I'm Putting Up Spinelli
By: Harvey Haigler

Hey Spinelli, the first time I heard KISS was in the upstairs bedroom of my best friend's brother. We were 12 years old. It was 1975. We played Alive for most of the afternoon. By the time I went home that day I had memorized most of side one. By the end of that school year there wasn't a song they did that I couldn't sing word for word. Those were the good old days.

Do you remember the old days? Of course you don't... you're only 19 years old for Christ sakes! I've lived for this band for the last 24 years. I have every KISS album (or CD or both) and I've seen 15 shows, 14 of which were with the makeup (actually, I try not to count the Vinnie Vincent show with his pink ass guitar). I put up alright, put up a crap load of dough. Now I have to put up with folks like you saying I should count my blessings? What a crock!

Here are my thoughts on your thoughts:

The Reunion Tour - "KISS gave us all a renewed hope in rock and roll and built a whole new audience with a different generation." I never lost hope in rock and roll or KISS. Hell, I waited 16 plus years to see them together again on stage, and the Greensboro, NC show was as good as my very first one. But if KISS built a whole new audience, they sure didn't buy into Psycho Circus. Which brings me to...

Psycho Circus - "I know people are upset about rumors of who played what. F*** it! who cares? It was done by KISS." We should all care. If Gene is telling the world that everyone in the band contributed to the album but it's a lie, then I want to know. I want to know the facts before I spend my money thinking Ace or Peter is filling the tracks. How many of us old fans remember the blue label Casablanca days? Remember when the song credits said Stanley/Simmons? But then came Stanley/Poncia? "I Was Made for Losing You" more like it. Sure PC has its moments, but like the initials say, it's much too "Politically Correct" for me. Too calculated, too clean, too radio friendly. "I Pledged Allegiance" back in 1975. Hey KISS, it's time to live up to your reputation.

Playing Songs From The '80s - No tangle here, as long as it's something from Creatures or before. If Ace is comfortable playing Cusano/St. John/Kulick songs more power to him. I just remember Sammy Hagar singing Dave's old lines, and somehow live it just didn't do them justice. Almost a sacrilege.

It Won't Last Forever - Thank God! If Gene gets any bigger he'll need those flying cables for the whole show. Seriously, KISS has been a great part of my life. Not a day goes by that someone somewhere will say they heard I was a big KISS fan. That means a lot to me. The toys and merchandise are all part of the package. It has been that way since the beginning. Gene doesn't have dollar symbols for pupils for no reason now does he? The lies and miscommunication have been there forever as well. KISS is Gene and Paul. Ace and Peter were just a piece of the best part. Yeah, those were the good old days. So go "Raise Your Glasses" to another wrestler, beanie baby or hot wheel. I'll just have some Cold Gin.

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