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PAINTED FACES IN FAMILLIAR PLACES Soldiers Of The KISS Army Unite More than 25 years ago, an army began with the alliance of just four men. Over the past two decades that army has fought many battles and suffered the consequences of long-term warfare. It may have lost its share of conflicts but has never vanquished.
Four generals execute the commands that direct this vast legion of loyal followers. Masked behind their black and white war paint, the Bat Lizard, Star Child, Spaceman and the Cat possess god-like powers of persuasion over their army. Within each of the leaders is enough influence to shake the heavens in the wild eyes of their cadets. But this army doesn't fight its wars with guns and bombs. Guitars are its rifles. Drums are its cannons. All of its weapons combine to form the intoxicating anthems of rock 'n' roll. This is the KISS Army. "I've liked them since I was a kid, I guess," says Jim Thompson, a senior criminal justice major at Kent State. "I don't even remember how I started liking them. I saw them on MTV once in the early '80s. "The first KISS concert I saw was nine years ago. Their stage show was awesome. Their set was awesome, and they played a bunch of awesome songs." Thompson isn't the only one on campus who finds KISS awesome, either. The ranks of the KISS Army are generously represented at Kent State. But despite its size, it is relatively quiet for an army. Don't expect its soldiers all to have long hair and to walk around in leather underwear and monster platform shoes. He or she could be the person who sits next to you every day in class - waiting for the next concert to come and the generals to call the army out to battle. Ryan Woolley likes KISS and is proud of it. The senior computer information systems major has taken his share of grief, though. "I get a lot of shit for liking KISS," Woolley says. "Everybody gives me shit except for the few KISS fans I know. But I don't deny it. I won't back down." Woolley acknowledges others' dislike for the band with a sympathetic attitude. "A lot of people have something against KISS or take it as a joke, which I can partially understand," Woolley says. Woolley can understand people's misunderstanding of the band because his love for the band was born from fear of it. "I was probably 6 or 7, and my uncle was totally into KISS," Woolley says. "He was moving out to California, and he didn't listen to the albums anymore, so he asked me if I wanted them. At first I was afraid of the album covers. I couldn't sleep with them in my room." On Dec. 6, KISS played to the Cleveland Gund Arena with the intention of rocking the rock 'n' roll capital. Kent State's KISS Army cadets invaded the city to engage their leaders in a barrage of musical mayhem. Woolley was one of those cadets. "It was a good show," Woolley says. "Not as good as the actual reunion show. One of my friends said it was the second best show he had seen since the reunion. It kicked ass. That's pretty much why you go see KISS. It's crazy to see them live." That live injection of rockin' adrenaline is what many KISS Army members live for. The band's stage performance is what separates it from all the rest. "They've got a cool aura about it," Woolley says. "It's a lot different than most of the shows I see, but it's definitely cool." "Cool" might not accurately describe a KISS show. Burning hot might be more suiting considering the act has been known to consist of rocket-launching guitars and cannon-blasting drum sets. Fans can get so pumped up for KISS' concert warfare that they host preconcert parties and dress up like the band members at the concert. Thompson is a little less enthusiastic. "I just put on the Gene Simmons makeup for Halloween," Thompson admits. "That's all I've ever done. I've never dressed up for a concert, but there are plenty of people who do." Woolley has the desire to don the black and white for a concert, but he doesn't have the drive. "I always meant to, but I never got around to it," Woolley says. "I'm just lazy or something. But I went to a pre-show party once, and about 50 people dressed up. It was pretty crazy." KISS was the spawn of bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons and guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley. While playing in a Manhattan-based band called Wicked Lester, the duo formulated an outrageous concept for a new band. The band members would paint their faces in Kabuki-style black and white makeup and get dressed in flamboyant costumes loaded with leather. Their music was to reflect their galactic cartoon image - hard and heavy rock. It was to be something the world had never seen before. But it was still missing a couple pieces. An ad in Rolling Stone magazine soon landed drummer Peter Criss and a classified in the Village Voice hooked guitarist Ace Frehley shortly afterward. The band was formed and the rest was history. KIDS IN SATAN'S SERVICE "When they came out, nobody was quite sure what to make of them exactly," says Ben Whaley, assistant professor of journalism and mass communication at Kent State, who specializes in electronic media. "It was still pretty close to the end of the '60s, which were really eclectic. Literally the expression, 'it's all good,' expressed the '60s. David Bowie was as 'out there' as anybody got. KISS represented the big breaking point between the '60s and '70s." Whaley himself was involved in the music scene to a small extent during what he calls his "young days, before disco." His musical escapades may not have made him very famous, but he did make enough money to help him fund his education. He was a keyboardist for several bands like Chameleon and Spectre and occasionally covered a few KISS tunes. KISS' impact on the music scene was not immediate. But they were turning people's heads and catching the interest of a growing number of teen-agers. And often they were getting attention for bad reasons. "When they first came out they were perceived as really radical and dangerous," Whaley says. "When you looked at their logo, the two S's closely resembled the Nazi secret service symbol. They were viewed much the same way Marilyn Manson is now." On their first three albums KISS was still defining their sound. But as their musical ability and cohesiveness was developing, their unusual stage show is what gained them popularity. "I can't say I was ever a huge KISS fan. What they were doing musically was not cutting edge," Whaley says. "There were better players out there. KISS was really the band that made rock 'n' roll a spectacle."
"They were really one of the first bands to control their own merchandising," Whaley says. "Everything was pretty much under their control." The band's presence on the Internet is overwhelming. There are dozens of official and unofficial KISS web pages from fans all over the planet. KISS biographies, tour dates and even photos of fans' KISS tattoos can be found on various Web sites, such as www.kissfreaks.com, www.kissonline.net and www.kissvault.com. And the army marches on - successfully. KISS' hell-bent lust for touring has translated into album sales. Of the group's 24 albums, the last 23 have gone on to become gold records, which ranks KISS third behind the Rolling Stones and the Beatles for consecutive gold records. Part of this success belongs to its dedication to producing the same type of music that it always has, allowing for familiarity among all fans. "KISS delivers the same old product at the same old stand," Whaley says. "If you liked it then, chances are you'll like it now. KISS recognized that they have a marketable product, and they pushed it. "Somebody like KISS played the kind of music that four teen-age kids in a garage could do. Music has always got to be accessible. KISS made accessible, if not particularly inspiring, rock 'n' roll." Of course there are still plenty of fans who grew up with KISS and still go see the band whenever they get the opportunity. These fans are the heart and soul of the KISS Army. "It's kind of nostalgia more than anything else," Whaley says. "I'm not sure if any current KISS fans have anything in common with the original fans. The kid 20 years ago thought he was being dangerous, and the kid today is being charmingly retro." Thompson has witnessed more than a few older KISS fans but can't imagine himself being their age and still going to KISS concerts. "I used to be gung-ho about them, but now I'm just like, 'eh,'" says Thompson, who plays acoustic guitar. "There are always people who have just loved them forever and don't have anything else to do with their time and money. Rather than feed the kids, they bought 'Dressed to Kill.' Anymore, I guess it's either people who have never seen them before or people who are going to like them no matter what they do." Kickin' Ass with class But there's more to KISS than just nostalgia. Thompson attributes part of the band's original mystique to their ability to make it "seem like they were doing everything for the fans." And fans of rock 'n' roll can spot a phony a mile away. Despite their costumed shenanigans, phony is one thing KISS is not. The band members display a passion for their music and their fans that can be felt from the farthest seat at a concert. "The band gives a lot of appreciation to the fans," Woolley says. "You can tell that they're sincere. You can tell that they love what they're doing. Fans can pick up on that and appreciate the honesty." Fan appreciation is something Thompson knows about firsthand. In 1995, KISS initiated another outstanding marketing move - an entire convention tour. At the end of each tour stop, KISS would perform a live acoustic set for the fans in attendance, even taking requests from the crowd. From these shows was generated the 1996 MTV Unplugged session. Thompson attended one of these conventions and got his chance to see KISS up close and personal. "I got to sing with them," Thompson says. "It's just an all-day KISS thing. The whole thing went from about noon to midnight. At 7 p.m. KISS came in and they did a question and answer session, and then they did a two-hour acoustic guitar set." But to get further into the convention, Thompson had to put on a costume of his own - a reporter costume. "I snuck in and said I was a reporter," Thompson says. "I had my little bow tie and camera. I looked like George McFly. So I got in, and to make a long story short, they started passing around the microphone so I grabbed it and sang 'Detroit Rock City.'" Some fans may look to KISS as more than just rock idols. In the band, he or she can find what formal religion could not provide. The band members can become ministers in a fan's eyes. The concerts can become churches. Each of the songs can be hymns. Heather Wasler, a graduate assistant in sociology at Kent State, wrote a thesis on rock and religion in 1997 at Saint Vincent College in Latrobe, Pa. Wasler's research showed the links between faith and music. "The reason that people have religion is there are different things in life that they need," Wasler says. "They need a sense of purpose. Things in general that you would get out of church. A lot of times you aren't going to find those things there. Church is not really giving them grounds for what they're experiencing. "In turn, you turn on the TV and there are people addressing these issues everyday. You turn on MTV, and there are people singing about them. With certain bands, there are their big fans, and it becomes a group. They create there own norms. There are certain things you wear, certain things you say, a way you dance. It creates this whole socialization process, and it gives them a sense of belonging. But it's not so much of a cult that you're worshipping Satan." Wasler refers to a fan's band worship as an artist-audience relationship. From these relationships can come cults using rock as religion. "Think of it more or less as the different denominations like Catholicism," Wasler says. "There is a prestige given to the priest. He's trusted. The artist-audience relationship is much the same. The artist is given a certain form of power. There's something about that person that makes them seem so important, but if that isn't legitimized, it diminishes. But you've got groups like KISS that have been around forever." Religious or not, KISS has an identity all its own. And like many religions, the band has its own symbols - leather, makeup, blood and fire. These remain the symbols of the monstrous rockers and their army of worshippers. And one thing keeps that army growing - the band's expanding legend. The legend that is continually forged through countless intimate and invigorating live performances. "It's the whole nostalgic thing of when I first used to listen to them," Woolley says. "I prefer listening to their live stuff. It brings you back to the concerts. KISS, at least for me, is about the stage show." And after a quarter of a century, the show must go on. <-- BACK |
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