"All Wrongs Will be Righted"
Ron Albanese authoring Easy Catman, They are Serious:
The Complete Guide to Kiss Meets the Phantom
"Sam, check his circuitry."
Pop culture journalist and confessed Kiss zealot Ron Albanese has begun writing Easy Catman, They are Serious: The Complete Guide to Kiss Meets the Phantom, a first-of-its kind book about the band's 1978 NBC-TV movie of the week, Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park. A release is planned for 2003, coinciding with the film's 25th anniversary.
"In the (unintended) spirit of the film it will be a campy, yet comprehensive compendium covering all aspects of its history, from rough draft to final cut," reveals Albanese. Included will be numerous interviews with Kiss staff members, scriptwriters and actors. Easy Catman, They are Serious: The Complete Guide to Kiss Meets the Phantom will also contain rare and never-before seen photos and sections on sets, music, memorabilia, and theatrical releases of the film. The movie's impact on Kiss' career will also get an in-depth treatment.
"You have been under extreme pressures. All the more reason you should take it easy. Travel. Enjoy life for a change."
Albanese adds that "this book will be like (movie villain) Abner Deveraux's revenge: no topic will be left out, angle or detail undocumented. I will cover the action onscreen (especially bloopers and other inconsistencies) and the drama behind the scenes. In short, it will be a hilariously informative read."
Although a ratings success, Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park would be credited with instigating the crumbling of Kiss' first multi-million dollar empire, which by 1980 laid in shambles and would take years to rebuild.
"Pretty mystical!"
Reaction to the film would mark the first and only time in Kiss history that the band, most of their fans and critics were in total agreement: The group could be comic book heroes, Colorforms and even sleeping bag art, but not actors. Kiss had gone from being rock 'n' roll's Godzilla to a low-rent Superfriends.
The movie was also seen as an all-too-obvious attempt to reach a burgeoning pre-teen segment of the band's audience ‚ and their parents' wallets. It is believed that Kiss' street credibility -- which had taken four years of non-stop work to develop -- was undone frame by frame in just under a hundred minutes.
"There's something going on here I don't understand."
In pop culture, there is a fine line between bad and good, and today Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park is having a second life as a cult classic. Evidence of this renaissance can be found on the Internet, where the film is a popular (and hotly debated) discussion topic and auction item (video copies regularly fetch high bids). Some movie theaters have been hosting special screenings of the film, ala The Rocky Horror Picture Show.
"Awk!"
Easy Catman, They are Serious: The Complete Guide to Kiss Meets the Phantom will not only appeal to members of the Kiss Army, but fans of pop culture in general. "This film is a unique '70s time-capsule," begins Albanese, "what with starring Kiss, being co-produced by Hanna Barbera and mostly shot at California's Magic Mountain theme park. The rest of the cast and staff comprised a veritable 'who's who' of TV in the 'Me decade.'"
Albanese taps into his inner child to summarize, "Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park isn't high art, but it's just great -- imperfectly perfect. How many bands have starred in their own superhero adventure? Face it, Kiss rules."
Read more Kiss-related writings by Ron Albanese at the Kiss Thought Vault on KISS ASYLUM (kissasylum.com) Coming Soon at KISS ASYLUM: The Easy Catman, They are Serious: The Complete Guide to Kiss Meets the Phantom Diary!
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