KISS ASYLUM: November 2002 News Archive

From: www.lochnessmonster.ca
The big event is this Saturday! We have plenty of space available so tickets will be on sale at the door. All fans who show up are guaranteed to get in. With an intimate crowd, this will be your best chance to get close to Peter and get autographs, photo etc. All fans who show up will be entered to win the draw for a trip to Australia. There are also plenty of tickets available for The 6th Annual Philadelphia KISS Expo on January 5th with Bruce Kulick and Bill Aucoin. Bill Aucoin has confirmed he is cleaning out his New Jersey warehouse and selling off some very cool items including dozens of original record awards as he now lives in South Florida. Both events are at the Holiday Inn in King Of Prussia, PA. For additional information visit www.lochnessmonster.ca or email productions@lochnessmonster.ca. See you there!

From: KISSfaq.com
The Second Edition (ISBN 0-9722253-1-5)of the KISS Album Focus is published and orders are shipping from 12/21. Response to the limited edition 500 copy printing privately published in May 2002 was outstanding with the print run selling out in 3 months with no promotion! Feedback on the book was universally excellent with comments like: "The KISS album focus is the best KISS book ever written". "It is everything you promised. Thanks for the wonderful job". "This book does a fantastic job of covering all those years that I was so dedicated to all things KISS!". The first printing of the KISS Album Focus was a 562 5.5"x8" monster weighing nearly 2 lbs. Because the book had grown to over 600 pages in that format during editing, revision, correction, and addition for the second edition, it has been reformated to 7"x10" and clocks in at 364 pages at nearly 1 1/2 lbs. The Second Edition of the "KISS Album Focus" includes new material, rewritten chapters, clarifications, and more making it the most objective and in-depth look at KISS' history yet published! Orders are shipping daily: http://www.kissfaq.com/order.html

From: www.EddieTrunk.com
One of the hugest shows I have ever done aired last night on WNEW in NYC, as I did my annual Original Merry KISSmass Special. We had live interviews with Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Bruce Kulick, Eric Singer, and an in studio visit from Peter Criss!!! For Kiss fans, there can't be a bigger show than this!! This show will be replayed worldwide on www.KNAC.com this Thursday & Saturday 9A-1P Eastern time. Don't miss it, it was easily the mother of all Kiss specials! More details on www.EddieTrunk.com Happy Holidays!

From: BryanK69@aol.com
For everybody that has XM Satellite Radio there is going to be an all day "KISSmas" Special on Channel 47, "The Boneyard". The program will start at midnight, Christmas Day, and run for a complete 24 hours with nothing but Kiss music and interviews.

From: KISS ASYLUM
Today, December 20th, KISS ASYLUM along with all of Peter Criss' online fans would like to wish Peter a very Happy Birthday! If you would like to email Peter and send him your wishes you can contact him at fans@petercriss.net

From: Bill May
Just wanted to let you know there will be some Kissmas radio specials that I thought you might be interested in posting. The Electric Ballroom Kissmas Special will air on 95.9 WRAT in central and south New Jersey and simultaneously on 105.5 WDHA in northern NJ and Eastern PA this Sunday December 22 at 9:45 PM. Guests this year will include Paul Stanley, Bill Aucoin, and Billy May from the Electric Magic Sideshow (www.electricmagicsideshow.com) will be plugging their appearance on the new independently released Kiss tribute CD "Kiss This" as well as their cover version of "Got To Choose" on their new CD "Good Enough For You". For more information on the show go to www.wrat.com and click on the Electric Ballroom link. Also, this Friday December 20 Billy May will be on 93.1 & 94.1The Bear's annual Kissmas special broadcasting out of Iron Mountain, MI at 8 PM. Steve Ponchaud will be hosting the special and he'll be doing lots of giveaways as well as spotlighting Peter Criss for his birthday. For more information check out arenarock.tripod.com.

From: planetrock.com.au
G'day to all you KISS fans out there. Want all the behind the scenes info on the hugely anticipated, one-off KISS SYMPHONY CONCERT in Melbourne Australia in February 2003? Well check out our exclusive interview with the guys themselves. That's right! Listen to Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss chat about their huge plans for this spectacular concert that will see KISS perform with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra!!!http://planetrock.com.au/index2.php?linktype=rotator&link_id=139

From: EddieTrunk.com via Mark Bunton
This is from our very own EDDIE TRUNK , taken from his TRUNK REPORT: "Flooded with people from all over the world asking about the status of Ace and Kiss. As you all know, I am friends with Ace and am a huge Kiss fan and supporter. I do not however have anything to do on any professional level with Kiss or Ace's business. That being said, I asked Ace a few days ago what the deal was with him and the upcoming Kiss tour and Australian show. Simply put, Ace is not a member of the band at this time. He asked that I let the fans know that he has no plans at this time to rejoin the band, and his contract with them ended after the Farewell Tour, which he also thought was the end at the time. Ace is upset that Kiss announces events, and holds press conferences for events, then asks him if he wants to do them after the fact. He claims he was just recently contacted by the band and even told about a tour and concert in Australia. He feels totally left out of the loop and does not believe this is the way a band should function. So as it stands now, Ace does not plan on rejoining Kiss for anything. That being said, we have all seen how things can change with the Kiss camp, but that's where it stands as of now. Ace may be on with us soon to talk about this further, but for now, he is still working on music for a new solo album for next year. I do not wish to judge or debate anything with Kiss, I am just reporting the facts as I have heard them this week from Ace."

From: KISS ASYLUM / KULICK.net
Today, December 12th, KISS ASYLUM along with all of Bruce Kulick's online fans would like to wish Bruce a very Happy Birthday! If you would like to email Bruce and send him your wishes you can contact him at BruceKool@aol.com

From: Blabbermouth.net via Stephen Myers
KISS will be playing three concerts at the legendary Budokan in Tokyo, Japan in early March. Confirmed dates are as follows:
Mar. 11 Tokyo, JAP @ Budokan
Mar. 12 Tokyo, JAP @ Budokan
Mar. 13 Tokyo, JAP @ Budokan
Prior to public release, advance ticket sales are being offerred from the Udo Artists web site from Thursday, Dec. 5 until Wednesday, Dec. 11 (only in Japanese) at this location http://www.udo.co.jp/artist/kiss/index.html.

From: www.lochnessmonster.ca

The big weekend just got even bigger. An Audience With Peter Criss January 4th and The Philadelphia KISS Expo are back to back for an amazing KISS fan weekend. We have just added the mother-of-all prizes... drum roll... a lucky fan who attends AN AUDIENCE WITH PETER CRISS January 4th will win a trip to Australia to see KISS perform live with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra on February 28th courtesy of Qantas Airlines, Peter Criss and Loch Ness Monster! All fans who attend will be entered in the draw. Peter will pull the name of the fan who will take home a dream trip down under to see KISS live in a very special event. I will catch the person when he/she faints. If you are planning to go to Australia to see KISS give Qantas a call as they are offering the best rates to fly down. Qantas will be represented at the show with information on packages including airfare, hotel and tickets or just flights. Thank you Qantas for being cool enough to be a part of a special KISS fan weekend! Tickets are available for AN AUDIENCE WITH PETER CRISS online by visiting www.lochnessmonster.ca. Peter is excited about the show. He will sign whatever you wish. No lineups for hotdogs and soda, no long wait to get in, no herding fans by numbers. Just a great day celebrating the Catman with the Catman! Tickets for the Philadelphia KISS Expo are on sale at Ticketmaster. We will have some special surprises for that show to announce later. See you in Philadelphia Jan 4th and 5th!

From: VH1-MTVi-Marketing
Vote for Gene Simmons in VH-1's Big In 2002 Awards (December 15 at 9PM). Gene is in the category of "You Wear It Well - Which pop personalities have the best clothing line?" Click Here to vote for Gene!

From: KISSUNDERGROUND1@aol.com
The KISS Underground recently interviewed drummer Eric Singer, as we caught up with him on Alice Cooper's "Dragontown" tour. When we spoke with Eric, we briefly discussed KISS' upcoming "Symphony" show, and this is what he had to say.
KISS Underground: KISS recently announced their one-off "Symphony" show, that's to take place next February in Australia. To much surprise, they announced that Peter Criss would be playing drums for the performance. Did they ever speak to you about the show?
Eric Singer: No. I don't really know what KISS is doing right now. I just do my own thing. We all do our own thing, just like Ace had done some solo shows recently. They're always going to have their plans on whatever they're going to do. If I'm included, I imagine they'll let me know. If I'm not, I'll probably find out one way or another. I'll probably find out from you John!(Laughs)
K.U.: I find it odd that they chose to utilize Peter for this show, considering Paul Stanley stated on his "Paul Speaks" column that he felt very comfortable with you being back in the band. And when asked about Peter returning, he responded, "If it ain't broke, don't fix it." However, Gene Simmons has been pretty adamant he prefers the original lineup over any other.
E.S.: It's kinda interesting at times the way Gene and Paul choose to answer the same question. It's almost like two politicians. A Republican and a Democrat. Somehow, they will have their own perspective and their own take on the same exact scenario. I can't speak for the way they are. Let's face it, this is a business and these guys are like politicians. I'm probably different in the sense that I think I'm a blunt, straight to the point, kind of person. I try to be diplomatic, but I'm also gonna be as honest as I can be within a given situation. I'm very to the point and straight up, and I don't always get that in return. I don't have any say in their decision making process. The only choice that I have is if I'm asked to work for somebody, if I want to do it or not.
To read the entire interview click here. We would also like to announce, Space Ace, the newest tribute to Ace Frehley, will be performing at the 12th Annual Toronto KISS expo on Sunday, December. After the tremendous success of their debut show in October and their sophomore appearance at the world renown Hard Rock Cafe, the band was asked to appear at the expo in place of the previously announced, Phantoms of the Park. The band will be performing their set of Ace and KISS classics and will invite special guest Richie Scarlet to perform with them. For more information on the expo, go over to www.lochnessmonster.caor for more info on Space Ace, check out the Space Ace website by clicking here.

From: dako143@yahoo.com
Gene and Paul made an appearance on Fox News Hannity and Colmes December 3 promoting their latest book effort Kiss the early years. No transcript is available yet. Gene was asked about how he feels being looked up to by some young people having had so many sexual encounters as well as questions concerning his Mom and so forth. Paul spoke a few times and laughted when they were asked about the farewell tour. Paul said it was in their blood. Gene and Paul both continued to pick up the book and hold it to the cameras for exposure.

From: CBSnews.com
Gene & Paul

Has it been 30 years already? It seems that just yesterday KISS, the influential rock 'n' roll band that wore theatrical make-up and staged elaborate concert events, was founded. A new book released this week chronicles the band's beginnings. It's called, simply enough, "Kiss: The Early Years." Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, contributors to the book and co-founders of KISS, visited The Early Show to discuss the first few years of the band's existence. Simmons and Stanley say they first collaborated in a band called Wicked Lester. They then recruited Ace Frehley and Peter Criss to form KISS in 1973. Now, about 80 million records later, they have secured their place as one of the most influential bands in rock n' roll history. With the zany makeup, pyrotechnic stage shows and ahead-of-their time marketing, KISS wasn't just a band, it was a phenomenon. And they keep doing it. In February, they will play a live show on pay-per-view in Australia, backed by the 60-piece Melbourne Symphony (all in KISS makeup.) The book documents some early moments. A great one is the time when they visited the small town of Cadillac, Mich. The town's football team had been listening to KISS to get ready for games, and they started to win. So they invited KISS to town, and threw a parade for them. Everybody got into makeup, even the mayor. The book has more than 250 photographs from rock photographer Waring Abbott. The book never shows KISS out of their makeup, but it does show the process of putting the makeup on. Simmons and Stanley say the band wore the makeup just to have fun, to create a spectacle. But, they became consumed by it ‹ having to wear it every place they went, even the airport. Eventually, they did decide to take off the makeup, and the resulting album, 1983's "Lick It Up," did triple the sales of the album before it. The KISS marketing machine is legendary. You can buy everything from KISS condoms, to coffins, to credit cards. Simmons is the marketing guru and isn't shy about it. He says he got into music to be rich and to be famous. [More...]