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Making KISS-tory: Cadillac, Neff to be featured on VH1 special From: cadillacnews.com By Kelli Cooley 
CADILLAC - Jim Neff is certain when the VH1 special "When KISS ruled the world" airs this Saturday, his e-mail will be flooded from KISS fans all over the world asking questions and wanting him to relay the story of Cadillac's own KISS visit.
After all, Neff is the resident KISS expert in Cadillac and the person behind the band's visit to Cadillac in 1975. The story of KISS' visit has been magnified to mythical proportions over the years, sometimes into a tiny, "po-dunk" town that had a down and out football team and after playing KISS music won a state football championship. While that story has the makings of a movie, Michigan did not have state football championships in 1975, according to Neff. Instead, the Cadillac High School football team went 9-0 in 1973. In 1974, the football team lost its first two games. Knowing the team needed a boost, then-head coach Dave Brines handed the task over to Neff, then the assistant football coach. Neff was a rock-n-roll fan and decided to begin playing KISS music to pump the team up. The 1974 football team ended up winning its last seven games. So in 1975, the team's defense was called the KISS defense and KISS music continued to blare before games and practices and after games. Neff wrote to one of the KISS managers asking the band to make an appearance for the team's homecoming, explaining how the music had elevated the football team's play. Not only did KISS end up visiting Cadillac for the 1975 homecoming but spent two days in town, visiting with students, community members, city officials and city staff, and playing a concert on the stage of the gymnasium. Many of the residents, including city officials, painted their faces white and added black eye makeup like the band. The football team won the homecoming game and ended the year with a 6-3 record. Since that visit, Cadillac has been part of KISStory and has always been mentioned in KISS specials on MTV and VH1 and in KISS books. VH1 is airing its series of "When ... ruled the world," featuring KISS Saturday and Neff was flown to Chicago to be interviewed for the special. Cadillac will be featured about two-and-a-half minutes and Neff's comments are sprinkled throughout the show, according to Neff. "It's pretty cool that our town is always brought up and featured when specials are done. It's thought of as a special place," he said. While VH1 has aired specials about KISS in the past and featured the Cadillac story, this is the first time Neff has been interviewed to tell the story of when Cadillac was KISSed. VH1 producer Sarah Girgis said she has never heard of a story like the Cadillac KISS visit before. "I've never seen it happen. I've never seen fans like KISS fans. They are the true meaning of fanatical," she said. Girgis said Cadillac's story is meaningful and probably the reason it is featured every time there is a KISS special because it is unique. "For a whole town to turn out and put on KISS makeup is significant. Plus there is cool footage," she said. Girgis added KISS fans will be interested to know it is the first time all four original band members of KISS have been featured in an hour-long documentary in six years. Next year will be the 30th anniversary of the KISS visit. While Neff said it would be a treat to have KISS come back to Cadillac, the logistics of getting the band into town and having a place for them to play that accommodates thousands of fans would be tough. When KISS visited Cadillac in 1975, the band was not as popular in northern Michigan as its now world-wide appeal, Neff said. |
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