An Open Letter To Mr. Gene Simmons
By: Sonny Gutierrez

Mr.Gene Simmons,

If you are reading this, please read it carefully, and think about what my letter to you says. I have been a KISS fan since the age of 4 in 1976. I have loved your band no matter who was in it, no matter what anyone else said about it or cared. KISS taught us to believe in ourselves and be somebody. And we live and breathe KISS just like you do. You yourself know this to be true. The KISS Army loves KISS, and we know this band inside out. We give our all to KISS. Look at fans like Robert Conte, who is so into KISS that he pointed out all of the errors in your catalog of albums down to a tee...We love KISS, and yes, we want the best from KISS. Year in and year out, KISS has had a great rapport with the KISS Army. And year in and year out, the fans of KISS have stood strong behind you and supported you like no other band's fans. Even when things were disappointing, or if we felt that the band had strayed from the original concept of KISS, to go out and have a good time, and not care what anyone thought, we still supported you.

When you were off in Hollywood and Paul carried the band, we still loved you Gene. When you tell us white lies like that you have every concert you have performed on video yet still give us the same video clips over and over, leaving little doubt as to whether you truly have "Every show" on video, we still love you. When Ace stole the Tom Snyder show and you were throwing a temper tantrum, we still loved you Gene. You are my favorite member of KISS, and you always will be. Yes, stuff like this is merely trivial, but the point is, that no matter what KISS has been thru, or how its members has behaved, or how we dislike KISS golf balls, or whatever it may be, we still love you. And you have loved this band that you helped found, noticeably after the Hot In the Shade tour, when you showed a greater love for this band than we had ever seen. Your passion was your pride, and your renewed energy and vigor were focused on making it back to the top, and you made no bones about going into the studio or out on tour and kicking everyone straight in the teeth and making them like it. And everyone loved it! You were the driving force that kicked KISS in the ass and pushed yourselves back into the rock spotlight. Your dedication to projects such as KISSTORY, and the 1995 Worldwide KISS Conventions showed just what great things can come from KISS. These were such awesome projects that no other band could even come close to. It is almost scary to think that KISSTORY could be so good, or that the Conventions could be so good, that one might have thought "Can anything top this?" Your hard work paid off.

And the Reunion Tour was so beautiful, and you deserved to be back on top, not just in the eyes of the KISS Army, but in the eyes of the entertainment industy as a whole. And that is what happened. Well fast-forward to 1999. Maybe the Psycho Circus album and tour didn't do as well as we all had wished. Maybe we weren't all happy with it. And maybe we get sick of the seemingly endless trail of merchandise that has rolled out. Sure, there are fans that love everything the way it is. And then there are some of us that aren't satisfied. The same way that 4 guys from New York City were not satisfied in 1972 when they started to put this band together. The same way a man named Gene Simmons wasn't satisfied in the early 90's. The same way that Gene Simmons wasn't going to settle with anything less than the best, and decided that he would make KISSTORY on his own terms, no one elses.

Well Gene, I challenge you. And i believe that if anyone can step up to a challenge, then you can. Prove me right Mr. Simmons, or prove me wrong. I challenge you to do two things that you yourself said you were going to do, and to do one thing that I personally challenge you to.

#1...You said that you were going to get up on stage and show every other band how the big boys play...Well you did that on the Reunion Tour, but why let it stop there? Where is the KISS charisma and energy that was sorely lacking in the Psycho Circus shows?

#2...You also stated that you were going to play songs from whatever era the fans wanted, and if fans wanted to hear Rock And Roll All Nite, that's what they'd hear, or whatever the fans wanted, you would give it to them. Well, Gene, who was at the KISS Conventions, who payed $100 too see you at the Conventions? Your die hard fans for the most part, right? And what did fans ask for then? Plaster Caster? Almost Human? Mr. Speed? Love Theme From KISS? Rare stuff, right? And the Conventions were a blast. It was the coolest to hear even just snippets of those songs live, and that was pretty much unplugged. Change the set list Gene. I challenge you to come up with the hardest rocking, most fun KISS set list ever.

#3...I personally challenge you to be the Demon like you never have been. Remember your photo shoot from '96 with the barbed wire wrapped around your body and head? Remember songs like Hate, and Unholy? I can appreciate songs like A World Without Heroes, which is beautiful. I think songs like We Are One are good. But you're the Demon, Gene. Kick my ass with something strong and powerful. The best video the band ever did in my opinion was Unholy, and that was because you were downright evil. Bring it on Gene...I challenge you.

We love you . But look at sports franchises like the Chicago Cubs, Gene. Chicagoans love them too, and sell out Wrigley Field on a regular basis, so the front office is content with the way things are. Don't be content Gene. Step up to the challenge.

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