Issue #7: "Bits & Pieces"

From time to time I get mail from fellow KISS fans. Normally the e-mails and letters are asking questions about the books and what I am currently working on, or maybe a question about the band members that they feel I might know something about. Normally they are just quick questions with simple answers and I'll try to flash back a response as soon as I can.

One e-mail recently from a fan suggested that I go ahead and discuss some of these questions in a column for The KISS Asylum. He thought that it might give people a chance to see what is happening currently with my projects and how I feel about some things in the news.

I thought it was a great idea, if for no other reason than that it gets me out of review PSYCHO CIRCUS for one more month (hee hee hee). So here are a few short topics that I have been thinking about over the past month. (I just hope the column doesn't read like one of Larry King's articles in USA TODAY.)

1) As you may have guessed, I have heard the new album (and certainly nothing with "ttthhheee rrrrraaaaaaattttttttt!" in the middle of it). Someone I know was able to get me an advance copy of the album (thanks, BA) a couple of weeks ago and ever since people have been asking me what I think of it.

Can't tell you. I haven't had the time to really sit down and listen to it yet. Hopefully I can review it completely for the column next month, but for now I can't really pass judgment on it. My wife has listened to it, however; and her reaction was a reluctant "it sounds all right," which for her is a big admission. Now, whether her liking the album is a good thing or a bad thing for KISS fans is another factor altogether.

Still, getting an advance copy does bring up a question that some fans have: should people be passing around copies of the album before the general release in September? Does it spoil the thrill of getting the album itself?

Quite possibly. If you already know the material appearing on the album by heart through the tapes, it can be a bit of a letdown when you go into a store and buy the finished product. It's not like there is going to be new material on the CD that you can't find on the tape (unless you go to Japan, of course -- but more about that later). At least the additional CD-Rom material on the disc, and the packaging itself (with the 3-D image, etc.) will be a positive bonus at the time of purchase. So there will be the need to buy the album if one wants to experience exactly what the band and the record label want you to see and hear when one is presented with the album.

On the other hand, it seems to be that the ability to hear the advance copy of the album is more of a fan-level experience. Remember when you would go over to a friend's house to hear a new album that you haven't bought yourself yet. Remembering listening to the album over and over again, maybe even borrowing it from your friend so you could listen to it on your own? Isn't part of the thrill of getting a new album is to not only hear it yourself, but to get your friends together and play it for them so you can share in their first experience with the album? Frankly, that is all that the circulation of the advance PSYCHO CIRCUS album really is. On a grander scale, sure; but ultimately it is the same thing. It's just that now, instead of having a friend come over to the house to hear the album, people are sending copies to friends across the country and around the world. The Global Village at work, you could say.

Is that a good thing for business? Hard to say. It does allow fans to hear the material ahead of time, perhaps even get them interested in buying the album when it appears in September. On the other hand, if the curious do not like the material they hear from free, it certainly stops them from buying the album just to check out the material. Yet, those who were only mildly curious would probably decide on their purchase upon either hearing the single when it is released, or by listening to promo copies of the album at the music stores themselves (I believe Best Buy and other stores still have a sampling system available to hear new albums on).

Ultimately, I really do not think it will hurt sales on the album, especially in consideration of the fact that the album is due within six weeks of the tape's first circulating. Now, the CARNIVAL OF SOULS situation was another matter completely. (A matter for another time, as well.)

2) Some fans seem to be really ticked off that the Japanese pressing of PSYCHO CIRCUS has the additional track, "In Your Face." I can understand that. You've been waiting years for a new album from the original four and now you find that you're going to be missing out on a track.

Still, there is a logical explanation for this. As stated in other forums over the past few weeks, such additional tracks are common for many new releases from most popular bands. Why? Because the Japanese (and other foreign countries as well) want people in their country to buy the domestic edition of the album -- which is more expensive than the imported US edition.

Face it, we may groan a bit about the cost of CDs here in this country, but with a bit of searching we can normally find a brand-new album for less than $15 (sometimes even under $10). You cannot get that in most other countries and the record companies know they have to compensate in some manner to help their affiliated labels in foreign lands. Thus, the addition of one or two tracks to the foreign versions in order to keep the peace, as it were.

People seem to be looking for a conspiracy here about the band itself deciding this as a way to make more money. The problem with such an attitude is that it is NOT the band's option. It is the record label's option, and it is good for worldwide sales. Does the band end up with more cash in their pocket at the end of the day? Undoubtedly, yes; and I don't think you will find the band really crying and wailing about having to do this; but to suggest that KISS has much say in the matter is giving the band too much power.

Still, at least the good news for us vinyl-fans is that PSYCHO CIRCUS will be coming out in vinyl as well. Normally this means that the additional track will show up there (something to help push the sale of the vinyl, and something done with all the other vinyl releases in the past few years for KISS). I would strongly suggest not trying to stick it in your CD-ROM, however.

3) Another KISS movie is on the horizon. Hope for the best here, but the plot seems to be vaguely familiar. Someone recently reported elsewhere that they kept thinking of THANK GOD IT'S FRIDAY, but the plot sounds to be like a cross between FOXES and an updated I WANNA HOLD YOUR HAND through DAZED AND CONFUSED territory. (Eh? How do you like that? I can pitch these movie concepts as well as anyone.)

Besides song stage performances, it would not surprise me to find the KISS band members themselves only appearing in a small speaking part of the film. So, I would not be surprised to find KISS playing a cameo in their own movie.

It's a shame that nothing could have ever developed with the ELDER idea and we're having to go with another movie about the 1970s instead (and another "coming of age" film at that as well). But I'm biased. I lived through the 1970s, I don't need to see it on the big screen (unless they're marketing the movie as a horror film).

Yet, at least something is actually being done with the band for the screen again, and I'm sure it will be fun seeing them that way. I'm just glad that this concept of a movie happened before the success of another retro-70's movie, BOOGIE NIGHTS. Can you imagine what the film would have been like then?

4) A bit off-topic, but people are always asking me how the Alice Cooper book I am writing is turning out. Things are coming together on it, and the book is still set to come out before the end of the year. Basically, it's a reference guide to Alice's music, much like BLACK DIAMOND 2 was for KISS, and I have been finding a lot of generous Coop fans who have been helping with the book and are eager to see something like this appear.

Speaking of which, I ran into Alice in the middle of July while in Columbus, Ohio to see his concert there. I was at the hotel Alice was staying and as I was getting off the elevator to the parking lot, Alice was waiting to get on after playing golf that day. He looked exhausted from the heat (about 95 in the shade) and he was with his family, so I just stepped aside as they all got on.

Yeah, I know -- not that exciting of a story. Still, having a door open up to be standing face-to-face with Alice is something that I will remember for a long time.

5) Since we touched on the topic of BD2, I strongly suggest people wanting updates for the book to check out Julian Gill's KISS FAQ II! Good site with tons of visuals that I couldn't fit into the book due to limitations. He even has a correction page for BD2 (that I have contributed to as well). Good page and I will have him killed soon as he now knows too much!

6) As for the WORLD WITHOUT HEROES novel: I will be starting back up on the chapters in late September, so expect the first chapter again then or in early October. The Alice book is taking a bit longer than I imagined, but once that is out of the way, I will have the free time to work more on the other projects such as this one.

Thanks to everyone that has written to me about the novel so far. I'm glad to see that everyone seems to be enjoying it and I hope that the finale will make the wait worth its while. As to those of you that have suggested I shop it to the band to see if they want to release it, I have passed along this idea to a certain band member, but I do not believe that they are interested in doing anything outside of the PC comic right now.

If the band shows no interest, then the Asylum page will be the only place to see the book as I certainly cannot release it myself due to copyright reasons. Does that bother me? No, not really. It's just a fun project, and that is all it was ever intended to be. I'm just glad that people have a chance to read it and enjoy it.

7) While on the topic of writing and books, a couple of times now people have written me about a rumor that I was being sued by the band and/or the record label because of the BD books.

I'm surprised that the rumor is going around, but the rumor is simply not true. That may be disappointing to some, I'm sure; but it is true. In fact, the only lawsuits that I have heard of even being threaten against any of the books (and, now, probably NOT the ones you're thinking of) have been from other writers that feel certain books have plagiarized information from their articles and websites. Other than that, I can't think of any book that has a lawsuit against it by the band or the record label.

To be honest, I don't see why the band or the record label would want to sue against a book anyway. All it would do is help sales for the book in questions. Just think, "Read the book that the band doesn't WANT YOU TO READ!!!" Man, those things would become collectors' items in no time. Hhhhhmmmmm, I'm going to have to buy a few boxes of books just in case the rumor ever comes true. Yes, that's a joke!

7) As to reactions to the book, things have been very positive in the year and a half since BD1 first appeared. The most thrilling part of the whole thing was hearing nothing BUT positive things from a number of people who are still working or have worked with the band over the years, including former and present band members. That made me feel better about the books and the pressure involved in getting them done.

The question I'm sure some people have now is, "who were these people, what where their names?" I would rather not say, because I would then feel like I am shortchanging these individuals by trying to cash in on their personal comments to me. I know someone will probably say, "Oh, then he's just making it up"; but I know who I heard from and the people who know me know who I have heard from, so I'm not that worried about that factor. The main concern for me is that these individuals thought enough of the book to say something to me about it, and that is a great compliment.

The real irony of this whole thing came a few weeks ago when someone on a newsgroup complained about the book because it supposedly "went out of its way to make a certain person look bad." I found that funny as the band member in question had called me at work the week before and, in the course of the conversation, told me that he had read the books and thought they were "cool."Can't win for losing, I guess.

8) One question that I do get asked a lot is if I have ever run into the other KISS biographers. If so, what did they have to say about the book?

I've never had a chance to talk with C. K. Lendt myself, but I have heard through a friend that interviewed him that Lendt has read a few excerpts from the book. His reaction, from my understanding, was that it read fine but it was being promoted all wrong. Which was a reaction that you would expect from someone that worked in the position he did. He had some good ideas as well, and I'll see if I can use some of them the next time around when I get another book published.

As to everyone's favorite leprechaun, Gordon, I've talked to him a few times over the year and he has been nothing much nice to me each time. In fact, Gordon has been very supportive of the BD books and I do have to thank him publicly for that. He has taken the time in radio interviews and at conventions to mention my book (I've gotten e-mail from fans that have told me of Gordon doing this), and that takes a lot to support someone with a competing book because you like what they do. I truly wish him luck with the next book and I'm certainly looking forward to reading it.

(Okay, Gordon, now where's my free copy? Oops, that wasn't suppose to appear here! Better edit it out before anyone sees it!)

People have asked me what I think of the other two major KISS books, and I really have to decline from commenting. Why? If I say I like the other books, I come across as just being a brown-noser, trying to make sales by being in the same group as the others. If I say I do not like the books, I come across as a bitter jealous hack who can't stand the competition. So, the only thing I can suggest is that people check the books out for themselves and make their own determination.

One thing I can say is that the books all compliment each other -- there certainly are no really contradictions between the books (except in VERY minor ways) -- which just shows that things seem to be on the up and up among the three.

Or that it's a mass conspiracy. I don't know.

The main thing I see from people is that they expect to see these three writers at each other's throats because of the competition. It just isn't true. This is due to the fact that each book is talking about the same topic, but in their own truly different ways. KISS AND TELL is Gordon's and Bob's personal experiences with Ace over the years; KISS & SELL is C. K. Lendt's personal experience in working with the management company that dealt with KISS; while BD1 is a general biography about the band members over the years. Each book tells a different aspect about the band. With that in mind, I think fans should get something out of each book if they gave them a try.

Well that's all for this month. If you ever want to write with questions, feel free! Just remember to give me some time in responding! See you all next month!

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