News Archive August 2010

A Message From Fangoria's Chris Alexander Re: Gene Simmons
From: Fangoria.com
by Chris Alexander
Posted: August 31, 2010

Though the support I've been receiving in featuring The Demon on the front cover of our upcoming 2nd Halloween special issue (Due on stands in late October) has far overwhelmed the detraction, I still feel it necessary to articulate myself as to WHY I did this. I fully understand how those who were not influenced by Gene Simmons would be confused as to why he's dribbling blood on my cover so allow me to briefly explain.

Gene Simmons was my first monster. And I know I'm not alone in that.

When I was three years old I saw a copy of the 1977 album "Love Gun" at my local library. The painted cover featured KISS in a kind of Gothic dungeon, with white faced ghoul girls collapsed at their feet. These four larger than life men stood there, painted and bizarre and at the end was Simmons, head back, fangs, bat wings, monster boots, leather, armor...

I was fascinated. I did not understand what I was looking at. I was frightened. I became obsessed by this garish amalgam of sexuality and horror and inside was a vinyl disc that I desperately wanted to spin on my rinky dink Fisher-Price record player...I wanted to borrow that album from the library but my dad wouldn't let me. He told me that KISS sucked.

So I fixated. I tried to draw KISS pictures. I had nightmares that Gene was coming out of my ceiling vent like a ghost. I'd wake up screaming.

Eventually I was allowed to get a KISS record and sure, it was just music, but the style, look and identity of these Freudian Id spawned supermen was bigger than that...they were larger than life and I refused to believe they were human beings. KISS became my myth and my obsession with Gene's blood spitting, axe wielding, flying, fire breathing persona was my gateway into my not far off obsessions with Dracula and Frankenstein and eventually all appendages of horror. As I aged and my tastes refined and intellectualized, I never lost that heart pumping adoration of the dark, dramatic and living monster thrills that Gene instilled in me.

And then to find out years later that it was Gene's love of monsters, Forry Ackerman, The Twilight Zone and science fiction that propelled him...well...it's the big, weird, wild, blood-spattered circle of life here, friends.

In this upcoming interview here's what you will get: the world's biggest and most recognized horror geek talking with me in his LA home about HORROR MOVIES and their influence on every breath he takes.

It's an important piece. And for me, personally, it's a loveletter from my heart to other horror geeks who latched on to the Simmons train as kids too...

When I took over FANGORIA earlier this year, I made it clear in my first editorial that no matter what detours my journey took steering the Fango ship, it would be an HONEST mag and it would never, ever be boring.

The minute it becomes boring, I'm out.

So I hope you understand, dearest naysayers, and know that there are sincere methods to my madness...

In the meantime, stop reading this and make plans to get FANGORIA #297 with THE WALKING DEAD on the cover...it'll be on stands any day and - if your subscribe - in your mailbox next week.

Yours -

Chris Alexander
chris@fangoria.com