Beach Reporter

KISS front man and Rock and Roll Hall of Famer Gene Simmons hosts the official release party for the new book “Gene Simmons is a Powerful and Attractive Man And Other Irrefutable Facts,” on March 31 from 5 to 8 p.m. The event takes place at his Rock & Brews restaurant in El Segundo, located at 143 Main St.

Tickets to the event are $75 and will include a three-course prix fixe dinner, a signed book and a photo with Simmons.

“This book even makes me blush,” said Simmons. “It is wildly illustrated and a fun read, and I am looking forward to welcoming my friends and fans to this exclusive launch event at Rock & Brews.”

The book, written by Christina Vitagliano with a forward by Simmons, pays homage to the rock legend, showcasing more than 250 outlandish ‘facts’ about Simmons’ stage persona, love life, and more.

Vitagliano and the book’s illustrators will also be in attendance at the launch.

For more information or to purchase tickets, visitrockandbrews.com/elsegundo.

Master Blaster | Rocket News 24

As you may have noticed, KISS have recently made their way back to Japan and it’s always a treat when they do. This year we’ve already seen them make a well-received cross-genre music video with Momoiro Clover Z and release a line of skin smoothing facepacks with the Japanese cosmetic brand Isshin.

If those weren’t surprising enough, now KISS has collaborated with shodo calligrapher Ryugen Sobukawa for a limited collection of KISS-themed works each autographed by a member of the band.

Oh, and they cost a small fortune…

In total there are only 80 of these works made, but they are divided into four types based on each member of the band. First the canvas has a stylish writing of “KISS” in English next to a kanji interpretation of a character’s name.

Each of the 20 originally made works for each member was also autographed by them. Gene Simmons even did it in full make-up and costume. You know the feeling of being the only person to a “costume party” who actually wore a costume. Something tells me that’s a constant nightmare for KISS.

Each piece of art is very beautiful and blend the edginess of the rock group with the elegance of classical Japanese calligraphy perfectly. In an interesting twist, although rock is considered a new art compared to shodo, each of the artists are transposed in age. The 35-year-old Sobukawa (pictured above next to Simmons) wasn’t even alive when KISS first appeared on stage in Japan.

Okay! So I’m sure all you KISS fans are champing at the bit to get some of these limited-edition writings. The good news is they’re all ready to be ordered from Sobukawa’s website linked below!

The bad news is they cost 432,000 yen (US$3,570) a piece. Now of course the true KISS fan will need to get all four which if my abacus is correct will run you about 1,728,000 yen ($14,280). Come on, what are you waiting for? It’s not like you’re going to be buried in your KISS coffin with all your money. Might as well enjoy it.