The Guys & KISS

My love affair with KISS technically began in Junior High when I purchased my first KISS album, Destroyer. In my humble opinion, one of the best Rock albums of all time. Infact if you want to know the true definition of a "Rock N Roll Album" you need only listen to...OK I'm getting ahead of myself, and already spewing the gospel according to "the Guys". Let me start over, in all honesty my love affair with KISS began as a simple flirtation. The song Beth was, as it is to most girls, a sentimental favorite and in the 7th grade sparked me to buy the entire album. It suited me fine, and I listened to it often enough. But I never thought to purchase another KISS album.

In high school there were a couple guys in the group I hung with, that were KISS fans. Not just KISS fans, I mean literal card carrying members of the KISS Army. They still are, I'm pretty sure. They were disgusted when they discovered that I considered myself to be a KISS fan, yet only owned Destroyer. They sat me down and explained all the ins and outs of being a KISS fan. I'm not kidding. Picture Jack Black in School of Rock, only instead of School Of Rock, it was just School Of KISS.

We sat in my living room and mourned the untimely death of Eric Carr in 1991, like he was one of our own friends. We've all seen them in concert, and everyone celebrated like it was the second coming when the original members reunited in 1998. Basically the guys obsession, in time, became my obsession. Those moments when I hear a KISS song on the radio and loudly "SHHHHHHH" everyone around me, or when I spend half a day watching "Gene Simmons Family Jewels" on TV, or when I abruptly began sending hate mail to Donald Trump after firing Gene Simmons, I think of the Guys.

They made me into a KISS fan. I will forever be a KISS fan thanks to them. I'm happy to say that I'm still in touch with them. They will probably read this memory infact and do their best Mr. Burns impression, rubbing their hands together diabolically saying "another member of The KISS army...Excellent."