{"id":284,"date":"2007-02-15T00:21:51","date_gmt":"2007-02-15T05:21:51","guid":{"rendered":""},"modified":"2008-12-10T23:05:10","modified_gmt":"2008-12-10T23:05:10","slug":"kiss-army-reunion-band-of-brothers","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rocktownhall.com\/blogs\/kiss-army-reunion-band-of-brothers\/","title":{"rendered":"KISS Army Reunion: Band of Brothers"},"content":{"rendered":"
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I have personal reasons for organizing Rock Town Hall’s First Annual KISS Army Reunion<\/strong>. Some moderators may be hesitant to share, but that’s not my style. In sharing, however, it is likely that old wounds will be reopened. Whether scabbed or scarred over, these wounds have not healed. We’ve got to treat the infection, treat the cause of our collective cultural suffering, and then perhaps, we will restore the brotherhood in rock that was our generation’s birthright.<\/p>\n

In 1978, KISS released the double-album greatest hits collection, Double Platinum<\/a><\/em><\/strong>. I was 15 years old, deep in the process of a rock ‘n roll reawakening that had been put on hold sometime around the age of 8, when I first became immersed in sports. My brother was 10, wrapping up his stint in Cub Scouts and finding his way in a family that had focused too much attention on Big Brother.<\/p>\n

The Last Waltz<\/em> and The Kids Are Alright<\/em> were being shown at midnight screenings. I bought my first few punk albums. The Clash’s Rude Boy<\/em>, Quadrophenia<\/em>, and a host of other midnight movies were right around the corner! It was becoming clear that professional athletics was not a career option, so I bought a guitar and, with a friend, began formulating an attack on the status quo.<\/p>\n

My brother wanted Double Platinum<\/em> on cassette for Christmas, and to my dismay, his wish was granted.<\/p>\n

My brother loved his new double album – on cassette. He was 10 years old, and this was his<\/em> album. He loved everything about KISS: the makeup, the fire, Gene’s tongue, the naughty lyrics, the superhero characters. He played it for me endlessly, excitedly. He knew nerdy details about the songs and the band members – the kind of stuff I knew about all the good<\/em> music I loved. It’s clear now that he was trying to impress me the way I’d been attempting to “impress” him, by jamming facts and “check-out-this-part!” insights down his throat. <\/p>\n