! You can e-mail your material to kiss@animalize.com or send it to: KISS Kollector Fanclub, P.O. Box 1159, 1200 BD Hilversum, Holland. Here's the full scoop once more: KISS Kollector Fanclub is planning a surprise for Gene on his 50th birthday. When The Demon turns 50 on August 25 of this year 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 if possible), along with a few lines in which you explain how Gene has influenced your life. Please also state your name, age, profession and the country you live in. And 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. |
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MAY 6, 1999 | |
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KISS in Dutch teeny bop magazines | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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Updates on KISS Kollector Online have been a bit slow, due to our very busy schedule, but meanwhile we received some recent clippings from teeny bop magazines. Both Hitkrant and Top 10 had full color photos and very short articles on KISS. No doubt these two short pieces were inspired by the KISS concert in Holland in March, because usually the pop magazines over here hardly pay attention to KISS.
In Hitkrant a photo of Paul (taken at the 1997 concert in Holland) accompanied a short story on his leading role in the musical The Phantom Of The Opera. The heading reads like this: "KISS cancels tour because of phantom". The very short article says: "KISS has cancelled lots of concerts. For singer Paul Stanley is going to play the leading role in the musical The Phantom Of The Opera on Broadway. To celebrate the tenth anniversary of the spectacle, the theatre company has a lot of famous stars portray the role of the phantom and Paul is the first one. "It's a real challenge", he says. "Theatre is completely new for me." Good for Paul! Finally getting new make-up!"
In Top 10 a photo of Gene (taken during the Psycho Circus tour) accompanies a short piece of which the headline reads: "Gene Simmons. The longest tongue, the smallest..." The short article goes like this: "It's been quiet around the spectacle group KISS for a (too) long time, but they're fully back on the international stages. All their shows sell out long in advance, because a KISS concert equals 'unparalleled excitement'. Gene Simmons' tongue stills plays a big role. This tongue is twice as long as normally, and when he sticks it out the audience goes wild. His colleagues however chuckle that Gene's tongue may be extra long, but his willy — as they said during an interview with an English newspaper while laughing their asses off — appears to be twice as short as normally! Faith of nature? Who knows. In any way, we haven't been able to check on the truth. It could be that they're just jealous..."
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KISS poem by Motley Crue's Nikki Sixx | |
| - From KISS Kollector, JvP - | ||
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The other day Nikki Sixx from Motley Crue e-mailed a KISS poem he wrote years ago, called KISS This, to the Motley Crue mailing list. To prove his point that Motley Crue won't be calling it quits after the departure of drummer Tommy Lee, he decided to post his poem about the split of the original KISS line-up to his fans, and admitted that he was drunk when he wrote it ("So if it sux my apologies").
KISS This (by Nikki Sixx) There was a band a long time ago Hottest in the land becuz of their show With make-up & heels no one could resist The name of this band: KISS Ace & Peter, Paul & Gene Came into the biz & stole the scene They packed their shows, with lines out the door Until the day when Pete said "no more" When Peter decided to call it quits Lots of kiss fans said "awww, this is shit" People said the band was done No one could replace Pete on drums But Eric Carr gave it a go The fans loved him cuz he put on a show And all was right once again Until Ace said "this is the end" So enter Vinnie Vincent to play guitar Hoping kiss would make him a star But there were problems that just couldn't be solved And the guitar slot continued to revolve : "Mark St. John", cried fans "who is he??" And the roar went up "we want Frehley!!!" Mark seemed to working until he got sick Enter a man called Bruce Kulick Bruce and the boys got along fine And all was perfect at least for a time Then Eric got sick with cancer & died Fans thought it was over "but man what a ride" It looked as though this was the end Then Eric Singer joined up for a little 'Revenge' And again KISS was happy as happy could be Until unplugged on MTV They played unplugged Paul, Gene, Eric & Bruce And at the end a couple of guests they did produce Yup you guessed it, out came Peter & Ace And every kiss fan had a smile on his face Then came the talk of a KISS reunited And all the kiss freaks were really excited After some 15 years of being gone Ace & Peter had finally come home |
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Rolling Stone Got Milk first | |
| - From Metal Edge Online - | ||
| KISS' Got Milk? ad, which will first appear next month in Rolling Stone, will show the band with chocolate milk moustaches because the white stuff didn't show up on their whiteface make-up. "We tried it both ways," says Gene Simmons, who reveals that corn syrup was mixed with the moo juice to make it thicker. The ad copy borrows an appropriate song title, Lick it Up, and reads in part: "Every drop of chocolate milk has the same vitamins and minerals that regular milk has. All the more reason to have a really long tongue." In other KISS print news, the second Psycho Circus magazine, compiling the most recent issues of the Psycho Circus comic, is due next month, and KISSTORY 2: Toys, Games & Girls Collector's Bible is being printed now. There will also be an official Detroit Rock City magazine to time with the release of the movie in mid-August. | ||
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