Issue #12: "If You Were The Manager . . . "

Well, I finished the article you're about to read a couple of weeks ago, but never got around to turning it in until August 23. No biggie, but then I happened to look at the KISS newsgroup and saw that someone had brought up the SAME EXACT IDEA(!) the the same scenerio on August 25.

Great minds thinking alike? Or more a case of fans wanting to see something like this happen with the band? You be the judge."

You're a fan of KISS. You've been a fan for along time and have seen members come and go, the music change over the years, the makeup disappear and reappear. You've had the occasional friend treat you like a geek for liking the band. You've had the bystanders tsk-tsk'ing over your KISS t-shirt. Nevertheless, the band has always had a special place in your heart and you've bought the albums, the videos and even some of the merchandise. You believe in the band and think that, while they do occasionally do some very odd things, they're great.

One day, the band members find out that their management has left. So has their rep at the record label. In a quirky moment of fate, the four members decide to pick a fan to come up with ideas for what they should do. They pick you because they've seen your comments on the KISS Asylum bulletin-boards one too many times and think, "hey, let's give this fan a chance. Can't be any worse than what we have had in the past!" You've got six months to prove your worth, with unlimited access to the label and the KISS Company. The band has also agreed to act upon your suggestions instead of out-right dismissing them. What would you do to make KISS hotter than ever before?

Keep in mind there is a financial and realistic side to this issue. Playing a world-tour with all of the former and current members of KISS may sound cool, but logistically and financially it would be impossible to pull off (okay, maybe one show, but it would probably take a year to set everything set and running for a one-time event). Remember, you're given this chance to show that the fans have creative ideas that will keep the band in the black (and I don't mean makeup). There are also egos involved as well, not just in the band but with managers, arena people, record promoters, etc. You don't burn bridges just because it is fun, and you want to prove that you know what you are doing.

Here's what I would do:

1) First thing would be to get the four members together in one room and figure out where everyone is in relations to their role in the group. This would not only give you a chance to point out what you think the band should do, but also see what plans the band members have as well. Do some members feel on the outs? Is there friction? Why and what could be done to remedy the problems? Most importantly, see where everyone thinks the band will be in a year, three years and five years.

Sure, the band has said they did this back before the Reunion Tour, but that was more than three years ago. This is an important first step before any new major project, especially in the past few months when it has been obvious that each band member has been giving mixed signals as to what will happen or should happen to the band. For example, Gene was saying a new tour in the fall, Ace was saying the tour would be over in "Y2K," Paul was saying possibly in the fall or in the winter. Ace was also saying that there would be no new album by the band, while Gene had a different perspective. Everyone needs to be giving the same information about an album and tour or else the fans get confused and frustrated. One comment from a band member saying that the tour will happen at a time that it won't even come close to happening (and this has always been a major problem with the band members in interviews) and some fans will feel that the band can't keep their head on straight, or can't get gigs. And if the fans think that, then the public will be ten steps in front of them thinking the same thing (or not thinking of the band at all).

It would also help to see where the band members want the band to go. Maybe some DO want to leave in a year. Maybe some would stay on if certain accomondations were made (like additional songwriting credits on the next album or some of their solo material used in-concert). The band has been able to do this in the past with Peter's problems with his arms by changing touring tactic, so it's not like a complete change of pace from the norm. Otherwise, getting information out in the open would at least allow everyone to say, "Okay, we're doing one more tour, so let's make it the best ever!" No dragging of the feet or hope for a last minute call from the governor -- a deal is a deal. If it is a done-deal, then the enthusiasm would absolutely be there to make it the best tour ever in the band's history.

2) No more merchandise.

Well, we know that's impossible and the band (especially one particular member) would never go for that idea. Plus, there certainly is room for a couple of new t-shirts when the next album and tour comes around, perhaps a new video-cassette or a magazine. The comic can stick around as well as it is a creative endeavor that publicizes the band. No problem. As to the toys, the cards, the leather jackets, the dolls, the "bobbing head" things, etc. -- what's out there on the market already IS IT! Anyone else with a new product gets shot on sight.

There has always been a complaint by people who can't stand KISS that they are only interested in the merchandise and don't care about putting on a good show or playing music. This line of thought has changed. Now it is increasingly the fans who say this. It was starting to become common to hear fans leaving the PC concerts saying, "the show was good, but it wasn't as good as it could have been. All they care about is the toys." It is not helping the band's image anymore as the fans are beginning to actively resent the stuff, especially with many of the products being sold for extremely high prices when none of the material needed for the product is costly. For example, one particular product (I won't name the product because I don't want to sound like I'm just beating up on one merchandiser) retailed for SEVEN TIMES the cost of the merchandise itself. The another item being sold by the band in their catalog cost less than $25 to manufacture and were being retailed between $500 and $700 dollars.

The band did right with fans on the KISSTORY book by making sure replacements were available to fans when some had problems with their binding. I believe there is concern for making sure the products are not just cheap jack material, but the retail pricing is just too much and is looked upon as just seeing the fans as a bunch of suckers. Of course I know a common response to fans who feel this way is, "well, don't buy it." But that is exactly the problem -- no one is buying it! Nor can you locate half the stuff that is out there! If you're lucky, you might find a Spencers that got stuck with a truckload of KISS merchandise a year ago and are trying to sell it all for half-off. You might find some stuff in the music-stores as well, but most of the new merchandise is too expensive and too gimmicky for even the most loyal of fans.

Which is why it is a dangerous financial move to have too much out on the market. Nothing says failure better than last year's toys being sold at low, low prices so that a store can recoup their losses. You can already tell from the look of the store managers at Spencers that they feel royally screwed that they got talked into the hype of it all. That doesn't get you brand-loyalty and it is already starting to come back at the band in general. It could become very easy for stores to simply say, "don't order any of that KISS stuff, the last batch we had to discount at a loss." If that becomes easy to say, then saying, "don't order the new KISS album, we can't even sell the toys," would not be far behind.

It's not like the merchandise is or was a complete disaster. Some items (such as the aforementioned comic, magazines and the dolls) seem to do well. But it is time to cool this aspect of the business down, at least for awhile. There is little need to waste money on products that end up in the "$1 or less" stores and cause bad publicity for the band. People are buying what they've wanted and the rest will be sold or will rot. Money has been made and exhausted in this area for the present time. Let's move on.

3) And, speaking of which, cancel the movies, the cartoon, the television movie, the Broadway musical, etc. A documentary? Okay, fine, but not a made-for-television docudrama with people playing the band members. Unfortunately, the band has already done three or four documentaries about the band's career, so that's a bit dry as well. Maybe a "best of" live concert video (with footage from the 1970s on up) would be good. Beyond that, skip it.

While the band has always been visual, there has never been a really successful attempt to bring KISS into the visual media of television or movies. Besides the video-cassettes, which are geared towards the fan-market, nothing really seems to push the band or their name promotionally. The general public's attitude about seeing KISS on television is not, "wow, KISS, they're cool," but more like, "are those guys still around?" Even the fans don't make it a point to rush out and see the television shows or the new movie (especially when a video of their performance is always just around the corner). As to why that is most probably has to do with a fan base that is interested in seeing the four members (whomever the members may be at the moment) do a great show or make a great album. The rest is just cream to the fans, but it is not the main reason they are there. The band itself has said such things in the past as well.

After all, while there are plenty of fans that say, "oh, a movie based on THE ELDER would be great" or "a television miniseries about the band would be fantastic", none of these fans would take that over a really great album and a really killer show. The priorities of the fans is: Music FIRST, movie/television somewhere after that. There just isn't enough interest to get it to work unless you turn a film into something so different from the band that it can stand on its own, and even then you might have problems (take a look at DRC's ticket-sales, for instance).

The best thing for the band to do is to wait for someone to come to them with a project for them to participate in, not the other way around. Now, if a Broadway producer comes to the band and wants to do a musical using KISS songs, then that may work for the better -- the band gets the praise and glory if the show is a hit; if it bombs, then it will be the producer's fault. Either way, KISS gets a "win-win" situation and a nice cushy check in the bank. Ultimately, let others do the television and movie concepts and leave the music and the concerts to the band.

4) Interviews.

There is no doubt about it, when it comes to interviews, Gene is really the mascot of the band. He is not only willing to do them more than the others, but he usually has something to say and knows the type of material to be said in order to get headlines. He has also always been the one that non-fans remember of the group ("oh, the one that sticks out his tongue!"). The only problem is that he is starting to repeat himself because he is the only one that interviewers seek out to talk to anymore. Both Gene and Paul had always habitually gotten to the point of doing interviews by inserting "answer A into question-slot B" and they can grow stale very quickly. Gene is starting to show signs of this again and he really needs to recharge his batteries (so do the interviewers, come to think about it, can't put all the blame on the interviewee).

Nothing against Gene, but let's rein him back a bit on the interviews and instead give Peter, Ace and Paul more opportunities to do solo turns at the mike. More so, dual interviews are very good as well, especially when they are not monopolized by one member over another. This will make the interviews go over better and allow other members in the band to show their views as well. It helps promote the band as four members instead of the "guy with the tongue" and his band (and some interviews with Gene ARE coming off this way more and more these days).

5) Solo projects, solo projects, solo projects!!!!!

I can't state this enough because it would be of great benefit to the band and the individual members if this was looked upon as a promotional tool instead of some evil, awful entity. Sure, some fans may worry that a solo project may lead a band member away from the band, but there ARE other bands that do this and still come back together to produce great albums and excellent tours. Why does KISS have to be so different? Both Paul's recent stint in PHANTOM OF THE OPERA and Ace's occasional solo guitar work are two cases where the walls of the band didn't tumble down, for example. Not only that, but Paul's experience actually gave the band a lot of good publicity. Thinking in bigger terms, it may also get some theatergoers a change of heart about the band, perhaps even pick up an album by Paul and the others ("Hey, I didn't know he could sing! Maybe he sings just as well on this KISS junk as well!"). The spreading of his wings professionally does more good than harm for the band.

As to Ace and Peter (more so with Ace), appearing on other albums with other performers, and the occasional concert appearance would be a good promotion for the band as well. There are plenty of guitarists out there that consider Ace an idol, and several of these professional fans would jump at the chance to have Ace play with them. It would also allow Ace to be recognized as a solo artists in his own right, something that may be part of the problems he feels weighing on him currently in KISS. Above all, it gives fans of other bands and groups the idea that Ace is an excellent guitarist and perhaps they need to listen to his stuff again. Thus, another promotion for KISS and Ace's solo albums. As to Gene's return to the movies, good for him. Personally I think he would be best to get more involved with projects that have nothing to do with the band (which he does seem to be doing once again, from the look of things), as having an agenda of only KISS-related projects could make him look extremely stale to movie executives. Pushing the envelope in other genres outside the band would look much better.

Solo projects also give the band an extra charge when the four of them come back together again. Just think of it, if each member is a successful solo artist in some field, they've become like super heroes with their own comic books and fans can direct their attention to the type of projects that they want to see ("I'm picking up DETECTIVE COMICS, because Batman is in it. I know you want ACTION because Superman is in it."). And when you bring the four of them together, then you have the "super group!" It would be like seeing the Justice League of America in action, or going to the All-Star Game. Essentially, solo projects in between albums and tours only sweeten the pot in the long run, not to mention that other projects may help expand the creativity of the band when they do get together for an album.

6) Speaking of albums, some of you that have read my earlier columns know that I love THE ELDER and I've always been a fan of concept material for the band. However, I think doing such material now would be a mistake for the band. Frankly, it smells of the type of project that will then be pushed as a movie, television series, etc. and that is exactly the wrong direction for the band if they want to show the world that they are a band first and the merchandise comes second. Don't give us a concept that can be turned into toys or games, give us an album of music. I hate saying that, because I love the concept stuff, but reality calls for a different tact.

What is needed is a studio album that is a collection of 10 - 12 tracks, of which each member has written 2-3 songs. No substitute performers, either. Just the four of them in one room, hashing out the material until the four of them agree on what the songs will sound like and then recording them. It could be like the old days of the first three albums when the four of them had to rely on each other to pull the whole album and each track off. It will give them a hungrier sound and I think an excellent sign-off if this would be the final studio album by the band called KISS.

I know some fans have a problem with other performers playing on the PC album (maybe a couple of band members felt that way as well), but the band has done this since DESTROYER, so it was nothing new to them to treat PC in that manner as well. Other bands also do so. But, I think I know why fans were upset with this on the PC album. The four original members of the band -- the unique quality that we called KISS -- were always seen as the underdogs by fans. They were the four musketeers against the world that didn't want them to succeed. A band that critics wanted to simply fall by the wayside and disappear. They were hungry then and they really lived in each other's faces during their early time together when they wrote and performed most of their BEST material. The PC album was the chance to show the world that they could get back together and produce that material again. The four of them once again against the world. Instead it became the four of them and several other anonymous people.

Doesn't quite have the same ring to it, does it?

People who weren't fans picked up on it and made fun of the band for it, which didn't set well with fans. The band needs to prove all the doomsayers wrong and put out an album that will make even the critics say "well, I don't like them, but you have to give them credit for wanting to take the world on again." Make them sit up and bow down before the band. That's what sells records. Not the 3-D videos. Not the toys. Not the phoney-baloney 3-D concert. The music. The integrity.

Do that and you're guaranteed success. Not to mention the ability to go out with a bang.

7) As to a tour: First, forget about making a new fancy stage. The one you have is fine. Yes, some fans were disappointed that there wasn't more to it than a flat stage with a slight curve to it, but it allowed a larger number of fans to see the band perform. It also allowed the band to move and interact with each other a bit more. Besides, it's cost-effective. Thus, no new stage. And keep the costumes, although Gene's armor could do with a bit of reworking. Better yet, simplify the costumes for an idea I have below. What needs to really be worked on is the show itself. The problem with the last tour was that it became very obvious that it was essentially the Reunion Tour, Part II. The show needs fresh material and fresh activities for the band to do. We don't need a rehash of 1976 or 1979 again. We want to see new ideas that incorporate the band's music into a flashy show.

Second, drop the song list. You can have "Beth", "Detroit Rock City", "Black Diamond" and "Rock and Roll All Nite", as there's just no way it seems to avoid them. Anything else done in the tour should go bye-bye. Instead, pull out the chestnuts that EVERYONE knows will go over well with the fans in that arena that night.

Now, I know the thinking of the band and its management, "well, the new fans aren't going to know this material. We have to play the songs they will know." Fair enough, IF THERE WERE NEW FANS COMING IN! There aren't that many new fans showing up anymore. The fans there at the shows are the die-in-the-wool fans that know every song and every lick. You could play "She" with a flute solo and half of that audience in attendance will go nuts the second you bring out the flute because they will recognize it from the Wicked Lester days. If there are fans who don't understand it, they will soon enough. They'll get into it, especially if everyone around them is getting into it.

Don't be shy to do oddball material. One would have thought this would be automatic considering the Convention tour in 1995 when the band took requests from the crowd. People want to hear more than just the standards. Plus, I still believe that fans would get a kick out of hearing at least four or five songs from the years in between 1980 and 1996, and not just KISS tracks either. Let Ace do "Insane" or "Rock Soldiers" ("Trouble Walkin'" would be a nice touch as well); let Peter do some of his solo material. It wouldn't hurt. "I Love it Loud" would be cool, as would a version of "Hide Your Heart" with Paul and Ace trading off on vocals. There are a lot of ideas here that I haven't even touch upon that could work here with some imagination. At least give it a shot and see how the fans will react.

As to the staging, something needs to be done as it is becoming too predictable. Gene flys through the air, Ace shoots off rockets, Paul flies to the middle of the arena. It was fun to see all this again, but a new tour should also have new stunts.

The best stunt to bring the fans and the curious in would be a tour that featured the band without the makeup. Just the four band members performing for the audience, playing loose and having fun on stage. Yes, you could still have your stunts (Paul could still fly to the middle of the arena, for instance), but you would give fans a chance to see something they have never seen before -- the four original members without makeup performing on stage live for a full show. It would also allow for the 1980s material to be interjected into the show more readily as there will be no need to worry about songs being right for a member's persona. It's just music.

In fact, here's an idea: the ONCE AND FUTURE TOUR. No opening band, just a short video segment on the multi-screens of scenes from the early 1970s -- the music, the news, etc. Then the lights go out and out of the mist on stage come the four members of the band. Opening with "Detroit Rock City" (since it's a standard that can't be avoided and it promotes the movie, let's get it out of the way first), then surprise the crowd with "Strange Ways." Frankly, I can't think of a better song to freak out the masses with. You then move into "Nothin' To Lose," using Peter's own trademark back talk that sounded so great back in the '70s. "Rocket Ride" would be nice as the next song and could lead into Ace's solo (a NEW solo, no need to keep Ace doing the same old solo once again), which could then slide right into "Rock Bottom" and Ace's solo for that song. "King of the Nighttime World" could lead directly into Gene spitting fire, and a way to introduce "Charisma" or maybe "Christine Sixteen" or "Radioactive" into the show (a solo song? why not?). Follow that up with "I Stole Your Love", "I Love it Loud" and "Rock and Roll All Nite".

The stage then goes black. An intermission is called and for those fans not wanting to get a drink or use the bathroom, videos are shown on the multi-screens. This should start with the video for "Shandi", then a short homage to Eric Carr including a live clip of him doing "War Machine" or some other song that shows him off in good form. Finally, the video for "Psycho Circus."

During this time (running roughly 20 - 30 minutes), the band members could be backstage taking the makeup off and getting into normal clothes instead of the costumes. With the ending of the video, the four return to the stage to finish the show by doing another 45 minutes to an hour of music, including stuff from the 1980s, the 1990s and the PC album. Maybe even loosen up enough to play a couple of songs just for the heck of it. Paul would be able to do his solo during this half and Peter would get the chance to sing "Beth" without the makeup for once. And while we're at it, why not try the electric version of "Beth" again, just to see if fans will enjoy it.

This not only allows the fans to see the band in the makeup and costumes, but also in a looser format that may have a more "anything goes" feel to it. It also means that the show itself becomes an EVENT(!) instead of just another concert. A concert with an intermission in it because the band wants to give you even more than normal. Not many artists to it, but when they do, it really satisfies the fans a great deal. Finally, just think -- no opening band to worry about or pay for. Who needs them anyway? There's no need for appetizers when you've got the four-course meal in front of you, right? Don't give me the shrimp cocktail! Give me the meal! It's cheaper, more exciting and memorable. What more could you want in a KISS show?

Well, that these are just a few ideas that I can think of off the top of my head. If you have any further suggestions, send me a note! I would be curious to come back to this topic in a couple of months with other suggestions for what the band could do to make them bigger than ever before.

Until then, nothing to do but cross our fingers.

Email Dale Sherman at justabob@iglou.com

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