Kiss News

Dan Griffiths has revealed how he spent thousands on his favourite heavy metal band, because they helped him learn to love life

A Kiss fan has spent £25,000 on the band�s merchandise and following his favourite band all over the world � and admits his obsession has cost him a few girlfriends.

But devotee Dan Griffiths, who is a dwarf, said the band �who look like freaks� helped him come to terms with who he is.

Having battled with negative feelings about his height, Dan from Aberystwyth credits the American rock band with giving him confidence during his teens.

By Rachael Misstear

Now aged 45, Dan, who has been to 48 of the band�s gigs, and met his heroes on numerous occasions, has a tattoo which covers his entire back with the faces of each band member, and the Kiss logo complete with lightning bolt in the middle.

�I have tried to get their autographs tattooed as well but, even signed with permanent marker, they have never lasted long enough for me to have a tattoo session,� he said.Dan Griffiths has revealed how he spent thousands on his favourite heavy metal band, because they helped him learn to love life

A Kiss fan has spent £25,000 on the band�s merchandise and following his favourite band all over the world � and admits his obsession has cost him a few girlfriends.

But devotee Dan Griffiths, who is a dwarf, said the band �who look like freaks� helped him come to terms with who he is.

Having battled with negative feelings about his height, Dan from Aberystwyth credits the American rock band with giving him confidence during his teens.

Now aged 45, Dan, who has been to 48 of the band�s gigs, and met his heroes on numerous occasions, has a tattoo which covers his entire back with the faces of each band member, and the Kiss logo complete with lightning bolt in the middle.

�I have tried to get their autographs tattooed as well but, even signed with permanent marker, they have never lasted long enough for me to have a tattoo session,� he said.

Dan first saw Kiss perform when he was just 12. It was to spark a lifelong obsession.

�It was on Top of The Pops in May 1979,� he said.

�I thought to myself �Wow! Who are these guys with the make-up?� I remember mam being shocked and saying something that probably wasn�t very �PC�.�

In the programme Dan Bach a Kiss on S4C next Thursday, Dan reveals what it�s like to be a faithful member of the �Kiss Army� as the band release a new album and embark on a new world tour.

�There is a very fine line between being a fan and a fanatic,� said Dan

�A fan enjoys the music, follows the band and goes to their gigs. But a fanatic takes it a little more seriously. I would put myself in the �major fanatic� category.

�I just love the whole thing � the antics, outfits, make-up, and guitars. The morning after seeing them on Top of The Pops I went out and bought the 12in record. I�ve been faithful to Kiss ever since.�

With an entire room dedicated to storing his priceless collection of band memorabilia, it is simple things like drumstick given to him the band�s late by drummer Eric Carr, and a towel thrown into the crowd that he values most.

�I love all the merchandise, but it�s the sentimental stuff that means most to me.�

In total, Dan estimates he has spent at least £25,000 on band memorabilia and gigs.

But there is a serious note to his relationship with the band.

Dan who works at the National Screen and Sound Archive of Wales, added: �The first feeling when I saw them on TV was �Wow! These guys look like freaks. And maybe at the time I thought of myself as a freak.�

�How many dwarves are there in the world � around 1 in 50,000 people? I�m a freak and I�m unique.

�When I was a teenager and the kids around me were growing taller, from 4ft up to 6ft, the same thing wasn�t happening to me.

�But through Kiss, and with the support of friends and family, I�m still here and I�m loving every minute.�

There was one dream he was yet to fulfil: to see Kiss play in Tokyo, and re-live one of their most famous gigs when they rocked the Budokan Hall in 1977.

With the announcement of a new world tour, the dream moves a step closer, and the S4C programme follows Dan to Japan, past the security guards, to the backstage area where he comes face to face with his heroes.

:: Dan Bach a Kiss will be shown on S4C, on Thursday at 9.30pm (English subtitles available)

By Greg Little/Standard Journal

I was sitting up fairly late on New Year�s Day channel surfing and came across a concert on Axis TV.

It was a very recent Kiss concert from Stockholm, Sweden.

That�s right, Kiss.

I have had a long-standing admiration for Kiss. There are many reasons, not the least of which is the fact I had the opportunity many moons ago to interview Gene Simmons. Even though it was a telephone interview, I was blown away by Simmons � especially his intelligence.

You see, he was once a school teacher in New York City, making no money and going nowhere. So he gathered together a few of his buddies and they decided they were going to do something different. They weren�t just going to play rock and roll music, they were going to paint their faces, do shows filled with pyrotechnics, blood and all kinds of crazy stuff, all the while playing music.

They changed the world of rock and roll.

It has always fascinated me how this one band turned the run-of-the-mill stage show into what is now the norm � even in country music.By Greg Little/Standard Journal

I was sitting up fairly late on New Year�s Day channel surfing and came across a concert on Axis TV.

It was a very recent Kiss concert from Stockholm, Sweden.

That�s right, Kiss.

I have had a long-standing admiration for Kiss. There are many reasons, not the least of which is the fact I had the opportunity many moons ago to interview Gene Simmons. Even though it was a telephone interview, I was blown away by Simmons � especially his intelligence.

You see, he was once a school teacher in New York City, making no money and going nowhere. So he gathered together a few of his buddies and they decided they were going to do something different. They weren�t just going to play rock and roll music, they were going to paint their faces, do shows filled with pyrotechnics, blood and all kinds of crazy stuff, all the while playing music.

They changed the world of rock and roll.

It has always fascinated me how this one band turned the run-of-the-mill stage show into what is now the norm � even in country music.

In fact, it was Garth Brooks who was so fascinated with Kiss that he consulted with them and turned his ordinary show into what set the standard for almost all country music shows. Brooks performed with Kiss on The Tonight Show, which broke even more ground. I am convinced that one performance is what inspired the very popular �Crossroads� series which features rock and country artists.

Another thing about Kiss has to do with the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Granted, hall of fames are generally pretty lame and are based on politics. Just look at the professional sports halls of fame and you can understand how that works.

But I have always argued that Kiss should be in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Certainly, their musical talents were suspect in the beginning, but what they did on stage made up for any of those deficiencies. (Today, their musical talent has improved greatly and that just adds to the show.)

Yet the hall snubbed them for years and years � until now.

Kiss is finally going to be inducted in 2014. I will be interested to see how the boys in the band handle that induction ceremony. I predict it will be in typical Kiss fashion.

Many people may disagree with me about Kiss, but I am going to stick to my �Love Gun� on this one.

I have been to four Kiss concerts in my life and each one of them has been fantastic. The show is something to see and it keeps you entertained the entire time.

Like many of those 70s and 80s bands, they are still performing their hits from back then, but that doesn�t stop huge crowds from showing up at their current shows. Even though Gene and Paul are getting up there in age, they continue to wear those ridiculous outfits, Gene continues to show off his tongue (blood and all) and Paul still gets the crowds going between and during songs.

Sure, the original lead player and drummer are not there anymore, but that doesn�t seem to matter. It certainly doesn�t to the audience.

When they break into �Detroit Rock City,� or even the love song, �Beth,� everyone goes wild.

And that�s what a good rock band is all about. It�s easy to make music inside of a studio, but turning that music into a live show is another ballgame.

Kiss can pull it off like no other band on the planet.

Their mantra has always been, �You wanted the best, you got the best.�

In my estimation, Kiss is one of the best, at least when it comes to the band�s impact on rock music presentation � and rock and roll music in general.

I may be getting older, but I can assure you if a Kiss show comes to this area, I�ll be there taking in all of the fun. I will �Rock and Roll all Nite� with those boys.