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On this day in KISSTORY - January 28, 1982 - We were at Studio 54 in New York City to receive the Golden Cat Award for "Most Important International Artist of the Year from the Sanremo Music Festival in Italy. Our appearance was broadcast live across Italian TV.
On this day in KISSTORY - January 28, 2015 - The single "Yume No Ukiyo Ni Saitemina" with Momoiro Clover Z was released in Japan.
The KISS vs Momoiro Clover Z collaboration single hit #1 on the Oricon Japanese Singles chart and Amazon's Japanese Pop chart! It's the highest charting collaboration single by a Japanese artist and international artist ever!
Paul Stanley composed "YUMENO UKIYONI SAITEMINA" and KISS performed the music on the single. KISS and Momoiro Clover Z both sang lead vocals on two versions of the song. Japanese cultural essences, such as Kabuki, Ukiyo-e art, and samurai armor are themes throughout the song. The "Samurai Son" music video also contains unique Japanese anime.
The "Samurai Son" project was broadcasted on NHK, the sole public broadcaster in Japan. In addition, a huge advertisement was placed at the world's largest Shibuya Scramble intersection. Momoiro Clover Z performed on the popular Japanese program "Music Station," and this project continues to be a hot topic in Japanese media.
On this day in KISSTORY - January 25, 2014 - We rocked Dodger Stadium as part of the NHL's Stadium Series.
Thanks to Caylie Klooster for sharing this awesome concert display with us!
Dear KISS, This display was created to immortalize the best night of my life! Every part of this display was taken from the Edmonton Kiss concert, from the confetti background and the shiny streamer bow, to the lanyard and guitar picks; and I wanted to create something to keep it all together. Each memory that is tied to the components of this display holds a special place in my heart and serves as a permanent reminder of the night I met the hottest band in the world, KISS! Thank you for giving me the chance to fulfill my lifelong dream! - Caylie Klooster
Show us your KISS displays at www.KISSOnline.com/letters
By Jim Clash / Forbes
In Part 1 and Part 2 of this interview series with Kiss frontman Paul Stanley, we covered a lot: his painting, his relationship with bandmate Gene Simmons, the band’s extensive use of makeup, why this past tour was Kiss’ final, his childhood bullying and more. Here, in this final part, we drill into Stanley’s musical influences, among other things. Following are edited excerpts from a longer phone conversation. (By the way today, January 20, is Stanley’s 72nd birthday. Happy birthday, Starchild!)
Jim Clash: We touched a bit upon you being bullied as a child because of your hearing birth defect (Stanley was missing a right ear). But you were pretty smart as a kid, no?
Paul Stanley: I was always in the most intellectually gifted classes, the ones where I actually belonged, but it was more because they knew I belonged there, whether it was IQ testing, what have you. Because of my hearing difficulty, and some learning disabilities, I just never lived up to any of it, though. Today, thankfully, our school systems and the people running them, are aware of dyslexia and other learning problems. I was in school at a time where they thought kids like me were just lazy.
Clash: I want to play word association with a few of your contemporary musicians. I knew you listened relentlessly to Beethoven’s Fifth early on, but how about later? Say, Dion DiMucci?
Stanley: Dion, initially with the Belmonts, had swagger. He clearly knew how to sing. His phrasing was steeped in an earlier generation. The guy could certainly swing the melody with a lyric. I thought he was terrific, and what he went on to do later was really steeped in blues and traditional music. I’ve always admired him.
