Archive 373

Dear Gene my name is Jeff Drake I am 11 I live in Lawton,Oklahoma my parents have been ito kiss for a LONG TIME. So I got into your guy's music I think you guy's are really cool. My parents have some movies my favorite is the one wich my mom's friend recorded was "KISS MEETS THE PHANTOM OF THE PARK" but anway i listen to alot of your music .Well my step dad asked if i wanted to type this e-mail to you and i said sure so i did. Thats all bye and i will e-mail you sometime.


Jeff Drake

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I am a 12 yr old boy in California. I have read your book 'Sex, Money, KISS' like a thousand times. I think you are the GREATEST person in the whole world, except for my parents, and I would just like to say, Thank you for being you.

--Grant Maciel

P.S. They did a really good job with your character on Tony Hawk's Underground. ROcK oN!!!

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I thought you might like to see a couple of picture of your young UK fans. Here we have Joseph (4) and Ben(6).Joseph has quite a repertoire of Kiss songs which he performs on a regular basis. A young KISS tribute band on the way who knows!!!!!!

Regards
Paul

I've never done this before! My name is Dave Schemmel # 44. I had the wonderful experience of meeting all of you during my junior year of high school (Fall of 75) playing football in the small town of Cadillac Michigan. At the time one of our assistant coaches Jim Neff was corresponding with your road manager Junior Smallings which led to one of the most memorable experiences in my life.......a visit from KISS to meet our football team and better yet ..... THE CHAT IN OUR BAND ROOM, PLAYING CATCH ON THE FOOTBALL FIELD (Paul ran pretty good in those platforms!), THE SCHOOLBOARD IN MAKE-UP, HOMECOMING PARADE (I helped build that), THE HELICOPTER FLYING YOU OFF OF OUR FOOTBALL FIELD....AND A CONCERT! Great time!

I `m 44 yrs old now, own a business, living 85 miles south of Cadillac in Rockford. Got a call tonight (11/25/03) from a friend in the Detroit area with tickets to your concert with Aerosmith on 11/30/03 at the palace. I wet my pants! Told the wife .....I `m taking you to a KISS concert! (She `s never had the privilege) It was a good idea for a few minutes! Married 19 years......3 kids....school on Monday!........Shit! (Thinking) Our oldest son Dan a senior at Rockford High School recently capped off a tremendous water-polo season winning the Michigan State championship (He was one of the CO-captains.) I am sending my son with 3 of his senior teammates to the Palace on Sunday to see you perform!.........They wet there pants! (He asked me if I wanted him to take my yearbook from Cadillac to get signed by KISS.........I said "Yeah Right!"). I hope my son enjoys your show as much as I did (There is no doubt!) and I can `t wait to exchange stories with him and his friends when they come home! (I told him we `d listen to some albums when he got back!........He asked me "What is an album?"........4.2 grade point average doesn't mean he knows everything!)

Anyway, hope all is well, thanks again for the experience of a lifetime and I have enjoyed following your success with a little extra special smile saying "I've met KISS."

Dave Schemmel
#44
Cadillac High School
Class of 77

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Response from Gene:

You're wrong, and I can prove it. I may believe that you'd be better off dead, but it's not the same thing if I actually killed you. What I BELIEVE and what I DO are two totally different things.
It is indeed one's DEEDS, not one's BELIEFS that matter.

While what you said may be true, I don't think it addresses the spirit of KISSFAN80's statement. I really don't think he was talking about a general belief about a person, place or thing. (I think you know that as well but chose to respond to it in that way just to be argumentative) Rather I think it is very obvious that what he was talking about was a persons personal moral belief system. Now if you state that you carry or hold a certain moral belief system and then conduct yourself in a way that is contrary to that belief system, you are a walking, breathing contradiction. I have found that people who act in contradiction to their stated belief system, in reality don't hold that belief system or are to weak to exercise any self-discipline.

Except in cases of mental illness I have not known anyone to violate their own moral belief system if they truly believe in it. That is what I believe KISSFAN80 was talking about.

Erik

And I believe you're wrong. We sometimes get so mad, we imagine or "justify" in our minds that someone we despise should die. We believe that. But, we don't act on it.
Deeds. Not beliefs.

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A while back, these Kiss postage stamps appeared on eBay. They look legitimate but I've never heard of "Tartarstan". I typed it into an internet search engine and it turns out it's a small Russian wanna-be nation that's been going to war lately over their own independence.

Tartarstan issuing Kiss stamps? Is this for real and is there an interesting story behind this?

John Neumann

I just wanted to send you this picture of the tattoo i got and you signed for me back at the tower records signing
What Do Ya Think?
Thanks For the Music We Love You
Peter NJ

If you've read SEX MONEY KISS by Gene SImmons (ahem..), you'll notice I urge everyone to work MORE...not less...and yes, most people have jobs that may not lead anywhere and may not be the dream job...but remember the part about paying attention to the things you love? Your hobby. Your passion(s). When you're not earning a living, put in all the remaining time you have into your hobbies...they might wind up paying your bills after all!!!

If I was a religeous man, I would say "AMEN!".

You give good advice. I asked for more overtime, it was granted. I asked for more money, it was given. I have gained more respect from my colleages. I work more, I make more money. Outside of work, I spend more time on my hobbies, bringing in more money. Obviously MORE is better.

By doing these things, it has also generated more (there's that word again) confidence in myself. I recently attended a seminar for my employment. None of the attendees have seen me before, but when I arrived, I was immediately greeted with "You must be Eddie?". I replied with a warm handshake and smile, "You must be correct? How are you, insert name?" (I saw the nametag.) A bit of laughter followed and the rest of the day was great. Every day that I am 6 feet over instead of 6 feet under is a great day. (Hmmm, where have I heard that before?)

Thanx Gene, for everything!

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Last night (11-23) at the Greensboro show I had the pleasure of meeting the man himself..........a legend in his own right (John Harte). I cordially tapped him on the shoulder and asked him (as I wasn't 100% positive) and he gladly obliged at some small conversation and an autograph. For me, meeting him close as meeting any one in the group. Just a "SUPER" nice guy unlike the image that was portrayed in his day,....although I know he was and still "is" capable of backing it up. I had told him of a photo that I had gotten from Al Ross taken on the 1st Tour of Japan, so would you be kind enough to pass it on. Al is doing fine and currently living in California and is still doing projects here and there. If you'd ever be interested in getting back in contact with him, let me know.

Thanks Once Again, enjoyed the show as always!
-Marty
Martin Dean
Greensboro N.C.

My brother and I won best costume.....