Check out this KISS related clip from the Belgian TV show, Generation Quiz. The show's host and guests dressed up and performed as KISS!

Thanks to Marnik Bellecoste & Luc Verdickt for sending us the news.

Hi KISS,

I'm writing this for a friend (Donnie Coleman), who has absolutely devoted his entire life to KISS, and all that KISS stands for. In his house, he has a complete room (20'x20') that is a 'decorated shrine' to KISS. There are numerous trophies, posters, wallpaper, border, photos, memorabilia, and multiple pieces of 'one-of-a-kind' KISS items. It is truly a sight to behold. His collection of KISS items numbers in the hundreds. He has been to a number of your concerts, but has never had the pleasure of meeting any of you. It would be his biggest-life-thrill to do so.

Donnie has a 'highly modified' Ford F-150 pickup truck that he has maintained in Showroom Condition since he purchased it brand new in 1997. To date, he has spent over $75,000 in modifications to this truck, and has won countless automobile shows with it. I'm sending you a few photos of the truck to show you what I mean.

The photos do not do the truck justice. It is a flawless vehicle, and it's never been driven. It rolls on and off an enclosed trailer for the purpose of viewing at auto shows. He has taken the 'Best of Show' honors (and trophies) a number of times, and the truck continues to blow people away whenever they view it. The interior of the truck (as well as the exterior) is magnificent. Truly, a one-of-a-kind vehicle.

Kindest regards,

Ed Adams

LETTERS

On this day in KISStory - January 30, 1973, KISS performed their very first concert at Popcorn (The Coventry) in Queens, NY. The band performed 2 sets at the club that night for a crowd of under 10 people.

Gene recalls how that show came about:

1973 was the beginning.

Wicked Lester had just finished its album for EPIC RECORDS. There were five members in the band, including Paul and myself. Though we had a real recording contract with a major label, and though we had finished an entire album, we were depressed. It just wasn't what we had envisioned.

So, we started again. We tried firing the other three guys in Wicked Lester, but some wouldn't leave. So, we quit.

We started again with a vision. 'Let's put together the band we never saw on stage.'

We got a manager named LOU LINET, who managed JF MURPHY AND FREE FLOWING SALT and DIANA MARCOVITZ (or something like that)...and when he heard the newborn baby -- KISS. He thought it was the worst crap he had ever heard. Needless to say, he was gone immediately. So, we were managerless.

I put together a bio kit, while I worked at the Puerto Rican Interagency Council, as assistant to the Director. Peter's friend owned a printing press and printed up our invites.

But, where to play? We didn't have a manager. We didn't have an agent. We never had.

I made a phone call cold to a place called Popcorn in Queens, NY and on the phone convinced the guy to hire a band, who would soon be changing their name from WICKED LESTER to KISS.

We got the gig -- three nights -- Wed, Thurs and Fri for the sum total of $150.

That was the beginning.

Bruce Kulick will be hosting a record release party at the Cat Club in West Hollywood on February 1st at 7pm. Nick Simmons will be performing "Hand Of The King" with Bruce, and the Gene Simmons' Family Jewels show will also be there to capture the evening's activities.

Visit Kulick.net for more info on Bruce's new BK3 CD.

Here's the new KISS Icon pen being released by Headline Entertainment.

The KISS pens should be available in stores in February.

KISS, the world famous rock group, though its licensing agent brought suit in the Federal Court in Detroit, where the "KISS" legend began, against Marc Scallatino and a photographer named in an unauthorized book about the rock group KISS containing KISS photographs taken in 1974 to 1981.

We had no choice but to bring this suit against Mr. Scallatino, a spokesman for KISS said, because Mr. Scallatino was repeatedly warned that an unauthorized publication of "KISS" photographs in a book about "KISS" would violate the exclusive rights of the KISS licensing agent, including the federally registered trademarks covering the distinctive "KISS" logo and the distinctive face paint designed by the members of "KISS." Mr. Scallatino ignored the warnings.

A spokesman for KISS also said we have made a considerable effort in time and money to protect the public from counterfeit "KISS" merchandise, including registering the "KISS" trademarks around the world. We cannot simply ignore Mr. Scallatino's willful violation of the rights of "KISS" after he was repeatedly warned.

The suit also names Janet Macoska, a famous photographer of rock bands, as a defendant. After the lawsuit was filed, Ms. Macoska contacted attorneys for KISS and indicated that, although her name appears in the book as one of the photographers, she had no knowledge of the book and never consented to publication of Mr. Scallatino's book, and, she warned Mr. Scallatino that if he publishes her photographs of "KISS" in any book without consent of "KISS," it would violate the rights of KISS. Based on Ms. Macoska's cooperation and the evidence she has provided showing she was not involved in the unauthorized publication of "KISS" photographs in the book about "KISS", we are dismissing the claims against Ms. Macoska, but proceeding against Scallatino.

Kiss is represented by attorneys Patrick M. McCarthy, Raymond E. Scott, and Gregory D. DeGrazia of Howard & Howard Attorneys PLLC.

Hi KISS,

Here's a fun one!

During the annual South Dakota Governor's Conference on Tourism awards banquet last Thursday night, Governor Mike Rounds (who is entering the last year of his administration) presented the "Top 10 Things I'll miss as a Former Governor." Number 2 was "My backstage access to the legends of rock and roll will probably be severely limited" and this picture of the Governor with KISS was shown on several big screens.

Chad Coppess
Senior Photographer
South Dakota Tourism & State Development

On January 29, 2007, KISS' Rock The Nation Live! DVD was officially certified double-platinum by the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA).

Pictured is Tommy Thayer's Rock The Nation DVD award plaque. His plaque reads: Presented to Tommy Thayer, To commemorate RIAA certified multi-platinum sales of more than 200,000 copies of the Image Entertainment DVD, KISS Rock The Nation Live!

Here are some behind the scenes pictures from KISS on Wall Street at The New York Stock Exchange where KISS rang the closing bell. KISS was there to promote the 125th Anniversary of Dr. Pepper and promote our upcoming Super Bowl Commercial that will air at the 2:00 min. timeout of the first half.

All photos by Hab Haddad for KISSonline.

Kiss fans who saw the rock band on their 2009 US tour had the chance to take the show home with them in their back pockets when they walked out of the venue.

"We do a multi-track recording of each night and make the recording available on a USB drive right at the end of the show," says Gerrit Schumann from German company Music Networx, which makes the recordings.

"We have USB duplicators that do it pretty much automatically at the venue. We stop recording about half an hour before the end of the show and include a download code, with which the fan can then download the encores and remaining 30 minutes online."

Each stick cost about $20 and an artist will get anywhere between 20-50% of the price, he says. With around 1,000 sticks sold a night at 58 dates last year, that adds up to several hundreds of thousands of dollars for the band.

They will do it all again for their European tour this year, where they will also introduce an instant download-to-mobile option.

Kiss, already the masters of music merchandise, are also selling meet-and-greet gig packages in the UK.


KISSonline Note:

You can still buy recordings from KISS' 2009 North American Tour at CONCERT-ONLINE.com

Here are some more photos of KISS at the New York Stock Exchange on Monday. The band stopped by to promote the new KISS - Dr Pepper Super bowl commercial. The commercial will be aired in the 2nd quarter of the big game on February 7th. Over 100,000,000 viewers are expected to tune in for the game!

Photos by Steve Freeman

By Alan Di Perna, Photo by Travis Shinn

Originally published in Guitar World, Holiday 2009

Paul Stanley talks about Kiss' success as a live act and how he and Gene Simmons once again found their old chemistry and made Sonic Boom pure dynamite.

On a recent autumn afternoon, Paul Stanley was relaxing at his L.A. home prior to hitting the road for another leg of Kiss' Alive 35 tour. He took the occasion to talk with Guitar World about the long and winding road that has brought him and the band from Alive! to Sonic Boom, Kiss' latest album.

GUITAR WORLD Is it significant that Kiss were propelled to the top of the charts in 1975 by a live album?

PAUL STANLEY Definitely. I think we've always been a live animal. What we found back then was that our first three studio albums weren't selling particularly well, yet we were quickly becoming a band that was selling out live venues everywhere. There was no correlation between our ticket sales and our album sales. It became clear that what was needed was an audio souvenir of the Kiss experience. But I don't think we could ever have predicted that Alive! would become as big or as important as it did. As soon as it came out, they couldn't keep it in the stores, because it was the album that everybody who loved the band had been waiting for.

The KISS Cofeehouse has been chosen as the best coffeehouse on the Grand Strand. The "Grand Strand" is over a 60 mile stretch of coast line, from the North Carolina border, all the way down to Georgetown, SC. This was the inaugural "Best of the Grand Strand" contest featuring more than 500 of the Grand Strand's best local businesses, in over 65 categories, and was voted on by the local viewing area's viewers! In all, over 11,000 votes were cast by viewers!

Coffee with attitude didn't exist in the marketplace until the KISS Coffeehouse exploded onto the scene in Myrtle Beach, SC. KISS Coffeehouse is a stimulating environment to drink a stimulating beverage.

You gotta file a lawsuit in Detroit Rock City.

A company that controls photos and posters of the rock group Kiss is suing to stop the sale of a book with pictures of the performers.

Kiss Catalog Ltd. says trademarks are being violated by "Vintage Kiss Photos: 1974-1981." The lawsuit names Marc Scallatino of Blackwood, N.J., and photographer Janet Macoska of Cleveland.

Kiss Catalog, based in New York, is asking a judge to shut down vintagekissphotos.com.

Macoska says she sold some Kiss images to Scallatino but warned that he couldn't use them for a book. E-mail messages seeking comment were left Tuesday with Scallatino.

The lawsuit was filed last week in federal court in Detroit, where part of the 1975 Kiss album "Alive!" was recorded at Cobo Arena.

(Photo by Stephen Lovekin/Getty Images)

Hi KISS & the KISS Army!!

Check out this awesome KISS St. Gene stained glass window I found on Break.com.

Seems like everywhere I look there is a KISS reference....KISS really is everywhere!!

Best,
Jeff McManus

LETTERS