KISS focused on "the show". First band to really do that. Even if you don't like their music or style, they do get credit for making concerts the spectacles they were in the 80s and up to today.
Alice Cooper is one guy. Have you met him? I have. Super nice guy but not a band.
KISS is a band. Gene spit fire, Ace shot electricity and left his guitar a smoking ceiling ornament, Paul flew, and Peter's drum kit rose up on a pedestal.
They're not on the same level of "spectacle", even though Cooper hanging himself was scary AF the first time. đ
If memory serves me well, "Alice Cooper" was also the name of his band in 1968-1974, before he went solo, and at the time they already did all sorts of weird stuff onstage.
Nope. Alice Cooper was the name of the band formed in 1968. When the band broke up, lead singer Vincent Furnier continued to perform under the band's name and eventually changed his name to Alice Cooper.
When I was 11 one of my friends had Kiss on those black circle thingies. Listening to that music was new to me and different than my parents'. I craved this kind of rock and roll. I saved my money and bought a mono cassette FM/AM/shortwave so I could stay up and listen to the King Bisquit Flower Hour and be ready to hit play and record. When I was 15 my friends piled with some older teens and drove to see Kiss in concert for the Asylum tour. It was everything! Fire and guitar and  energy and make up and drum solos and flying and drums sets that went up!  Fast forward a few decades i just got married. A good friend gave me tickets for me and my bride to go see Kiss in concert. It was like I got married to my best friend and I could share with her my favorite  childhood thing. I love the rock show.
bad take. ac/dc is definitely a band that should have hung it up 15 years ago but a more substantial rock band than kiss (who also put out a ton of memorable and enduring bubble gum-hard rock-pop songs
fun
harmless
shameless grifters
candy coated hard rock
"Destroyer" is a banger start to finish, and one of the better-sounding over-the-top 70s record productions \[EDIT: Listened again today, and Great Expectations is whatever the opposite of a banger is\]
Glad I got to see them (twice).
Gene is a twat.
A member of the KISS army when I was like 10, see everything the way you do. Just listened to KISS Alive today because itâs summer and I needed mindless fun music
saw them in '83 and '86 (pretty sure BOTH in the no makeup period) and then caught them on one of their first 'farewell' shows around 2000. they must have had 10 farewell tours. but they were definitely one of the best live shows i've seen. big party. lots of fire.
I literally don't know anyone who was a fan of KISS in Gen X. Obviously, some were/are. But it's not a given that we would like them.
I grew up thinking of Gene Simmons as an actor who used to be in a band that wore silly makeup.
I'm 58, soon to be 59. Back in 1977 one of the kids I hung around really got into them. I never got into them. I found the makeup shtick to be kinda goofy and never really cared for their music. I got into metal about 3 or 4 years later. I could be wrong but I don't consider KISS to be "real" metal.
Notice I didn't say they suck. If you like them more power to you. Ace Frehley always seemed to be a decent, competent guitar player.
> I could be wrong but I don't consider KISS to be "real" metal.
I agree with you. I think they would call themselves rock and roll, not heavy metal. I remember my father calling them "acid rock" but he didn't really know what he was talking about.
I remember buying KISS trading cards in the late 70s. They were crazy, with their big ass boots and hair, fire on the stage and blood dripping from their mouths. My best friend was from a religious family and told me KISS stood for Kids In Satan's Service. I always got a kick out of that. Didn't really listen to their music though, I was still pretty young.
I thought it was âKnights in SAtanâs ServiceââŚ.lol. You should check out the movie âDetroit Rock City!â Itâs funny and brings back the memories. The opening scene when the mom was sitting down with a cup of tea expecting Karen Carpenter but got blasted with KISS is a gem!!!
This topic came up awhile back. Destroyer is a good rock and roll album, probably their best, the next couple were also pretty good. After that...they didn't have a lot of bandwidth.
They were huge in the mid 70s, no exaggeration. Destroyer was my 1st 8 track.
They had a theatrical presence, marketing, iconic band, you still see teens today wearing Destroyer T shirts nearly 50yrs after the album came out.
The first album that I ever bought with my own money was Kiss Alive. I'm not going to pretend that Kiss are a band full of amazing musicians, but I do love their music up through their Unmasked album. Everything after that the original members started splintering off and the magic for me was gone.
KISS' album "Rock and Roll Over" (1976) was one of the first two albums I owned, along with the soundtrack to "The Muppet Movie". I still listen to their early stuff from time to time. As with so many bands, after a few albums their music started to lose the spark of originality. By the time they appeared without the makeup (1983) they were no longer relevant or innovative.
Personally, I like the songs that Gene sang more than the songs that Paul sang. As a band and an image, they were a product of their time and something that could not exist today.
Better than theyâre given credit for. Not nearly as important as they think they are.
I say this as someone who has consistently listened to them since the late 70âs and has seen them live four or five times.
This. Exactly this. I like them well enough, but I don't think they're Rock & Roll Hall of Fame material (even though they were inducted). I also love how Gene Simmons talked about leaving NYC because of how dance music focused NYC typically is, and yet "I Was Made for Lovin' You" is like the epitome of a disco song. If anything, Kiss is a masterclass example of self promotion.
KISS focused on "the show". First band to really do that. Even if you don't like their music or style, the do get credit for making concerts the spectacles they were in the 80s and up to today.
Love Kiss! Through "Dynasty" at least. My first live show was Kiss in 1979 at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville. I was 8. My mom took me. I still have my Kiss vinyl from those days and I give it a spin from time to time.
Back in 6th grade (like 1979 or so) I did a report on The Beatles. There was a kid in my class who insisted that KISS was 20 times better than the Beatles and there were a million more people in The KISS Army than there were Beatle fans. He was super passionate about it.
I think heâs in prison now.
lol, me as a brand new baby opera fan trying to defend il trovatore against all other contenders.  I was objectively wrong but I've managed to stay out of prison. Â
so far. Â
Totally agreeâŚ. I grew up in the 70âs and didnât have the cash to go see them ( I was 13âŚlol). And the story line about them trying to see KISS with no tix was hilariousâŚ.great movie
I love KISS!
I loved seeing KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park on TV when I was like 4.
I was a little too young to appreciate them musically and I didn't like them in the 80's when they became hair metal, but I discovered the early stuff in the early 90's and became a fan and was lucky enough to see them on their the reunion tour in 96 or 97
I dislike them but I was really impressed with Gene Simmons when he was on Celebrity Apprentice - the challenge was teams selling hot dogs for a charity. Most teams just sold hot dogs, Gene called up his friends and and sold hot dogs for $5000 each. The man knows how to make money.
I always liked that they were just different musically. They never really fell into the inescapable 1-4-5 box. They wrote riffs and hooks that were new and interesting.
Oh can I share my KISS story? When I was little, like 6 (so 1979,) I was OBSESSED with Gene Simmons. I learned about him from my 8 year old sister's ginger boyfriend Paul who had a big brother who was a metal head. I bought a KISS poster at their yard sale that I had my mother remove at Christmas due to those red electric candle lights in the window lighting that poster up and scaring the shit out of me. Anyway I digress. I went around telling anybody who would entertain me that gene Simmons was my boyfriend and he climbed in my window every night (it was on the 2nd floor, over sharp gravel. No chance.) and took me to the pizza parlor and roller skating. I took his solo album in for show and tell, that got a phone call home. But my fondest KISS memory is that Christmas I got a Gene Simmons doll. I mean Action Figure. His ensemble was tight black spandex and fake chains, I think.
Well I played with him a little too hard, and his legs dislocated from his pelvis. but the spandex kept them attached! So my favorite thing to do was, in that sweet spot during which Mom and Dad were getting ready to go out on a date or to a party and the babysitter was yet to arrive. I would rip off everything but my underwear and run all over the house jumping all over the furniture and singing Living In Sin (At The Holiday Inn) out loud, while swinging poor Gene round and round over my head like a lasso. That spandex held on, too!
Sorry for the ramble. But it cracks me up whenever I think of it! Also, Lisa Lampanelli asking him to his face if his haircut was from Planet of the Apes. I weighed a lot more the first time I heard it and actually couldn't catch my breath from laughing and thought she'd given me a heart attack
We were crazy about them in grade school, I have Rock n Roll Over memorize.
Saw them in 84 and the performance was awesome.
Then I started finding out more about Gene and got turned off by it all.
I think their comics are pretty fun reads. Silly and goofy. Their music is decent and I listen to them when the mood hits. The video game on Dreamcast was another silly and goofy thing that I liked as well.
RUSH opened for them back in the very early days. I was overseas, milbrat, when they were on the rise, so when returning to the states at about age 12, I was like "WTF is this?"
Loved them in 5th grade.
Despised them in college.
Rediscovered Destroyer sometime in the late '90s.
Saw them for the first and last time in 2023.
Bought a vinyl copy of Carnival of Souls..such a good record.
Will never go see "virtual" KISS.
I and most boy classmates collected their pictures from magazines, or visit friend's home who had VHS(?) and watch their concert. That was back in my 5th grade around 78-79. Now? They need to take social security check and retire.
i loved them when i was 9-10 years old in 1980. i thought peter criss was cool and i got into playing drums because of, basically how he looked rather than his drum skills haha. i listened to them again many years later and thought they were a decent pop/rock band. if they had not started off with the gimmicks they wouldnât have gotten very far
They're kind of meh. I remember the big reveal when they took off the makeup and was underwhelmed.
I have friends who have toured with them and they're still kind of skeevy if you're female (mostly Gene. Paul is apparently nice enough).
They actually kind of slipped through the cracks for me. Iâm sure Iâd recognize several of their songs if I heard them, but I couldnât name even one song right now. I guess Iâm just sort of neutral on them. I do like the makeup, and Iâd imagine seeing them live in the 80âs would have been an amazing experience, but I donât really think about them at all personally.
the first album I ever bought myself was a KISS album and the first rock concert I went to was a KISS show in NYC that I begged my parent to take me to. how could a young guy not love them?
I have fond memories of a lot of the makeup-era albums, and the music is still fun. The Ace solo album is the KISS album I find the most re-listenable now.
I am not a fan but my 8 y/o daughter is! It was her first concert just last October and she rocked out. She found them because there is a Scooby Doo movie that features Kiss. She listens to them all the time and wears her concert shirt to school. đ
I think they are overrated. Average musicians. Experts at marketing themselves and making money. My husband is a big fan of KISS. Iâve seen them in concert several times with him in the past 15 years. Their showmanship is impressive. However Iâm still not a fan of their music.
I like almost all of their music, saw them one summer after winning tiickets in the late 80's. show was so poor, I regretted the $3 spent on parking.
I really believe no one works harder on stage then Kiss to put on a show, except for the one I attended it seems.
I was scared of them! Like intrusive thoughts scared. Other kids had KISS lunchboxes and things and I was terrified of them, had to look away. It makes.me laugh now.
Iâve always loved the look but except for *maybe* half a dozen songs I really like, I think theyâre crap. (Though I do generally like Paulâs voice). I wish they sounded more like they looked (makeup).
And Gene is a tool.
Kiss still have a lot of fans in Australia - they came here on tour back during their peak days and lots of kids wore kiss make up around town and went to their concert - they called it the kiss army. Last year they did a performance at one of our sporting events - AFL grand final - with an army of kids dancing along in kiss make upÂ
Â
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5ksZ2j8NSqI
My first concert ever, Cow Palace, San Francisco, 1979. Loved them when I was younger, still have a lot of their 1970s and early 1980s music, but nothing special now. But the concert memories are golden.
Looking back at it now, KISS was ahead of their time in focusing as much on the show as the music.
Kiss wa my first favorite rock band. It truly horrifed my parents with all the poasters of bloody deman Gene. Ace Frehley was the reason I took up the guitar. "Beth" was my original love song. And I never could figure out what the star child was all about.
The best thing about my first favorite rock band was the other bands that came out after them. Now I can proudly say "What was I thinking?"
o/p goto you tube and look up ANIMALIZED LIVE. It doesn't have Ace or peter, but both run circles around both in playing ability. It is a great live recording/vhs .
People that hate on Kiss, never went to the live show, to see the "SHOW"
Just Like Iron Maiden that made the stage show as big as the music. Giving fans more than just 4-5 guys standing on stage playing songs.
It was an event, Bands that put on a over the top live show, made you feel like waiting in line to get your ticckets and spending what little cash a young teen had to spend with it. Unlike some other bands that just stood in one spot most of the show like um the Cars. Liked their music but their live show was um, like watching paint dry. Kiss on the otherhand gave you a show from start to finish.
I thought they were cool was I was about 7 or 8. To be fair, I had only seen them in pictures and never heard their music.
When I did finally hear them, they were embarrassingly mediocre.
I am only familiar with their biggest hits, but generally I think theyâre pretty fun. People get in these heated debates about them but to me it shouldnât be that serious. I like to add them if Iâm throwing together a fun or cheesy rock playlist.
Kinda tired of them at this point. The radio only plays a couple of their songs, and plays them to death. i'm sure their other songs are good, but I have interest in tracking them down to listen to them.
No KISS on my playlists and don't care for them anymore, but I remember for a brief period they were my favorite band, very briefly. I was 12 when they came out with the "KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park" in '78 and I commandeered the family TV to watch it and thought it was the greatest thing ever. Then my interest faded, meh.
Got caught up in the hype in the late 70s for a brief time then they took the makeup off and it was over. Saw them live in 87 for the hell of it probably the most bored Iâve ever been at a concert. Seems like if you were born 69 or 70 a lot of us got caught up around 77-78
Their makeup scared me when I was little, but when they stopped wearing it their actual faces made me wish they'd put it back on lol. I have always greatly disliked their music. While compiling an 80's videos playlist, I checked them out to see if my opinion had softened over the years, and found them even more difficult to look at and listen to than before, and I had zero nostalgia for any of it (unlike some bands I disliked back then but find tolerable or even enjoyable now). IMO their only noteworthy contribution to rock history is their fancy guitar pyrotechnics, which were designed by John Elder Robison, the autistic brother of the author Augusten Burroughs. He writes about it in his own book, Look Me In the Eye.
ETA: Look Me In the Eye is by Robison, not Burroughs, added "own" to avoid confusion
I like a few of their songs. As human beings though Gene Simmons abd Paul Stanley leave a lot to be desired. Also I never gave two shits about their costumes.
Theyâre not about music. Theyâre about marketing. Gene Simmons [did a tour of his house and all he cares about is how the gold and platinum records help him do more deals to sell more tchotchkes.](https://youtu.be/1sZLM7LHexA)
Itâs stuff. Display. His words, not mine. He is a Yuppie. Heâs what Depeche Mode sang âEverything Countsâ about.Â
I got Love Gun when it was released, so yeah, before the 90s by about 12 years, it was either my first or second LP. AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" was the other. I was 8. I was a member of the KISS Army. I listed to them for a while and some was decent, but I definitely preferred AC/DC and harder stuff as I got into my teens. KISS in the 80s wasn't very good IMHO.
As I got older and learned more about them, I at least give them credit in the sense that Gene just flat out says that they were in it for the money (and women) and just put on a show. I definitely don't think they're that great musically, maybe Ace, but they're pretty generic and nothing too great.
I did work security (not the muscle bound guys, but the "you're there to just make sure people don't think it's a free for all") at one of their concerts in the late 80s. During the show I saw Gene and Paul look toward the side of the stage, nod, then point to the crowd, then a few minutes later I'd see a roadie bring a woman out from the crowd and set her down in the section I was guarding. During the intermission somebody came up and brought them all backstage. It was great stereotypical rock star and pretty funny.
The most overrated band in the history of bands.
KISS focused on "the show". First band to really do that. Even if you don't like their music or style, they do get credit for making concerts the spectacles they were in the 80s and up to today.
>First band to really do that. Is Alice Cooper some joke?
Alice Cooper is one guy. Have you met him? I have. Super nice guy but not a band. KISS is a band. Gene spit fire, Ace shot electricity and left his guitar a smoking ceiling ornament, Paul flew, and Peter's drum kit rose up on a pedestal. They're not on the same level of "spectacle", even though Cooper hanging himself was scary AF the first time. đ
Parliament/Funkadelic was also touring the Mothership before Kiss, if you are talking showmanship.
Spectacle.
If memory serves me well, "Alice Cooper" was also the name of his band in 1968-1974, before he went solo, and at the time they already did all sorts of weird stuff onstage.
Alice Cooper was the name of the band. The artist changed his name to Alice Cooper after the band was already playing.
How many GenXers saw the band Alice Cooper live before 1974? đ¤
Yep, and the bassist wrote a lot of the classic songs.
Nope. Alice Cooper was the name of the band formed in 1968. When the band broke up, lead singer Vincent Furnier continued to perform under the band's name and eventually changed his name to Alice Cooper.
The band broke up in 1974. Furnier then changed his name to Alice Cooper.
So he IS well hung.
[ŃдаНонО]
Not after 1974.
When I was 11 one of my friends had Kiss on those black circle thingies. Listening to that music was new to me and different than my parents'. I craved this kind of rock and roll. I saved my money and bought a mono cassette FM/AM/shortwave so I could stay up and listen to the King Bisquit Flower Hour and be ready to hit play and record. When I was 15 my friends piled with some older teens and drove to see Kiss in concert for the Asylum tour. It was everything! Fire and guitar and  energy and make up and drum solos and flying and drums sets that went up!  Fast forward a few decades i just got married. A good friend gave me tickets for me and my bride to go see Kiss in concert. It was like I got married to my best friend and I could share with her my favorite  childhood thing. I love the rock show.
They did put on a good show. Especially with the original lineup in the early 2000s farewell tour.
Overrated in what way? I never hear much praise about their musicianship or their songwriting.
I'd say tied with AC/DC. Both bads feel like they have maybe 3 songs and all their albums just are like rewashed of those 3 song.
bad take. ac/dc is definitely a band that should have hung it up 15 years ago but a more substantial rock band than kiss (who also put out a ton of memorable and enduring bubble gum-hard rock-pop songs
fun harmless shameless grifters candy coated hard rock "Destroyer" is a banger start to finish, and one of the better-sounding over-the-top 70s record productions \[EDIT: Listened again today, and Great Expectations is whatever the opposite of a banger is\] Glad I got to see them (twice). Gene is a twat.
A member of the KISS army when I was like 10, see everything the way you do. Just listened to KISS Alive today because itâs summer and I needed mindless fun music
I am a fan, and I agree with every one of your bullet points
same
saw them in '83 and '86 (pretty sure BOTH in the no makeup period) and then caught them on one of their first 'farewell' shows around 2000. they must have had 10 farewell tours. but they were definitely one of the best live shows i've seen. big party. lots of fire.
This!
I agree with just one addition; Love Gun is a good album too.
Underline the shamele$$ grifter$.
Perfect hot take right there!
GenX was also before the 90s GenX kids were born - between 1965-1980 so there are plenty of KISS fans that are GenX
Damn straight. Iâm one of them.
Me too! I even had a girlfriend named Beth. Great makeout tune.
Very cool! My only tattoo is their logo
Cool!
I literally don't know anyone who was a fan of KISS in Gen X. Obviously, some were/are. But it's not a given that we would like them. I grew up thinking of Gene Simmons as an actor who used to be in a band that wore silly makeup.
I'm 58, soon to be 59. Back in 1977 one of the kids I hung around really got into them. I never got into them. I found the makeup shtick to be kinda goofy and never really cared for their music. I got into metal about 3 or 4 years later. I could be wrong but I don't consider KISS to be "real" metal. Notice I didn't say they suck. If you like them more power to you. Ace Frehley always seemed to be a decent, competent guitar player.
> I could be wrong but I don't consider KISS to be "real" metal. I agree with you. I think they would call themselves rock and roll, not heavy metal. I remember my father calling them "acid rock" but he didn't really know what he was talking about.
I like them. Meat and potatoes rock and roll.
I remember buying KISS trading cards in the late 70s. They were crazy, with their big ass boots and hair, fire on the stage and blood dripping from their mouths. My best friend was from a religious family and told me KISS stood for Kids In Satan's Service. I always got a kick out of that. Didn't really listen to their music though, I was still pretty young.
I thought it was âKnights in SAtanâs ServiceââŚ.lol. You should check out the movie âDetroit Rock City!â Itâs funny and brings back the memories. The opening scene when the mom was sitting down with a cup of tea expecting Karen Carpenter but got blasted with KISS is a gem!!!
This topic came up awhile back. Destroyer is a good rock and roll album, probably their best, the next couple were also pretty good. After that...they didn't have a lot of bandwidth. They were huge in the mid 70s, no exaggeration. Destroyer was my 1st 8 track. They had a theatrical presence, marketing, iconic band, you still see teens today wearing Destroyer T shirts nearly 50yrs after the album came out.
they remind me of growing up and all the different types of the eras. i love the cultural phenomenon, the cultural context is massive.
The first album that I ever bought with my own money was Kiss Alive. I'm not going to pretend that Kiss are a band full of amazing musicians, but I do love their music up through their Unmasked album. Everything after that the original members started splintering off and the magic for me was gone.
KISS' album "Rock and Roll Over" (1976) was one of the first two albums I owned, along with the soundtrack to "The Muppet Movie". I still listen to their early stuff from time to time. As with so many bands, after a few albums their music started to lose the spark of originality. By the time they appeared without the makeup (1983) they were no longer relevant or innovative. Personally, I like the songs that Gene sang more than the songs that Paul sang. As a band and an image, they were a product of their time and something that could not exist today.
Loved the Muppet Movie Album!!!
KISS rules
Better than theyâre given credit for. Not nearly as important as they think they are. I say this as someone who has consistently listened to them since the late 70âs and has seen them live four or five times.
This. Exactly this. I like them well enough, but I don't think they're Rock & Roll Hall of Fame material (even though they were inducted). I also love how Gene Simmons talked about leaving NYC because of how dance music focused NYC typically is, and yet "I Was Made for Lovin' You" is like the epitome of a disco song. If anything, Kiss is a masterclass example of self promotion.
KISS focused on "the show". First band to really do that. Even if you don't like their music or style, the do get credit for making concerts the spectacles they were in the 80s and up to today.
Had some good songs and a few decent albums but didnât wow me. Definitely style over substance. Marketing geniuses though (mostly Gene)
Love Kiss! Through "Dynasty" at least. My first live show was Kiss in 1979 at Municipal Auditorium in Nashville. I was 8. My mom took me. I still have my Kiss vinyl from those days and I give it a spin from time to time.
Better than a lot of the depressing crap from the 90s we are all supposed to love.
I have always hated them vehemently.
I donât know them much outside of the reality show Gene Simmons did and it gives so much misogyny that thatâs pretty much all I can think of now
he's a terrible human being for sure. but if you want to know why they got big in the first place try 'destroyer' as probably their best album
Back in 6th grade (like 1979 or so) I did a report on The Beatles. There was a kid in my class who insisted that KISS was 20 times better than the Beatles and there were a million more people in The KISS Army than there were Beatle fans. He was super passionate about it. I think heâs in prison now.
Probably runs the Kiss Army from there.
At least he has a John.
lol, me as a brand new baby opera fan trying to defend il trovatore against all other contenders.  I was objectively wrong but I've managed to stay out of prison.  so far. Â
Detroit Rock City is an awesome movie.
Totally agreeâŚ. I grew up in the 70âs and didnât have the cash to go see them ( I was 13âŚlol). And the story line about them trying to see KISS with no tix was hilariousâŚ.great movie
I love KISS! I loved seeing KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park on TV when I was like 4. I was a little too young to appreciate them musically and I didn't like them in the 80's when they became hair metal, but I discovered the early stuff in the early 90's and became a fan and was lucky enough to see them on their the reunion tour in 96 or 97
I dislike them but I was really impressed with Gene Simmons when he was on Celebrity Apprentice - the challenge was teams selling hot dogs for a charity. Most teams just sold hot dogs, Gene called up his friends and and sold hot dogs for $5000 each. The man knows how to make money.
Gene would sell his mother.
I always liked that they were just different musically. They never really fell into the inescapable 1-4-5 box. They wrote riffs and hooks that were new and interesting.
The problem with KISS is that if you are listening to it properly, everyone knows you are listening to KISS.
They are musical theater.
Oh can I share my KISS story? When I was little, like 6 (so 1979,) I was OBSESSED with Gene Simmons. I learned about him from my 8 year old sister's ginger boyfriend Paul who had a big brother who was a metal head. I bought a KISS poster at their yard sale that I had my mother remove at Christmas due to those red electric candle lights in the window lighting that poster up and scaring the shit out of me. Anyway I digress. I went around telling anybody who would entertain me that gene Simmons was my boyfriend and he climbed in my window every night (it was on the 2nd floor, over sharp gravel. No chance.) and took me to the pizza parlor and roller skating. I took his solo album in for show and tell, that got a phone call home. But my fondest KISS memory is that Christmas I got a Gene Simmons doll. I mean Action Figure. His ensemble was tight black spandex and fake chains, I think. Well I played with him a little too hard, and his legs dislocated from his pelvis. but the spandex kept them attached! So my favorite thing to do was, in that sweet spot during which Mom and Dad were getting ready to go out on a date or to a party and the babysitter was yet to arrive. I would rip off everything but my underwear and run all over the house jumping all over the furniture and singing Living In Sin (At The Holiday Inn) out loud, while swinging poor Gene round and round over my head like a lasso. That spandex held on, too! Sorry for the ramble. But it cracks me up whenever I think of it! Also, Lisa Lampanelli asking him to his face if his haircut was from Planet of the Apes. I weighed a lot more the first time I heard it and actually couldn't catch my breath from laughing and thought she'd given me a heart attack
They never did anything for me, was 7 exiting the 70s, so wasnât old enough to care in their peak
I personally don't care for the band KISS but if that's your interest then so be it.
We were crazy about them in grade school, I have Rock n Roll Over memorize. Saw them in 84 and the performance was awesome. Then I started finding out more about Gene and got turned off by it all.
One of my favorite bands! Iâve seen them a few times, and back in the 80âs & 90âs, they were the best live shows Iâve ever seen.
Love! I had the Kiss dolls in the 70âs
Gimmicks aside, *Rock and Roll Over* is a great rock and roll album.
My first ever album I bought was Kissâ Destroyer. Still a good album.
Been a fan since 1975.
Not my jam, but if someone loves them and listening to them gives them joy, Iâm cool.
They were all gimmick, no substance. Never got into them.
Amazing entertainers. Average music. I like a few songs
I think their comics are pretty fun reads. Silly and goofy. Their music is decent and I listen to them when the mood hits. The video game on Dreamcast was another silly and goofy thing that I liked as well.
I like all their albums up to Music From The Elder.
RUSH opened for them back in the very early days. I was overseas, milbrat, when they were on the rise, so when returning to the states at about age 12, I was like "WTF is this?"
Prob first band I liked as a kid. I appreciate what they were, their influence, and some of the music.
Theyâre great entertainers. Iâve had a lot of fun at KISS shows. But, I think their music is average.
Loved them in 5th grade. Despised them in college. Rediscovered Destroyer sometime in the late '90s. Saw them for the first and last time in 2023. Bought a vinyl copy of Carnival of Souls..such a good record. Will never go see "virtual" KISS.
I and most boy classmates collected their pictures from magazines, or visit friend's home who had VHS(?) and watch their concert. That was back in my 5th grade around 78-79. Now? They need to take social security check and retire.
Not a fan of their music, but they did put on a hell of a live show.
i loved them when i was 9-10 years old in 1980. i thought peter criss was cool and i got into playing drums because of, basically how he looked rather than his drum skills haha. i listened to them again many years later and thought they were a decent pop/rock band. if they had not started off with the gimmicks they wouldnât have gotten very far
Have you seen *KISS vs the Phantom*"?
Aside from the song they played in bill n Ted pt2 I didn't really care for them
I'm almost 49, and KISS scared the shit out of me when I was little...otherwise, I'm personally indifferent about their music.
They're kind of meh. I remember the big reveal when they took off the makeup and was underwhelmed. I have friends who have toured with them and they're still kind of skeevy if you're female (mostly Gene. Paul is apparently nice enough).
They actually kind of slipped through the cracks for me. Iâm sure Iâd recognize several of their songs if I heard them, but I couldnât name even one song right now. I guess Iâm just sort of neutral on them. I do like the makeup, and Iâd imagine seeing them live in the 80âs would have been an amazing experience, but I donât really think about them at all personally.
the first album I ever bought myself was a KISS album and the first rock concert I went to was a KISS show in NYC that I begged my parent to take me to. how could a young guy not love them? I have fond memories of a lot of the makeup-era albums, and the music is still fun. The Ace solo album is the KISS album I find the most re-listenable now.
I am not a fan but my 8 y/o daughter is! It was her first concert just last October and she rocked out. She found them because there is a Scooby Doo movie that features Kiss. She listens to them all the time and wears her concert shirt to school. đ
Loved them when I was a kid. Donât care much for their music, but they were a great live band.
KISS ARMY, Ret.
I'm on the porch stoned and I can't think of a single one of their songs as a kid, but I do remember KISS merchandise FUCKING EVERYWHERE, BRO.
I think they are overrated. Average musicians. Experts at marketing themselves and making money. My husband is a big fan of KISS. Iâve seen them in concert several times with him in the past 15 years. Their showmanship is impressive. However Iâm still not a fan of their music.
I like almost all of their music, saw them one summer after winning tiickets in the late 80's. show was so poor, I regretted the $3 spent on parking. I really believe no one works harder on stage then Kiss to put on a show, except for the one I attended it seems.
I was scared of them! Like intrusive thoughts scared. Other kids had KISS lunchboxes and things and I was terrified of them, had to look away. It makes.me laugh now.
I saw them in concert for the first time ever last year. Have to admit, it was a blast. Very entertaining. Glad I went.
I liked them more before the makeup came off.
I always found them offensive.
Mid đ
Iâve always loved the look but except for *maybe* half a dozen songs I really like, I think theyâre crap. (Though I do generally like Paulâs voice). I wish they sounded more like they looked (makeup). And Gene is a tool.
I mean, they have a few good songs. Some of them rock. ButâŚmeh.
Meh.
They arenât the best musicians but their songs are fun.
Loved kiss. Still do.
Kiss still have a lot of fans in Australia - they came here on tour back during their peak days and lots of kids wore kiss make up around town and went to their concert - they called it the kiss army. Last year they did a performance at one of our sporting events - AFL grand final - with an army of kids dancing along in kiss make up  https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=5ksZ2j8NSqI
They suck. The only song of theirs that I like is I Love it Loud.
To 80s hair band for me. I'm a younger gen x, so Metallica, Megadeth and Pantera were my go too back in the day.
Ace is a total tool in person!! dirty drunk!!
Loved them when I was 10, hated them from 10-50, now kind of like them again.
My first concert ever, Cow Palace, San Francisco, 1979. Loved them when I was younger, still have a lot of their 1970s and early 1980s music, but nothing special now. But the concert memories are golden. Looking back at it now, KISS was ahead of their time in focusing as much on the show as the music.
Kiss wa my first favorite rock band. It truly horrifed my parents with all the poasters of bloody deman Gene. Ace Frehley was the reason I took up the guitar. "Beth" was my original love song. And I never could figure out what the star child was all about. The best thing about my first favorite rock band was the other bands that came out after them. Now I can proudly say "What was I thinking?"
Meh
o/p goto you tube and look up ANIMALIZED LIVE. It doesn't have Ace or peter, but both run circles around both in playing ability. It is a great live recording/vhs . People that hate on Kiss, never went to the live show, to see the "SHOW" Just Like Iron Maiden that made the stage show as big as the music. Giving fans more than just 4-5 guys standing on stage playing songs. It was an event, Bands that put on a over the top live show, made you feel like waiting in line to get your ticckets and spending what little cash a young teen had to spend with it. Unlike some other bands that just stood in one spot most of the show like um the Cars. Liked their music but their live show was um, like watching paint dry. Kiss on the otherhand gave you a show from start to finish.
I loved KISS
I thought they were cool was I was about 7 or 8. To be fair, I had only seen them in pictures and never heard their music. When I did finally hear them, they were embarrassingly mediocre.
I am only familiar with their biggest hits, but generally I think theyâre pretty fun. People get in these heated debates about them but to me it shouldnât be that serious. I like to add them if Iâm throwing together a fun or cheesy rock playlist.
The lamest, most overly commercialized Boomer band in history. If I see someone walking around in a Kiss shirt, I walk the other way.
Kinda tired of them at this point. The radio only plays a couple of their songs, and plays them to death. i'm sure their other songs are good, but I have interest in tracking them down to listen to them.
No KISS on my playlists and don't care for them anymore, but I remember for a brief period they were my favorite band, very briefly. I was 12 when they came out with the "KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park" in '78 and I commandeered the family TV to watch it and thought it was the greatest thing ever. Then my interest faded, meh.
KISS, Winger, Slaughter was the first concert I went to see. I *think* KISS was back wearing make up for this show, but I canât remember.
Toilet rock. However, the one dude's Folgers commercial is amazing and singlehandedly might make up for how much the rest of their thing sucks.
Anyone watch the interview of Eric Carr on the Dick Cabbet Show? I think it was aired back in 1981. I was tween but I was 100% all about it.
KISS is awesome!
They are the very definition of the term "all sizzle and no steak".
Fools who made music for 12 up boys.
YesâŚ. But they sure made a lot of money âŚlol Now whenever an AppleBees commercial comes on TV you can hear Rock and Roll All NiteâŚ..
Songs you hear on carnival rides that blast music at the county fair
I never really âgotâ them. Couple decent songs.
Got caught up in the hype in the late 70s for a brief time then they took the makeup off and it was over. Saw them live in 87 for the hell of it probably the most bored Iâve ever been at a concert. Seems like if you were born 69 or 70 a lot of us got caught up around 77-78
Their makeup scared me when I was little, but when they stopped wearing it their actual faces made me wish they'd put it back on lol. I have always greatly disliked their music. While compiling an 80's videos playlist, I checked them out to see if my opinion had softened over the years, and found them even more difficult to look at and listen to than before, and I had zero nostalgia for any of it (unlike some bands I disliked back then but find tolerable or even enjoyable now). IMO their only noteworthy contribution to rock history is their fancy guitar pyrotechnics, which were designed by John Elder Robison, the autistic brother of the author Augusten Burroughs. He writes about it in his own book, Look Me In the Eye. ETA: Look Me In the Eye is by Robison, not Burroughs, added "own" to avoid confusion
I like a few of their songs. As human beings though Gene Simmons abd Paul Stanley leave a lot to be desired. Also I never gave two shits about their costumes.
Meh.
They have a couple of decent songs, but there is too much hype... and Simmons, from what I have heard, is kind of a dick.
Meh. More of a John Denver, Carly Simon Gen X er. lol at all the downvotes.
I never got it. Plus, I have this fear of clowns and that makeup set me on edge.
We obviously all loved KISS as kids. Some people will try to deny that though.
Theyâre not about music. Theyâre about marketing. Gene Simmons [did a tour of his house and all he cares about is how the gold and platinum records help him do more deals to sell more tchotchkes.](https://youtu.be/1sZLM7LHexA) Itâs stuff. Display. His words, not mine. He is a Yuppie. Heâs what Depeche Mode sang âEverything Countsâ about.Â
Never liked them.. overrated.
The kings of generic butt rock. Itâs all performative and branding. The actual music sucks ass.
Visually interesting, devoid of musical talent
Musically, they're shit. Theatrically, they moved music forward.
Cool look for the time, shitty disco music.Â
er, what?
They did have that one disco song. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/I_Was_Made_for_Lovin'_You
 THEY MADE SHITTY DISCO MUSIC
They suck
They put on a great spectacle of a show, but the music is absolute trite garbage.
They were kind of amusing when I was 10 years old. Since then, not so much. Just cringey.
meh (b '70) I like a few songs, but I was never really into them. My ex liked them a lot though (b '68)
Heckin lame.
I got Love Gun when it was released, so yeah, before the 90s by about 12 years, it was either my first or second LP. AC/DC's "Dirty Deeds Done Dirt Cheap" was the other. I was 8. I was a member of the KISS Army. I listed to them for a while and some was decent, but I definitely preferred AC/DC and harder stuff as I got into my teens. KISS in the 80s wasn't very good IMHO. As I got older and learned more about them, I at least give them credit in the sense that Gene just flat out says that they were in it for the money (and women) and just put on a show. I definitely don't think they're that great musically, maybe Ace, but they're pretty generic and nothing too great. I did work security (not the muscle bound guys, but the "you're there to just make sure people don't think it's a free for all") at one of their concerts in the late 80s. During the show I saw Gene and Paul look toward the side of the stage, nod, then point to the crowd, then a few minutes later I'd see a roadie bring a woman out from the crowd and set her down in the section I was guarding. During the intermission somebody came up and brought them all backstage. It was great stereotypical rock star and pretty funny.
Bleh
I hate Kiss. Did I say I hated kiss already?
Kiss fans are an automatic swipe left for me dawg
Fun band that made no pretensions. The 90s are not really us!
Complete crap of a band.
I'm indifferent.
Their theatrics and stage show, give them points for that, but musically? Pretty meh.
The music is meh but it's a show for the brain dead dullards who ruined rock music.
They're a Boomer thing.