Michael Branvold

Welcome to episode 10 of the podcast Dropping The Needle, July 9, 2012. This episode we discuss how KISS’ Own Hype and Marketing Hurt the Release of their New Single Hell or Hallelujah.

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Dropping The Needle is the podcast where all music from all genres is discussed. New releases, classic albums, rediscovered music, signed and unsigned. No ass kissing, just two guys talking about music. Dropping The Needle is hosted Michael Brandvold from Michael Brandvold Marketing and Mitch Lafon from Bravewords.com.

Tune in to the next episode of Dropping The Needle to see what artists we drop the needle on.

Belfast Telegraph

Gene Simmons says geeks across the world have “won” now superheroes are so popular.

The Kiss rocker has been a life-long fan of comic books and has put his name to his own range of the publications.

Gene is thrilled comics are popular and has also enjoyed seeing how well movies such as Avengers Assemble and The Amazing Spider-Man have gone down with fans.

“In simple terms, we’ve won,” he told USA Today. “When I was growing up, they used to make fun of us: ‘Oh, that comic-book funny-animal stuff.’ Really? Comic books have surpassed almost all other forms of literature because superheroes have taken the place of cowboys as the great mythic American character.

“They have secret identities and individual problems – no different than the Greek gods who were vain and jealous and fought with each other. The Greeks had their gods, and we have our comic books.”

Gene will attend Comic-Con in San Diego later this month, where he will promote his new range of animated literature.

The characters he’s introducing include a reluctant hero dressed in leather and a female who often finds herself feeling “hot and bothered”.

He is adamant his comics will take the world by storm. “It’s never enough for me just to have a thing in my mind,” he explained. “I want to hold it, play with it. It becomes part of your everyday life, the bobblehead you keep on your office table and all that other fun stuff.

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Arati Patel | The Hollywood Reporter

The seventh season of Gene Simmons’ Family Jewels returns to A&E tonight and in the coming weeks, the KISS rocker is giving more of himself. First, in the July 9 episode “Kiss a Vet,” where he helps a band of veterans from “Rock The Vet” perfect some key Gene Simmons-approved rock moves. Later in the show, Simmons takes the stage with the war heroes for the third annual Rock The Vet benefit concert (see clip above) — giving the cause, which is close to his heart, the spotlight.

But all is not well behind-the-scenes. Shannon Tweed thinks her husband gives too much of himself in other ways — particularly when it comes to the groupies that always seem to circle Simmons no matter where he goes. Tweed’s main complaint: why does the picture-taking and public fawning have to be so touchy-feely? Simmons’ response: he can’t control who he meets backstage. Watch the tense exchange below:

Jay Allen Sanford | San Diego Reader

Kiss bassist Gene Simmons has announced that the comic books originally planned for local publisher IDW will now instead be published by rival Arcana Comics.

In Spring 2007, Simmons was working with IDW on a horror anthology comic titled Gene Simmons House Of Horror. “Think Chiller meets the Twilight Zone,” publisher Chris Ryall told the Reader at the time.

The comic was originally to be published by the Kiss bassist’s own Simmons Comic Group, in partnership with IDW, but an apparent falling out with co-creator (and fellow musician) Jazan Wild led to the two announced issues being canceled.

“We all agreed and listed the books to come out on Halloween and even had a collector’s book that was going to be in Barnes and Noble and Borders,” according to Wild, who says he spent five months working with Simmons on the comic. “But, Gene Simmons has a ton of things going at any given time, and sadly this one seemed to not be the right time for him…since I own the story and all of the art, I decided to change the title to Jazan Wild’s Funhouse Of Horrors and let everyone see this terrific story…I know thousands of people ordered this book.”

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