Arlo Pepper

They say music is subjective, right? There is no right or wrong, just preferences. Don’t tell that to Kiss fans. With an obsessiveness rivaled only by Trekkies, soldiers of the Kiss Army have been known to spend countless hours arguing over the most minute of details. Old-school purists will sing the praises of 70’s staples like “Parasite” or “Shock Me”, while latter-day fans will strongly espouse the merits of “Hide Your Heart” or “Unholy”. Certainly there must be a way of once-and-for all settling the notion that not all Kiss songs are created equal?

That’s exactly what listeners of Pod of Thunder, the long-running Kiss related podcast are doing. For the next few months, diehard fans (affectionately known as “POTheads”) will be voting via Facebook on their favorite Kiss songs. They will be pitted against one another in a March Madness style single-elimination tournament until one song is crowned the all-time “Stone Kold Kiss Klassic” (SKKK).

Over the course of its 200-plus episode run, Pod of Thunder’s three hosts – Nick Jones, Andy Jones and Chris Lathrop – have hilariously critiqued and analyzed every song in the extensive Kiss catalog. Some have been declared real stinkers, but many have been elevated to the lofty status of SKKK. It’s these best-of-the-best songs that are competing against one another in a tournament dubbed “The SKKK Tournament of Champions”.

“Pod of Thunder is unique among the many Kiss-themed podcasts out there. It’s part round table discussion, part game show, and always hysterical” says a representative for Stats of Thunder, the unofficial fan group running the tournament. “It doesn’t need the guests or the endless minutia that other Kiss podcasts rely on. The fact that it’s about Kiss is almost irrelevant. People like it for the on-air chemistry of Nick, Andy and Chris. It’s unfiltered, unedited and they always shoot-from-the-hip on a variety of topics. I think this is why the show has such a fiercely loyal group of listeners.”

But what will happen later this year when the tournament ends and Pod of Thunder finally runs out of Kiss tunes to analyze? “Whether the show decides to continue or just calls it a day, it doesn’t matter” the rep says. “They’ve created a body of work that demands repeat listening, in the same way TV shows have re-runs. And you rarely find that in podcasting.”

The SKKK Tournament of Champions runs now until August.

Follow the tournament at the Stats of Thunder Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/statsofthunder

Listen to new and past episodes of Pod of Thunder at the show’s official site:
http://www.podofthunder.com/