KISS!

When I was a kid, I was crazy about fantasy and adventure and super-heroes.  I also had a growing fascination with monsters and other spooky things.

In 1979, at the age of 4, I discovered KISS.

It was love at first sight.

I Was Made For Lovin' You!

They were fantasy characters come to life: giants in spectacular costumes, their faces hidden behind astonishing painted masks.

KISS were dark and mysterious; otherworldly; awe-inspiring!  Four supernatural beings on a quest to rock and roll.

And to top it all off, they were super-heroes!

In the beloved 1978 TV movie KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park, the band used their super-powers to battle an evil scientist and his android creations.

The Mystical Talismans That Give KISS Their Powers

Ace vs. Android Imposter

I was absolutely spellbound.  My imagination soared.  I couldn't get enough of KISS.

Paul Stanley was the dashing, flamboyant leader; Peter Criss, the scrappy, unassuming drummer; Ace Frehley was an androgynous cosmic enigma; and then there was Gene . . .

What a magnificent creature of the night he was . . .

This Trading Card Used To Scare Me!

His demeanour was menacing; his personality fiendish.  Gene was sinister and dangerous and frightening . . . but he was one of the good guys.  THAT was an irresistible combination.  A monster that was actually a hero; a monster that you could emulate.

And emulate him I did . . .

There was an old pair of platform boots at the back of a closet that I would dig out and stomp around in.  During the winter, I'd unleash streams of frozen breath, pretending they were torrents of fire.  I would ask my friends to "play KISS" and we'd fight imaginary bad guys with our super-powers.  I even tried applying the Demon makeup to my face (I didn't get very far--my naive enthusiasm was no match for such a painstaking, time-consuming task.)

With my career as a makeup artist going nowhere, I could at least find solace in some great KISS merchandise!

This Was On My Bedroom Wall

This Was On My T-Shirt

The crown jewels of my small KISS collection appeared on a glorious Christmas morning, delivered by Santa Claus himself:
12" tall Mego action figures!

Despite being one short of a full band, I was exploding with joy.  (My mom and sister had turned the Samko toy warehouse upside down looking for Ace Frehley, to no avail.)

I Still Have My Treasured KISS Megos!

In those days before the family VCR, the only way to see KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park  was on TV.  Airings of this Hanna-Barbera production were scarce, but when one came around, it was a big event--the anticipation and excitement were tremendous!

There's a scene in the film that's wonderfully spooky . . .

Our heroes, conducting a late night investigation of the amusement park, descend into a chamber of horrors . . .

Inside, a marvellous bunch of animatronic monsters act out a menacing scene . . .

Suddenly, the creatures break their routine and attack the band!

Terrific stuff!

It was a great time to be a young KISS fan.  Escaping into a world of dark rock and roll superheroes was a unique kind of magic.

Sadly, in just a few short years, it would all come to a heartbreaking end . . .

But I'm getting ahead of myself.  You'll be seeing more of KISS in the Gallery soon . . .