Letters

Around the age of 8 my father bought a CD player and a few CD�s to listen to on it. He had huge speakers and used to go down into the basement and blast all his favorite artists from the �60�s and 70�s. One of these CD�s was Smashes, Thrashes, and Hits, upon hearing this CD I was almost immediately hooked. I knew nothing about KISS, I had never seen pictures or video of them before, and still wouldn�t for some time. After playing Smashes, Thrashes, and Hits into the ground, my father thought it was time that I get a new KISS disc, he opted to buy me Alive! Alive! was everything I could ever want from an album. At this point in time I was only 9, but I was beyond enamored with the album. At the age of 9, I became a full fledged KISS fan, a decision that has really affected every aspect of my life since. As fate would have it, right around this time the reunion tour was announced, so a flood of KISS merchandise came out. A lot of my family noted my new obsession and bought me KISS t shirts for the holidays. One day while wearing my new KISS t shirt in 3rd grade, one of the janitors at my school told me that KISS stood for Kids In Satans Service, being previously educated by my father on the history of the band (and being a Jew myself) I retorted: �How can that be, when the two lead singers are Jewish?� The janitor immediately backed off, and I learned a valuable lesson that day. I learned that I would spend the rest of my life fighting for my fanship of KISS and rock music. In 1997 all my prayers were answered when I was fortunate enough to see KISS perform on the Reunion Tour, the experience is one I still remember to this day, and will never forget. My father took me to the concert, and it was a very special moment for both of us. As time progressed my interest in heavy music grew and grew, I began seeking out heavier music, I discovered bands like: Black Sabbath, Pantera, Metallica, Slayer, Iron Maiden, Hatebreed etc. Most of these bands cited KISS as an influence, and that meant the world to me. Before entering high school I was able to see KISS say goodbye on the Farewell Tour, it was a bittersweet moment for me, and another one that I will never forget. My father once again took me to the show. As high school moved forward I grew older and KISS took a back seat to other bands. I went most of high school without listening to KISS, something I regret deeply in hindsight (I did however manage to see the band once on the World Domination tour in �03). As of recent I have rediscovered my love for KISS, and once again rank them as the number one band in the world. KISS has changed my life considerably, my fanship of this band has shaped the culture that has formed me as an individual and I am forever grateful for that. I am now 23, and am rediscovering much of the music that shaped my youth, why I ever stopped listening to most of it, I�ll never know. I was lucky enough to get to see the band play this summer, and as the lights came down and the opening notes played, I looked to my left and saw my 55 year old father with a sparkle in his eyes and his fist in the air, I couldn�t help but smile at the magic of KISS. Thank you for all you have done for me in my life, especially for the memories I have shared with my father at your shows and listening to your music, it truly is timeless.