Gene Simmons

Yes, it was.

We played clubs from nothing to everything. Really? Yes. We played New Year's Eve, Fourth on the Bill, at the Academy of Music in New York City, 1973-74. And two months after that, the first album came out. We were fourth on the bill. KISS, Teenage Lust, which was a local band, Iggy Pop, and Blue Oyster Cult. And on the first, by the third song, I'm Spitting Fire. We were full makeup.

We played clubs from nothing to everything. Really? Yes. We played New Year's Eve, Fourth on the Bill, at the Academy of Music in New York City, 1973-74. And two months after that, the first album came out. We were fourth on the bill. KISS, Teenage Lust, which was a local band, Iggy Pop, and Blue Oyster Cult. And on the first, by the third song, I'm Spitting Fire. We were full makeup.

My hair catches fire. And we're on the covers of all the magazines and everything. New band from Hellfire. And you know, all this kind of stuff. I was just glad to be alive.

My hair catches fire. And we're on the covers of all the magazines and everything. New band from Hellfire. And you know, all this kind of stuff. I was just glad to be alive.

but within a year and a half of coming out before mtv before cell phones we had still rotary calls superman was still going into that booth and changing of course people can't see him taking off his pants because he's in a phone booth while all this was happening within a year and a half were headlining Anaheim Stadium in Los Angeles. Wow. Yeah, just that overnight thing.

but within a year and a half of coming out before mtv before cell phones we had still rotary calls superman was still going into that booth and changing of course people can't see him taking off his pants because he's in a phone booth while all this was happening within a year and a half were headlining Anaheim Stadium in Los Angeles. Wow. Yeah, just that overnight thing.

We had no hit singles, nothing. Really? Yes, it became what the Germans called Zeitgeist, the water cooler conversation. The way you spread your brand in those days were rock magazines, circus and raves and all these colorful magazines that had posters. And we were always on the cover because the rest of the band is just boring. Yeah, they're not visual.

We had no hit singles, nothing. Really? Yes, it became what the Germans called Zeitgeist, the water cooler conversation. The way you spread your brand in those days were rock magazines, circus and raves and all these colorful magazines that had posters. And we were always on the cover because the rest of the band is just boring. Yeah, they're not visual.

So our brand and people, you know, the fans, we started selling out multiple days in arenas before we even had a gold record.

So our brand and people, you know, the fans, we started selling out multiple days in arenas before we even had a gold record.

You're giving us too much credit. We didn't know anything.

You're giving us too much credit. We didn't know anything.

But that's what happened. You were just rock and roll gypsies. Right. You were glad you didn't have to do nine to five.

But that's what happened. You were just rock and roll gypsies. Right. You were glad you didn't have to do nine to five.

And be in the same cubicle, doing the same thing.

And be in the same cubicle, doing the same thing.

None of that. Scientists either call it a singularity or an anomaly. We were rehearsing doing these songs that Paul Stanley and I wrote. Stanley Eisen. Eisenberger. Eisenberger. And I started writing and then Ace Fraley contributed a song or two. And as we heard, you know, this kind of sounds pretty good. And we had Peter Criss on drums and everybody could sing, everybody could play.

None of that. Scientists either call it a singularity or an anomaly. We were rehearsing doing these songs that Paul Stanley and I wrote. Stanley Eisen. Eisenberger. Eisenberger. And I started writing and then Ace Fraley contributed a song or two. And as we heard, you know, this kind of sounds pretty good. And we had Peter Criss on drums and everybody could sing, everybody could play.

And then instead of doing a market analysis or anything, I recall clearly, because I never got hired drunk, one of us, and I can't tell you who, said, let's go down to Woolworths, which was like a department store. And it was around Halloween, I believe, and they had a lot of gimmicky things like plastic ice cubes with fake flies in the middle that you could stick in your girlfriend's strings.