KISSmuseum.com

The new Official KISS Magazine at KISSmuseum.com

Michael Brandvold

Jane Rocca | Sydney Morning Herald

My 92-year-old mother, Flora Klein, is my hero. She was sent to a Nazi concentration camp at the age of 14 and survived, but all the members of her family were wiped out – she saw her mother walk into a gas chamber. Despite the tragedy, she is a positive person who sees the goodness in people’s hearts. I wouldn’t be that forgiving if I had lived her life.

She raised me as a single mother in Israel – I was an only child. My father [Feri Witz] abandoned us when I was six. Mom had relatives living in America and so we relocated there for a better life when I was eight.

When we arrived in America neither of us could speak a word of English. My mother worked in a factory that was like a sweatshop – six days a week, no lunch breaks and there was no minimum wage. She was a button and buttonhole worker, handling 1000 coats a day. She made half a penny for every button sewed.

My father was her one true love. She went to Israel 25 times to visit him, even though he was a scoundrel who had remarried. I later found out that I had five half-brothers from my father’s five other marriages. He died in his early 80s and at that time he was living with a 35-year-old woman. He was who he was to the end.

I lost my virginity at 14 while delivering newspapers on a cold winter’s day in New York. I had to knock on doors and fight snow to get my three dollars for each delivery. An attractive and drunk housewife in her 20s asked me in. She went to get changed and came out in a negligée. You can imagine what happened next.

 

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Press Pass LA

The couple brought George, one of their 4 rescue dogs with them.  Shannon Simmons said “I think adopting dogs is good for people’s health.  It’s good for the dogs and good for people and not just adopting 1 but adopt at least 2 because then they have a herd so they can be together.  So you don’t feel guilty when you go to work.  My daughter and I rescued 10 dogs, and we now have 4 with us and my daughter has 2.  We have to put 2 down last year because they were too old. One was 19 and another one was 20 and we adopted them since they were 2 years old so it was really hard to let them go.  They got cancer and went blind and many other problems.”

Gene Simmons added “They are less like pets and more like members of the family.  It’s difficult to let your dog go.  You cry for days.  It’s just heartbreaking.  We go on 4-5 mile hike and Shanon, just by looking at George (their dog), she knows if he’s thinking about pooping, and she can tell if he needs to sit down in the shade and not wants to walk anymore.”

Marshall Morris of iheartdogs.com said “We are supper excited to partner with Gene to deliver to the shelter much-needed toys and treats and things that the dogs need to find their happy homes.”  iHeartDogs.com is the leading “profit for purpose” pet goods manufacturer and e-commerce retailer, supporting animal shelters and rescue organizations around the nation. Veteran-owned and operated, iHeartDogs was founded in 2014 as a Facebook page inspired by a rescued Siberian Husky named Splash, and has grown to over 20 million online followers and 1 million loyal customers. Through each customer purchase, iHeartDogs is able to fund millions of meals for shelter animals, provide hundreds of thousands of safe toys to shelters and helps fund service and companion animals for veterans. Named one of the nation’s fastest-growing companies by Inc. 500, iHeartDogs runs on the simple belief that every dog matters.

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KISSmuseum.com

Today we are offering a collection from one of the biggest KISS Fans ever who has collected some pretty rare and unique KISS items from all over the globe. Broken guitars, blood cups, passes and the list goes on. Not everyone has access to stuff like this and it is not too often we have this caliber of collectibles available for sale. As always, these are mostly all single items, so grab what you want when you can!

See the KISS Tour Collection at KISSmuseum.com

Jody Havenot

Roman Fernandez

OFFICIAL Petition to induct KISS, Billy Idol, and Billy Squier Manager into Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

(NO DONATION IS NECESSARY AFTER SIGNING PETITION. DONATIONS DO NOT BENEFIT THE AUCOIN PETITION CAUSE)

Mr. Aucoin not only has the distinctive notoriety of grooming and introducing not one, but three legendary, multi-million selling rock and roll acts to the world – KISS, Billy Idol, and Billy Squier, but he is also credited for erecting one of the first music merchandising empires, an empire that has reigned from the 1970’s to the present day. By trademarking the iconic faces of the original four members of KISS, Aucoin shifted the rock paradigm from a spectator sport, to a collectible zeitgeist that propelled a band from Queens into a global brand with an estimated worth in the billions of dollars.

KISS laid the groundwork for hundreds of rock acts who cite the group as an influence or inspiration of what a rock act should be. The very existence and ongoing popularity of the group 40 years after its inception is a testament to Bill’s astute foresight. A force so unshakable, he would infamously bet his American Express card to finance the live tour of an act that most in the industry at the time were trying to ignore. In the process, his determination served to engineer one of the most dynamic live shows of the era by enhancing the concert experience in ways that would go on to transcend the rock genre.

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Matt Porter

Blabbermouth

Gene Simmons has told Sweden’s Expressen newspaper that KISS will launch a three-year world tour in January 2019. Calling it the band’s “most spectacular tour ever,” the bassist/vocalist added that the trek will make stops on “all continents.”

Simmons‘s latest comments echo those made by his bandmate, Paul Stanley, who told CNBC‘s “Squawk Box” that KISS will embark on its “biggest tour” next year.

Rumors of KISS‘s final run of live shows gained strength several months ago following the news that the band was attempting to trademark the phrase “The End Of The Road.” An application from KISS was filed in February to the United States Patent and Trademark Office, which — should it be accepted — means that the band could use it in connection with “live performances by a musical band.” As it stands now, no official farewell tour has been announced.

As most fans remember, back in 2000 and 2001, KISS already performed a “Farewell Tour”. The trek, which was the last to feature drummer Peter Criss, played 142 shows over five legs, covering North America, Japan, and Australia.

In a recent interview with Australia’s News Corp, Simmons confirmed that he “had nothing to do” with KISS‘s attempt to trademark “The End Of The Road.”

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Jody Havenot

WIMZ

KISS bassist/singer Gene Simmons recently revealed that he’s become the spokesman for Invictus MD Strategies Corporation , a Canadian company that produces cannabis products for medicinal use.  It’s also positioning itself to expand if and when recreational use of the drug is legalized in the country.

While Simmons has always abstained from using drugs and alcohol, he’s known for recognizing a good business opportunity when he sees one, and says Invictus’ financial future “looks very bright indeed.”

Regarding his involvement in the company, Simmons explains to ABC Radio, “[I]n the interest of full disclosure, I am a partner in Invictus…and they did pay me a few million dollars in cash and $10 million in stock.”

Gene, who’s taken the title of Invictus’ “chief evangelist officer,” tells ABC Radio that, despite his dislike of drugs, his views on cannabis have changed greatly in recent years.

“I was guilty as charged of being judgmental and dismissive of cannabis as a whole,” he admits. “[But] researchers every day keep coming up with information that’ll blow your mind [about its positive uses medicinally].”

As an example, Simmons notes, “[T]here are little six-year-old girls who are suffering from epilepsy and, almost miraculously, you rub a cannabis-based product on their hand, and in a very short time, if they’re not cured then clearly the epilepsy is minimized.”

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OK Magazine