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| Editor: | Joop Van Pelt |
| Fanzine Title: | KISS Kollector fanzine |
| Website: | http://kissasylum.com/kisskollector |
KA: Tell us a little bit about yourself and how you became a KISS fan.
I'm 29 years old now, and became a KISS fan when I was 9. It's been one long and exciting adventure since then. When I was a teenager I never expected I would be running one of the most respected fanclubs in the world and publishing such a great magazine, or be the source for the media overhere when it comes to KISS news, or be in touch with my idols and sometimes meet them or hang out with them, or that I would be mentioned in official publications!! (I could go on, but I won't.)
KA: Why and when did you start doing your fanzine?
Because there wasn't a fanclub anymore in Holland and I just thought the fans overhere deserve a great fanzine to keep them informed on the Hottest Band In The World. The firs time I seriously considered starting my own fanclub/fanzine, was back in '91. At the end of that year I published a promotional copy of the fanzine, in February of '92 my very first real issue came out.
KA: Please give us a description of your fanzine and how KISS fans can subscribe.
KISS Kollector is professionally printed, full color magazine and has 40 pages (in the smallest, but still readable letterfont, so you can imagine it is really jampacked with articles and photos - there is absolutely no waste of space/paper!). It's A5 format and originally started out as a 32 page mag but quickly changed to 36 pages. And the last couple of years my magazine has 40 glossy pages. Not only do I write fanatical, but also critical about the band. Although I do get some critic for this from certain other fans, most of my readers and members appreciate my way of writing very much. And judging from the reactions I get from the band from time to time they too prefer honest opinions instead of 'obligatory' fanzine stuff that claims anything the band does is awesome! I'm very lucky to be one of only a few fanmagazines that are always ahead with the news and often I can offer exclusive reports/newsbits (and photos!) in my issues. Gene talking about a Sunday morning KISS cartoon? You read it first in KISS Kollector! Gene talking about a new Hollywood KISS movie? You read it first in KISS Kollector! Gene talking about a new album with Peter & Ace? You read it first in KISS Kollector! [obviously these few examples are old news NOW, but I'm sure you get the point] Albums/homevideos are reviewed in the KISS Kollector magazine before they are being released to the public, you'll find indepth/background articles on KISS (related) activities (such as the entire process of writing, recording, mixing & mastering a new album; the current - sad - state of rock music worldwide and how that situation may affect the upcoming Psycho Circus album; detailed tour statistics courtesy of Pollstar; important news regarding KISS' record company, etc. etc.), interviews with members past & present, extensive tour reports, messages from the bandmembers, and sometimes even confidential memos and such from management to the band (regarding band meetings, new strategies, contracts, etc.) and much, much more. As for photos, I don't print the pictures you see in a lot of other publications/fanzines but most of the time have exclusive photos including shots taken at private parties, backstage, press conferences and such. I recently had a great photo of Ace playing pool in a bar (which scared the hell out of my members/subscribers) - or what about a pic I printed last year of Ace backstage at the '96 Donington festival in make up but without his usual stagecostume... Oh, by the way, the mag is written in English and read over the world (including Russia, Australia, Japan, etc.). Subscribing is easy: to join the KISS Kollector Fanclub (The European KISS Army) - which automatically makes you a subscriber of the magazine - you just have to send the membershipfee (40 Dutch guilders or $22 within Europe//45 Dutch guilders or $24 outside Europe - these rates apply to cash payment only, for checks you'll have to add $8 to cover for the extremely high bankcharges) to: KISS Kollector Fanclub Herenweg 109 1244 PZ Ankeveen HOLLAND
KA: What sets your fanzine apart from the others out there in KISS fandom?
That has been desribed above (not just the usual fan stuff, but critical articles as well) for the most part. And obviously not just the quality of the contents, also the quality of the 'looks': glossy, full color, etc. But hey, "talk is cheap" - fans who are interested better order an issue to check it out for themselves and form their own opinion on the KISS Kollector magazine (or ask your fellow fan who might be a subscriber or has seen it someplace).
KA: What are some of the "headaches" and joys of running a fanzine?
There's many, but it's always the nice things that stand out. I don't feel it's correct to discuss the 'headaches' here because when one of my members gives me a 'headache' I prefer to solve the problem with him/her personally - I might hurt someones feelings when giving examples here, so I won't... And the fact that I'm still doing all this after so many years is the best proove that it's the nice things that stand out and thus are most important. (Things that I consider the 'joys' of doing this, include: publishing a magazine on the greatest band that ever walked the face of the planet, knowing and sometimes meeting lots and lots of fans simply because of running the fanclub, and also being in touch with other parties involved such as the record company, tour/concertpromoters, stores, companies that have endorsements with band members, having a totally different "relationship" with the band than most other fans, seeing more KISS shows than I could ever dream of, etc. etc.)
KA: What was the best interview or feature you have done as a Fanzine Editor?
There's many, and besides this might be different for other people who read it... But if I really have to name some: my indepth/background articles, interview with Eric Carr's last girlfriend, interviews with several members past & present...
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Don't know... (Well, there's one I can think of and that's pretty obvious... Eric Carr.)
KA: Why did you decide to bring your fanzine online in the form of a webpage?
I wanted to bring joy to as many fans as possible ;-) Seriously, as long as I can keep track with new technologies, why not enjoying the benefits of it?
KA: How has the online world affected your fanzine?
Not at all, I believe. (I hope my magazine affected the online world ;-) ...) (Ah well, there's obviously more news now and it travels faster.)
KA: What were your thoughts when you heard about the Reunion tour?
Too early in KISS' history (but still I enjoyed the 23 reunion shows I went to!)
KA: What are your expectations for the upcoming Psycho Circus album and tour, as well as the future of KISS?
Don't know what to think of it. I hope it'll be a success, but if that's what I expect it will be??? If the sales suck like in the past few years, it's the end of the band - despite all the other plans they have. And right now, it's not a good time to release a rock album as sales of rock albums have been going down fast, worldwide, over the last few years (for instance, in the States rock used to have a share of almost 50% in the album market, now it's just over 30%). For the exact figures, please check out my (upcoming) June '98 issue. It's not a pretty sight!
KA: This is your forum, say whatever's on your mind to all the fans online that are reading this Focus.
Well, I just hope any of the above doesn't sound like I'm some wiseguy who thinks he knows it all. It's just my view of things. I hope my members/readers enjoy all my hard work and continue to stay a part of the KISS Kollector Fanclub for a long time. And if I might have interested other fans in joining, that's great. Just drop me a line if you need more info on the fanclub. Hope to see all of you on the road somewhere during the next tour!!
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