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Thread: KISS

  1. #21
    Administrator sodascouts's Avatar
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    Default Re: KISS

    Music is very subjective. I know I'd get up in arms if I saw the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, or any of their respective members get hated on.

    That said, KISS has always been controversial. I wasn't allowed to listen to them as a child because my mom heard KISS stood for "Knights in Satan's Service." Still, I'd see them occasionally on magazine covers and such. When I saw them, they often had fake blood dripping from their mouths, and that freaked me out. I didn't understand why they did it - I just thought they must like blood and hurting people because they were Satanists (I was pretty young). I was both frightened and repulsed. It made the associations I had with the band very negative. Like UK TimFan says, it's illogical. I understand that the quality of their sound has nothing to do with their "look" or stage behavior. It's just such a complete turn-off to me, though, that it makes it hard for me to get past that and enjoy the music.

    I'm not saying that what I feel is "right" nor do I judge those who feel differently. If you enjoy their music, more power to you! To each his/her own.

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  2. #22
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    Default Re: KISS

    Quote Originally Posted by sodascouts View Post
    Music is very subjective. I know I'd get up in arms if I saw the Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, or any of their respective members get hated on.

    That said, KISS has always been controversial. I wasn't allowed to listen to them as a child because my mom heard KISS stood for "Knights in Satan's Service." Still, I'd see them occasionally on magazine covers and such. When I saw them, they often had fake blood dripping from their mouths, and that freaked me out. I didn't understand why they did it - I just thought they must like blood and hurting people because they were Satanists (I was pretty young). I was both frightened and repulsed. It made the associations I had with the band very negative. Like UK TimFan says, it's illogical. I understand that the quality of their sound has nothing to do with their "look" or stage behavior. It's just such a complete turn-off to me, though, that it makes it hard for me to get past that and enjoy the music.

    I'm not saying that what I feel is "right" nor do I judge those who feel differently. If you enjoy their music, more power to you! To each his/her own.
    That "Knights in Satan's service" thing was invented and spread around the world by some religious group in the 70's. Personally I think this doesn't fit that well with "You shall not bear false witness against your neighbor".
    A few years ago someone asked Gene Simmons via his website if "KISS" stands for "Knights (or kids) in Satan's Service". Gene's response was: "I can't believe that this bullshit is still out there". Anyway, as far as I know "kiss" means the act of two beings putting their lips together and so on...Gene actually knows an awful lot about religions and he has often educated Christians, who have attacked him on his website, about their own religion.
    It's also bizarre that KISS has been accused of Nazism (because of the lightning SS's in the band's name), when you think that Gene's mother's family was wiped off in a concentration camp and Paul's mother had to escape from Germany because of the Nazis.

  3. #23
    Administrator sodascouts's Avatar
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    Default Re: KISS

    It's awful that people started such lies about them. I can't blame my mom for believing the lies, though, considering the way they dressed, the faces they made, all the blood, song lyrics that reference demons and the occult, the way they write their name in all caps so that it looks like an acronym, etc. Still, what those people did was obviously wrong. I wonder why people start such stories?

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  4. #24
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    Default Re: KISS

    Quote Originally Posted by sodascouts View Post
    It's awful that people started such lies about them. I can't blame my mom for believing the lies, though, considering the way they dressed, the faces they made, all the blood, the way they write their name in all caps so that it looks like an acronym, etc. Still, what those people did was obviously wrong. I wonder why people start such stories?
    Personally I think they mean well, but when they start to "bear false witness against their neighbor", they certainly cross a line. And, of course, it's always a small bunch of religious extremists starting these things, but the consequence is that everyone is going to believe it's actually true.
    It's one thing to think that someone breathing fire and spitting blood seems satanic, but claiming that there are certain words that a band name consists of is sick (I don't actually know what group came up with that, but I've heard that it was some religious group.). KISS still has to face that lie today. For Gene that demon character came from comics he had always loved; and that fire breathing was the manager's idea and Gene was the only one in the band willing to learn to do that.
    Gene is a very educated person (he's schooled and he's read hundreds - perhaps thousands - of books about all kinds of things) and he's very intelligent. I think he once summed up his own stage character pretty well: "I'm a complete buffoon, but nobody does it better". The KISS image is just fun.
    By the way, which lyrics did you mean when you mentioned "demons and the occult"? There's only one KISS song that could be read like that (God of thunder), and even that is tongue-in-cheek; sort of a twisted love song with that "Daughter of Aphrodite" line.
    Last edited by chaim; 11-26-2012 at 03:47 PM.

  5. #25
    Administrator sodascouts's Avatar
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    Default Re: KISS

    "God of Thunder" is the one that was held up as evidence. I went back and re-read the lyrics to make sure, and they were pretty bad. It also happens to be one of the three KISS songs I am familiar with, lol. I'm not exactly an expert on their catalog, and I defer to your knowledge that this is an exception - albeit a notable one, as it seems to be treated as a "theme song" by Simmons for his persona and it gets featured prominently during live shows as a result.

    Gene Simmons knew what he was doing when he based his stage persona on a "comic book" demon and all that entails. He doesn't worship Satan, but he didn't mind doing a good impersonation if it sold records and concert tickets... And it probably did. It just didn't sell them to people who are uncomfortable with that kind of thing. No fundamentalist liars are necessary for that kind of thing to turn me off. If you get a kick out of it, though, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just not my deal.

    Always in our hearts, Never forgotten

  6. #26
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    Default Re: KISS

    Quote Originally Posted by sodascouts View Post
    "God of Thunder" is the one that was held up as evidence. I went back and re-read the lyrics to make sure, and they were pretty bad. It also happens to be one of the three KISS songs I am familiar with, lol. I'm not exactly an expert on their catalog, and I defer to your knowledge that this is an exception - albeit a notable one, as it seems to be treated as a "theme song" by Simmons for his persona and it gets featured prominently during live shows as a result.

    Gene Simmons knew what he was doing when he based his stage persona on a "comic book" demon and all that entails. He doesn't worship Satan, but he didn't mind doing a good impersonation if it sold records and concert tickets... And it probably did. It just didn't sell them to people who are uncomfortable with that kind of thing. No fundamentalist liars are necessary for that kind of thing to turn me off. If you get a kick out of, though, there's nothing wrong with that. It's just not my deal.
    That's the point. People should be able to decide for themselves. If someone feels an artist is satanic, it's different, but being told so by people who don't know is another (I'm not referring to your mother, but the people who started that).

    God of thunder was a song Paul Stanley (with the Starchild character) wrote for himself. It was a love song with bizarre imagery. A total departure for Paul lyricwise. The "hear my word and take heed" was originally "we make love till we bleed". The producer decided that it was better for Gene to sing, and Paul reluctantly agreed. It certainly wasn't written for Gene's character. There are child noises in the song, and those are the producer's kids running around in the studio with miked helmets. I can understand how the song might bother people, but the band and the producer (and his kids) were just having fun in the studio.

    (the God Of Thunder Lyrics:

    You've got something about you
    You've got something I need
    Daughter of Aphrodite
    Hear my words and take heed
    I was born on Olympus
    To my father a son
    I was raised by the demons
    Trained to reign as the one

    God of thunder and rock and roll
    The spell you're under
    Will slowly rob you of your virgin soul

    I'm the lord of the wastelands
    A modern day man of steel
    I gather darkness to please me
    And I command you to kneel
    Before the

    God of thunder and rock and roll
    The spell you're under
    Will slowly rob you of your virgin soul


    I am the lord of the wastelands
    A modern day man of steel
    I gather darkness to please me
    And I command thee to kneel
    Before the

    God of thunder and rock and roll
    The spell you're under
    Will slowly rob you of your virgin soul)

  7. #27
    Stuck on the Border Topkat's Avatar
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    Default Re: KISS

    Quote Originally Posted by EagleLady View Post
    Its ridiculous to Judge them based on Costumes.
    I never judged them based on the costumes, or the ugly factor, I just don't care for them & their "thing" whatever it is. I heard the music on the radio before I even ever saw them & nothing about it inspired me to buy any of the music. When I did see them, it further confirmed my decision not to be a fan!
    Believe me, if I loved the music, none of that stuff would have prevented me from seeing them in concert or buying their records...So I would say it is a combination of everything.

    I was never into this whole "performance show" with any group. I hate it still today, when there is a bunch of fireworks, pyro tech, smoke, crazy dancing, or whatever they are using in shows these days, I'm just not into it. I want to hear the singing & the musicians & not be distracted with all this other stuff.

  8. #28
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    Default Re: KISS

    Incidentally, I think the funniest part in God Of Thunder is when one of Bob Ezrin's kids screams "What? I can't do it! I DON'T KNOW ABOUT VAMPIRES!!!!" (after being told to make some vampire noises)

  9. #29
    Administrator sodascouts's Avatar
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    Default Re: KISS

    Chaim, I agree that there is no excuse for lies. Thanks for all the info.

    Always in our hearts, Never forgotten

  10. #30
    Stuck on the Border VAisForEagleLovers's Avatar
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    Default Re: KISS

    In my younger days, I somehow missed the 'satanic' label for KISS. I enjoyed hearing their music on the radio, but I never bought any of their music or tried to see them in concert. I'm a 'blue jeans and work boots' kind of woman and so all the make-up and costumes were a huge turn off for me. It was hard to take them seriously.
    VK

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