KOOL KISS TIDBITS
1. KISS USED SOME OF THE EQUIPMENT FROM THE LABORATORY SCENE IN "FRANKENSTIEN" IN A STAGE SHOW. THE ITEMS WERE PROVIDED BY KEN STRICKFADDEN, THE ONE WHO BUILT THEM FOR THE CLASSIC 1931 MOVIE.
2. AS A CHILD, PAUL GREW UP WITH CLASSICAL MUSIC. THIS WAS THE ONLY FORM OF MUSIC HIS PARENTS LISTENED TO. HE CLAIMS THAT HE LIKED ITALIAN OPERA THE MOST AS A CHILD.
3. ACE CONSIDERS HIMSELF THE BLACKSHEEP OF HIS FAMILY. HIS BROTHER IS A CLASSICAL GUITARIST AND HIS SISTERED EARNED A MASTERS DEGREE IN CHEMISTRY.
4. PAUL INSISTS THAT HE DOESN'T LISTEN TO HIS OWN MUSIC THAT MUCH.
5. ACE CLAIMS THAT HIS BIGGEST GOAL IN LIFE IS TO VISIT ANOTHER PLANET.
6. IT TAKES APPROXIMATELY 45 MINUTES TO APPLY THE MAKEUP PERFECTLY. IT CAN BE DONE IN 25 MINUTES WHEN IN A HURRY.
7. ACE CREATED THE MORPHINGS OF THE SOLO ALBUM COVERS SEEN DURING THE REUNION TOUR ON HIS HOME COMPUTER.
8. THE TV MOVIE "KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK" WAS THE SECOND MOST VIEWED PROGRAM OF 1978.
9. THE LIVE PHOTO ON THE COVER OF ALIVE! WAS TAKEN IN AN EMPTY THEATER TO GET THE RIGHT EFFECT.
10. BRUCE KULICK AND BOB EZRIN PLAYED THE BASS PARTS ON "EVERY TIME I LOOK AT YOU".
11. GENE SIMMONS TURNED DOWN THE LEAD, ROMANTIC, MALE ROLE IN THE MOVIE "FLASHDANCE" IN FEAR THAT IT WOULD RUIN HIS IMAGE IN 1983.
12. PAUL GOT SO DRUNK DURING THE PHOTO SHOOT FOR THE "HOTTER THAN HELL" ALBUM THAT HE WAS LOCKED IN HIS CAR IN FEAR THAT HE WOULD HURT HIMSELF OR SOMEONE ELSE.
13. PAUL ACTUALLY DID THE LEAD GUITAR PARTS ON HIS SONGS FOR THE "UNMASKED" ALBUM.
14. THE BEGINNING NEWS CAST ON "DETROIT ROCK CITY" WAS ACTUALLY READ BY GENE HIMSELF.
15. VINNIE'S ONSTAGE KISS PERSONA WAS CREATED AND DESIGNED BY PAUL.
16. KISS WERE OFFERED $1 MILLION TO REUNITE WITH ACE AND PETER AND PUT THE MAKEUP BACK ON IN 1994 TO HEADLINE THE WOODSTOCK '94 FESTIVAL. GENE AND PAUL QUICKLY REFUSED THE OFFER.
17. GENE'S TONGUE HAS BEEN MEASURED AT OVER 7 INCHES LONG.
18. PETER HAD ELEVEN YEARS OF MUSIC EXPERIENCE BEFORE JOINING KISS.
19. ACE RECORDS ALL OF HIS LEAD VOCALS LYING FLAT ON HIS BACK TO HIT THE NOTES PROPERLY.
20. PETER PURCHASED A HEADSTONE FOR HIS LATE GRANDMOTHER WITH HIS FIRST ROYALTIES CHECK.
21. PAUL HAD EARLY AMBITIONS OF BEING AN ANTRHOPOLOGIST.
22. GENE WAS A 6TH GRADE SCHOOL TEACHER BEFORE FORMING KISS.
23. THE KISS ARMY FORMED IN INDIANA BY BILL STARKEY IN PROTEST OF A LOCAL RADIO'S REFUSING TO PLAY KISS. THE GROUP MARCHED ON THE STEPS OF THE RADIO STATION.
24. THE BAND CONSIDERED "FUCK" AND "ALBATROSS" AS NAMES BEFORE SETTLING ON KISS.
25. THE BLOOD TAKEN FROM THE BAND FOR USE ON THEIR COMIC BOOK WAS DELIVERED IN AN ARMORED TRUCK.
26. PAUL ATTENDED THE HIGH SCHOOL OF MUSIC AND ART IN MANHATTEN.
27. KISS CONSIDERED CALLING THE ALBUM "REVENGE" IN 1992 "DESTROYER II".
28. THE BAND'S FIRST ROAD MANAGER, JUNIOR SMALLING, DOES THE INTRO ON "ALIVE!".
29. WELL KNOWN GUITARISTS, EDDIE VAN HALEN, PUNKY MEADOWS FROM ANGEL, AND RICHIE SAMBORA FROM BON JOVI, WANTED TO AUDITION TO REPLACE ACE FREHLEY IN 1982.
30. THE SOLOS ON "ALL AMERICAN MAN" AND "EXCITER" WERE PLAYED BY RICK DERRINGER.
31. KISS HAD ORIGINALLY PLANNED AT RECORD ELVIS PRESLEY'S "JAILHOUSE ROCK" FOR THE LAST SIDE OF "ALIVE II".
32. THE SONG, "BETH" ON "ALIVE II" WAS RECORDED IN TOKYO, JAPAN ON THE "ROCK AND ROLL OVER" TOUR.
33. BEFORE JOING KISS, VINNIE VINCENT WAS A STAFF WRITER FOR THE SHOW "HAPPY DAYS". HE WROTE THE SONGS THAT JOANI AND CHACHI SANG.
34. ERIC CARR PLAYED BASS ON "I STILL LOVE YOU", "LITTLE CAESAR", AND "ESCAPE FROM THE ISLAND".
35. ERIC CARR'S FIRST KISS PERSONA WAS THE HAWK.
36. "ANIMALIZE" IS THE HIGHEST SELLING KISS ALBUM OF THE 80'S. IT SOLD 2 MILLION COPIES.
37. ON THE "HOTTER THAN HELL" ALBUM COVER, HALF OF ACE'S FACE WAS SUPER-IMPOSED BECAUSE HE COULDN'T APPLY MAKEUP TO AN INJURY ON HIS FACE FROM A CAR ACCIDENT.
38. ONCE, ACE GLUED MOST OF THE FURNITURE IN HIS HOTEL ROOM TO THE CEILING.
39. AS A LOVER OF BIG BAND MUSIC, PETER NAMES JAZZ DRUMMER GENE KRUPA AS HIS FAVORITE DRUMMER.
40. PETER IS A HIGH SCHOOL DROP OUT AND A FORMER MEMBER OF STREET GANGS.
41. ACE DESIGNED THE FAMOUS KISS LOGO.
42. GENE HAS SET HIS HAIR ON FIRE 7 TIMES.
43. ACE WAS OFFERED AN OPENING SLOT ON THE BAND'S "HOT IN THE SHADE TOUR" IN 1989 BUT TURNED IT DOWN.
44. GENE CAN REACH 15 FT. WITH HIS FIRE BREATHING. THE RECORD IS 20 FT.
45. ON JUNE 22, 1974, PAUL PASSED OUT ON STAGE DUE TO EXHAUSTION.
46. IN THE EARLY DAYS, THE ROAD MANAGERS OF THE BANDS KISS USED TO OPEN FOR WOULD UNPLUG THEM SO THEY COULDN'T DO ENCORES. ONE TIME THE BOYS HAD A ROAD MANAGER LOCKED IN AN EQUIPMENT CASE BY KISS ROAD MANAGER AT THE TIME.
47. THE BAND USES A MODIFIED VERSION OF THE KISS LOGO WHEN TOURING GERMANY SINCE THE GERMANS BELIEVE THE "SS" HAVE A NAZI LOOK TO THEM.
48. IN THE EARLY DAYS, KISS WOULD USE STACKS AND STACKS OF AMPS IN THEIR STAGE SHOW. MANY OF WHICH WOULD BE EMPTY. THEY WOULD ONLY REALLY USE A HANDFUL.
49. "ALL HELL'S BREAKIN' LOOSE" IS THE ONLY KISS VIDEO TO EVER BE NOMINATED FOR AN MTV VIDEO MUSIC AWARD. IT WAS NOMINATED FOR BEST CINEMATOGRAPHY IN 1984.
50. ERIC'S FIRST STAGE NAME WAS "RUSTY BLADE". IT WAS LATER DROPPED. HE WOULD USE IT AS AN ALIAS AT HOTELS.
51. BRUCE KULICK PLAYED THE GUITAR SOLO ON "LONELY AS THE HUNTER" ON THE "ANIMALIZE" ALBUM BECAUSE MARK ST. JOHN COULDN'T GET IT RIGHT.
52. JEAN BEAUVOIR OF THE PLASMATICS PLAYED THE BASS PARTS ON "GET ALL YOU CAN TAKE" AND "THRILLS IN THE NIGHT".
53. GENE SPEAKS FOUR LANGUAGES FLUENTLY. HE SPEAKS ENGLISH, HUNGARIAN, GERMAN, AND HEBREW.
54. ERIC CARR PLAYED THE DRUMS RIGHT-HANDED EVENTHOUGH HE DID EVERTHING ELSE LEFT-HANDED. HE THOUGHT THAT LEFT-HANDED DIDN'T LOOK RIGHT.
55. A MAGICIAN BY THE NAME OF "AMAZE-O" TAUGHT GENE HOW TO BREATH FIRE.
56. PAUL IS A COLLECTOR OF FINE WINES. HE SAYS THAT GERMAN WHITE WINES ARE HIS FAVORITE.
57. IN THE LATE 1980'S GENE FILMED A PILOT FOR AN ABC SERIES NAMED "JON SABLE". HE DID NOT CONTINUE THE ROLE DUE TO CONFLICTS WITH HIS KISS SCHEDULE.
58. IN 1988, BRUCE KULICK AUDITIONED TO PLAY GUITAR ON THE MICK JAGGER SOLO ALBUM "PRIMITIVE COOL". HE LOST OUT TO JEFF BECK.
59. GENE PLAYED THE PIANO ON "CHRISTINE SIXTEEN".
60. KISS' APPEARANCE ON MTV UNPLUGGED IS THE SECOND HIGHEST RATED EPISODE BEHIND JIMMY PAGE AND ROBERT PLANT.
61. IN 1979, KISS SPENT OVER A MILLION DOLLARS ON A LASER SHOW WHICH INCLUDED AN EFFECT FOR PAUL STANLEY THAT INCLUDED A LASER COMING FROM HIS EYE FOR THE "DYNASTY". THE LASERS WERE NEVER USED.
62. PRIOR TO JOINING KISS, ACE RECORDED AN ALBUM WITH HIS BAND "MILLEMO" IN 1972 FOR RCA RECORDS. IT WAS NEVERED RELEASED.
63. IN 1978, KISS WAS OFFERED THE ROLE OF F.V.B. (FUTURE VILLIAN BAND) IN THE MOVIE SGT. PEPPER'S LONELY HEARTS CLUB BAND. THEY TURNED IT DOWN IN FEAR THAT IT WOULD TARNISH THEIR SUPER HERO IMAGE. THE ROLE WAS GIVEN TO AEROSMITH.
64. IN HIS EARLY DAYS, GENE ENTERED A JEWISH RABBINICAL SCHOOL TO BECOME A RABBI.
65. WHEN ERIC CARR FIRST JOINED THE BAND IN 1980, THERE WAS TALK OF HIM RECORDING A SOLO ALBUM. THE BAND GOT THE SAME ARTIST WHO PAINTED THE SOLO ALBUM COVERS TO PAINT ONE OF ERIC. THE PAINTING NOW RESIDES WITH ERIC'S FAMILY.
66. IN 1980, KISS PLANNED TO PUT OUT A LINE OF DESIGNER JEANS. THE KISS LOGO WAS PLACED ON THE REAR RIGHT POCKET OF THE JEANS. THE LINE NEVER CAME OUT.
67. THE "CRAZY NIGHTS" ALBUM WAS ORIGINALLY GOING TO BE CALLED "WHO DARES WINS" OR "CONDOMNATION".
68. IN LATE 1987, PAUL WAS SCHEDULED TO PRODUCE POISON'S "OPEN UP AND SAY AHH" ALBUM, BUT COULDN'T DUE TO HIS KISS SCHEDULE.
69. BECAUSE OF THE CONTRACT KISS SIGNED WITH PHONOGRAM RECORDS, PETER RECIEVED ROYALTIES FOR ALBUMS HE DIDN'T PLAY ON, INCLUDING "LICK IT UP", "ANIMALIZE", AND "ASYLUM". PAUL AND GENE BOUGHT OUT HIS SHARE IN 1987.
70. IN 1979, KISS AND THEIR MANAGEMENT COMPANY BOUGHT 190 ACRES OF LAND IN CINCINNATI, OH FOR A KISS AMUSEMENT PARK WHICH WAS NEVER BUILT.
71. ERIC CARR RECORDED HIS LEAD VOCAL FOR "BETH" IN THE EXACT SAME STUDIO AND THE EXACT SAME STOOL WHERE PETER RECORDED IT IN 1976.
72. OUT OF THE FOUR SOLO ALBUMS RECORDED IN 1978, PETER'S IS THE ONLY ONE TO NOT HAVE A SINGLE ON THE BILLBOARD HOT 100 CHARTS EVENTHOUGH HIS WAS THE ONLY ONE TO HAVE TWO SINGLES RELEASED OFF OF IT.
FACTS COURTESY OF LYNN'S KISS DOMINION
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