KISS Is Not A Band Now, It's A Parody Of What It Used To Stand For
By: Jim Thompson

"I'm a legend tonight" Well, OK Paul, at one time maybe. But now your band has done something to itself that media and opposition has failed to do since 1973; make KISS look pathetic.

I've been on the KISS bandwagon since 1987 when I was 11 years old. I bought Dressed to Kill at K-mart one day simply because my dad said I wouldn't like it and I wanted to spite him. Then KISS became an obsession. By the next year I had all the albums and every Metal Edge that so much as had one KISS picture in it. I loved all the music, from the makeup days to the then present.

Flash to 1990. The Hot in the Shade tour. That was my first Rock N' Roll experience and man was it just that. Then Revenge 2 years later. The best KISS album released in my lifetime. The tour following was great, and I was there screaming in Cleveland on Alive 3. Well, the record was supposedly recorded in soundcheck, but I was in Cleveland nonetheless. Amazing! There was a Statue Of Liberty that turned into a skull, flicked people off, and shot lasers. Oh, and there was a setlist that covered all of Kisstory. Flash to 1995. I'm awaiting the long talked about "Head" album and KISS Unplugged happens. Ace and Pete join for a few songs and the show is magic. Then the announcement for a reunion is made. At first I hated the idea. How could this happen when I grew up listening to Gene telling me it would never happen? Oh well, Gene never lied to me before, so the tour must be great. Flash to 1996. I see both reunion shows in Cleveland. I even posted great reviews for them on this very KISS ASYLUM Web Site. Then I thought about it. KISS played the standard set of greatest hits while going through the motions, and I accepted it because it was KISS. Or so I thought. KISS died in 1992.

I thought about what I saw, and I thought about what I wrote. What I saw wasn't a great show. It was four guys out to make money riding a very strong gimmick. What I saw in Cleveland, I could have seen at any bar where a KISS Tribute Band is playing. Where was the set? Where was the giant stage? In 1992 I got an angry Statue of Liberty. In 1996, I got 2 cinder blocks, a board, and a bunch of hollow amps.

Flash to present. After 3 years of constant merchandising, continuous broken promises, an album with session musicians playing all key parts, and tours with the same setlist and stage show, KISS has managed to reach an all-time low. They are now lip-synching their live appearances. They either have too many other concerns to deal with to practice, or else their musicianship has gone to hell. Either way they are the epitome of what failure is. Even the Rolling Stones have some dignity left. KISS is no longer a band, it's a company just like JC Penny or Kohl's. I jocked the 1996 tour because I had always been a loyal fan, and saying anything negative would have seemed wrong, but now I can honestly say that KISS will never get another dollar from me. Session musicians, greatest hits packages, cover band albums, tired old setlists, lip synching, and 10,000 items for sale with KISS on it are not very fresh. KISS is not a band now, it's a parody of what it used to stand for.

Now, I'd go pop in Dressed to Kill right now, but Dad, after all these years, it turns out you were right.

KISS ASYLUM -- KISS Museum News Archive Features Tour Dates Photos