#Gene Simmons Interview

[trnsocial]

WIZARDS The Podcast Guide To Comics | Episode 87

We’re joined by Jay from The Purple Stuff podcast as we explore the Halloween themed fun of Wizard 87 featuring an interview with Gene Simmons of KISS & Todd McFarlane, the works of horror illustrator, Bernie Wrightson, the Top 10 Most Dangerous Comic Book Villains and more. We talk KISS, Pro Wrestling, KISS, Halloween candy KISS and of course, 90’s comics. Listen now! Get a full scan of the…

[angelbambisworld]

You mean to tell me that KISS has gone on this long and not once have they made a single KISS-themed sex toy?!

Not even one based on Gene's tongue?! Not even one based on Paul's Love Gun?!

[thelasthippie]

Sorry but every X time i have to revive this...

Kisstory 😂😂😂😂

[xtinethewriter]

View these never-seen-before 1990 photos of Kiss' Gene Simmons in Erie, PA: Christine's Chronicles

Attention Kiss Fans: Here's some 1990 eye candy ~ Gene Simmons pre-show interview pics never published previously

by Christine Lorraine Morgan, July 5, 2024 The infamous rock group Kiss stormed into the sleepy city of Erie, PA On Oct. 16, 1990 amid censorship controversy on the local level. The hubbub was regarding Kiss’ stop in Erie during the group’s steamy “Hot in the Shade” tour. It was under these circumstances that my interview with Gene Simmons took place downtown at the Erie Civic Center. There was…

[spacefoxy-irl]

This is another one that cracks me up. The struggles when you have no lyrics xD

They scrapped this one because they eventually ended up agreeing that it is too similar to A Million to One.

[myvinylplaylist]

Gene Simmons: Speaking In Tongues (2004)

BMG Music Club

Sanctuary Records

[cityofmeliora]

another absolutely insane Primo interview

in my first post about Primo's characterization, i noted that he has a dark sense of humor and possibly cruel inclinations. i recently found scans of a April 2012 Metal Hammer interview that features Primo and a Nameless Ghoul (big thanks to @ Primoismelting on twitter!!) i can now say with absolute certainly that he delights in evil and cruelty and being a villain.

this interview is like. really long. so i'm not posting a whole transcript. but here some highlights from this interview:

Primo says he would maim a panda bear for less than $500.

THERE ARE VARIOUS MEANS OF ASSESSING WHETHER SOMEONE IS EVIL OR NOT You don't need to wait until a person plunges a rusty pair of gardening shears through your eye to stop and think: "Yes, my reading of the situation is that he's a bit on the evil side." Criminal psychologists and those working in secure psychiatric facilities use questionnaires called psychopathy tests in order to judge whether someone is a grade A violent nutcase or not... whether they're mad or simply bad. Today's two subjects from the occult rock band Ghost – a sinister figure shrouded in robes who answers only to the title of A Nameless Ghoul and a desiccated cadaverous fiend wearing the pope's robes and mitre, called Papa Emeritus – have agreed to sit ARE YOU EVIL? 101. We tell them, "No one will ever find out. Tell me how much money it would take to persuade you to hit a panda really hard in the face with a brick." Despite his voice being disguised by electronic effects to help preserve his identity, the disgust in the Nameless Ghoul's answer is audible: "It would take a lot of money. An insurmountable amount of money." But you would not kill the panda – probably just fuck its nose up a bit. And I have a Large amount of money to offer you. But the Ghoul will not budge and is clearly appalled: "I will pass thank you. I have no desire to hit a panda in the face with a brick." Papa Emeritus pauses for what feels like an eternity before croaking: "One. Million. Lire.” A willingness to harm animals is often judged to be an indicator of psychotic behaviour. Most people would never agree to hit the unfortunate bamboo-eating, sex-phobic, monochromatic bear on the hooter. Papa is not only happy to do it but he also knows a Gene Simmons-sized business opportunity when he sees one, yet the Ghoul on the other hand has revealed he has a more moral outlook. This is very confusing. Another test is needed. Metal Hammer (April 2012)

the Italian Lira is a now-obsolete currency that was phased out and replaced by the Euro from 1999-2002. in 2001, its last year of usage, it had an average conversion rate of roughly ~2180 Lire = 1 USD. 1 million Lire would be about $460 USD. Primo dgaf about endangered animals LMAO.

Primo reacts with sinister glee at the idea of invading and conquering Poland. (understandably, this is the interview where a Nameless Ghoul compares him to H*tler.)

We put the following to them, "OK, consider this. You are passing by Poland. Do you stop and think A) What a fantastic opportunity, I must visit this famous land and soak up its rich culture and history and make new friends in the process, or B) I must annex this God-forsaken strip of dirt and grind its populace under the heel of my jackboot in order to create Lebensraum for my Reich which will reign in glory for a millennium?" The Nameless Ghoul stammers: "I have yet to step foot in Poland so it's a foreign country to me." Stop avoiding the question. Would you sooner visit Poland for a holiday or invade it? He sighs and says: "In my line of work we are pretty much into invading countries. Being a rock musician with the aim of putting on a very good show all around the world, it would be very handicapping to not explore the cultural aspects of countries you visit. But when you are in a band such as Ghost that's on the rise and you go to a country like Poland, you go there with the aim of conquering the country. You go to their country to enrich them with your culture of blasphemy.” Papa Emeritus does not add anything but he is grinning as much as his rigor mortis will allow and rubbing his hands together. It looks like in his mind he is already packing his bags and choosing a particularly severe tank commander's outfit for the trip. Again there is a big divide between the mysterious monk and his partially decayed singer. The conclusion of the test is far from clear. Could it be – as strange as it may seem – that they are nothing more threatening than ordinary travelling minstrels who simply wish to excite young people with an invigorating and theatrical "rock show"? Or are they indeed, as they claim, emissaries sent from Hades to recruit foot soldiers for the most evil of battles to come? More tests are needed. Metal Hammer (April 2012)

Primo has no problem with being compared to H*tler, but he DOES NOT want you to forget that his dick is HUGE.

The Nameless Ghoul says this is partially the point: "A lot of people presume we're parodying the church by inverting it but this isn't the case. We do the exact same thing as the church but we add a little topping to make a point. I think the real Pope is a very frightening character and that's the reason why he is an impenetrable, invincible and uncontrollable figure. It is the same with Papa Emeritus. You can't defeat Papa Emeritus because he's sacred. Most people find authoritative figures like the Pope enthralling. So he represents everything that is sacred, powerful and authoritative. It is very humorous as well, because not only is he our own Eddie, he's also Freddie Mercury, Adolf Hitler, Dracula, Marlon Brando and the Pope rolled into one.” Anger rouses Papa Emeritus from his near slumber: "Don't forget John Holmes!" The Nameless Ghoul sighs and corrects himself, throwing the 13 -inch-cocked porn star into the mix: "He is like Freddie Mercury, Adolf Hitler, Dracula, Marlon Brando, The Pope and John Holmes rolled into one.” Metal Hammer (April 2012)

Primo fucks, but he DOES NOT do foreplay.

"Thank you," says Papa E. It has to be said, while the singer no doubt cuts quite a figure in his robes and he undeniably has great bone structure, some of which is exposed to the elements, it's perhaps a shame that he doesn't have a better grooming routine as this might afford him and Ghost more young female fans. The Ghoul laughs raucously beneath his hood: "You'd be surprised at how many women flirt scandalously with him from the audience. The Ghouls get repelled when we see this happening actually. It is true that he has good bone structure but I think it is not so much his looks as the idea of him being whoever they want…” So basically you're saying that there are a lot of women out there who are having impure thoughts about a cadaverous cross between Hitler and Freddie Mercury in a dress? He lets out another chuckle: "Yes... yes, I am." Papa cuts in with a lascivious leer: "Whatever makes you think that I do not engulf myself in the carnal aftermath of our masses? I do, however, refrain from so-called 'foreplay'."

in the original lore, Papa Emeritus I was a zombie pope. he was supposed to be an actual literal corpse.

the interview makes several references to Primo being a zombie. he's described as 'cadaverous', having rigor mortis and exposed bones. the joke was that the title "Papa Emeritus" is the title of former popes, but a former pope would by definition be a dead pope, so the idea was that Ghost's Papa Emeritus I was a dead pope. this was before Pope Benedict resigned in 2013 and became the first living Pope Emeritus, ruining the joke, LOL.

[randgugotur-6]

May 18th 1987 - KISS released the film Kiss Exposed documentary film

KISS Exposed is the 1987 long-form music video released by the American rock band, Kiss. This was the band's second home video release. KISS Exposed is based on an interview with the members of Kiss (almost exclusively Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley) and is interspersed with music videos and live concert clips from throughout Kiss' career, until the album Asylum.

The original idea had been to put together a simple compilation of the promo videos the band had filmed since 1982 but according to interviews with Paul he felt that such a product wasn't right: "The new video, KISS Exposed, came out of the record company wanting to put out a compilation of our videos. And I always see that stuff as a rip-off. In essence, what they are doing is having the public pay the company back for the cost of the videos." Instead, KISS suggested a look behind the scenes/history of the band. According to Len Epand, the executive producer for the video and the senior vice president of music video production at PolyGram, "Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were responsible for much of the idea and its execution and even came up with the title. […] When we brought the concept to Kiss, they upped the ante by giving us the rights to classic pre-video-age concert cuts from their own archives, from when they still wore make-up". The conceptual footage that tied the promo videos and live clips together was filmed at Gray Hall, a mansion in Beverly Hills, in August 1986.

The première showing of the completed product was at Billboard’s Eighth Annual Video Music Conference on November 20–22, 1986. It was described as "an original music/comedy/docu-drama".lFinal post-production work was undertaken in December 1986 at Sync Sound in New York for a January 1987 release. "Kiss have[has] now finished work on a 90-minute video package which they plan to issue worldwide in January ’87". However, this release date was soon pushed to March, something Gene and Paul referenced when they were guest VJs at MTV in January 1987. This March release date explains why KISS Exposed was listed as a new release in several US newspapers in mid-to-late March.

However, PolyGram pushed the release even further and it was eventually released on May 18. 1987. Whether or not it was the reason for the delays, Billboard wrote that PolyGram was "timing the videocassette […] to coincide with the compact disk release of the remainder of the Kiss catalog". Regardless of the reason for the moving release date it worked to drum up interest. According to an ad placed in Billboard in mid-April the video was set to ship gold (25,000 units) but the veracity of that early ad might be questioned. In an interview slightly closer to the actual release date representatives for PolyGram said that pre-orders were "approaching 25,000". (RIAA certification thresholds for long-form video have changed since the late 80s, in 1987 gold was 25,000 units and platinum was 50,000 units.] It was certified for gold status on July 23, 1987, and later platinum on October 1, 1987. Certifications always lag (and have to be asked for by the releasing label) and sales over 50,000 were reported long before the actual certification. In late 1988 Len Epand would claim sales approaching 90,000.

A follow-up was planned and almost 5 hours of footage was filmed during the first week of Hot in the Shade Tour, but it was shelved for unknown reasons. The footage leaked to the bootleg circuit and is called "eXposed II".

[booksandmemes1987]

I've got a little piece pipe in the back that I'd like you work on.

Tell me about it! *dies hysterically*

no actually I'm a plumber

[rolandrockover]

All For the N's and &'s

When I listen to All For the Love of Rock & Roll (2012), I honestly ask myself why Kiss, in the course of their prowl through music history didn't also write a song called We're Gonna Rock You. Or even better: We'll Rock You (1).

I'm willing to bet that the verse sequence of an almost identically titled song by a certain British rock band must have been virtually waiting in yearning anticipation for decades just to get into the eager hands of Gene or Paul and be processed by them one day. And if that had already happened, that would not surprise me at all.

As I recall a follow-up album for Monster (2012) was announced around 2015/16, which unfortunately never went into deeper studio production, but I guess at least some demos must have been made for it. If I were to ask a statistical physicist or a medium to calculate or predict the probability of a song called "We'll Rock You" appearing on one of Gene's demos, I for one would know exactly what I'd be betting my money on.

I can literally read the credits in my mind's eye: Written by Gene Simmons (2).

Side Note:

(1) In some interview in a magazine in the 90s Gene said that the main difference between Kiss and Queen was the point of view, and if Kiss had written a song like We Will Rock You (1977) they would have called it I Will Rock You. What this could have to do with I Love it Loud (1982) is, of course, a story for another time. But I guess you understand what I was getting at above anyway.

(2) I'm kind of sorry that the name Eric Singer hasn't been mentioned once, although this is one of the rare opportunities for him to sing an album track. Next time, and there will most definitively be a next time .

I decided to use the Ram Jam version for this one. The links are both highlighted at their similar verses. Jesus, they even start at exactly the same second:

All For the Love of Rock & Roll (2012)

All For the Love of Rock N' Roll (1977)

[angelbambisworld]

Wait gene Simmons had a tape? How did Shannon deal with that

Yeah it got leaked in 2008. For your own sake and sanity, I wouldn't bother searching for it. You can't even get any ironic erotic enjoyment out of it(I think???)lol

Yeah Shannon wasn't too happy about that. In fact things between her and Gene got so bad she almost left him(There's a video of her walking out on Gene during an interview).

But Gene was quick to get his shit together. The whole final season of Gene Simmons: Family Jewels is about it.

They got married in 2011 and are still together to this day.

[rubykgrant]

I'm TRYING to re-think the order of some of the events in my RVB story-line, so it flows a little better as an actual plot (to be fair, the actual series would often leave the end of a season sort of up in the air, and come back with a non sequitur after a lot of time passes, so. shame on me for trying so hard, I guess). I have a lot more little details involved (I'll ramble about those below), but these are the BIG PICTURE aspects that everything else is framed around

The Interviews involve the Reds, Blues, former Freelancers, Doc, Locus, and a few friends from Chorus talking about what they've been through (with some flash-backs thrown in, showing what they aren't all telling). During the Vacations, Donut goes on a big spa-spree, the Grif sibs go back to Hawaii (without a big fuss, Kai may like the attention, but Grif doesn't want people bothering him about being the Famous Orange Soldier), Simmons tries to track down his family (he can't find them), Sarge goes back to sulk in Blood Gulch alone, Wash goes looking for the Triplets, Doc spends some time with Dr Grey and thinks about trying for a medical degree again, Lopez is allowed to just be by himself (and he's honestly kinda bored), Caboose goes back to the Moon, Tucker searches for Junior, Carolina attempts to dig up info about how deep Charon/Project Freelancer really got into all the crime BS, Locus tries to turn himself into the authorities on Chorus (being all "I deserve to die" about it) but Kimball gives him a "life sentence" of community service. Everybody misses each other, and are drawn back together like a bunch of planets caught in the same gravitational pull

-Sarge is contacted by a UNSC group that wants to give soldiers who were Sim Troopers and members of the Flag Zealots "new training", and he doesn't hesitate. He has fun with it for a while, and this is where he meets Poppy... she is how he finds out a lot of the people here were given the option "join this training program or face prison time", which really isn't much of an option at all. He thinks about how the Red VS Blue war was a lie, he thinks about Project Freelancer manipulating the agents, he thinks about Wash having a villain moment to avoid being locked-up, he thinks about Locus believing soldiers are supposed to kill without ever asking questions... and Papa Warcrimes decides he actually hates the military (it's a sign of the apocalypse!). Meanwhile, Carolina has finally gotten some leads about Charon, and she meets Junonia, who helps her find out more regarding the past and what Hargrove is still up to. Gene has also been around, trying to be a solo villain, but he's BARELY a one-man Team Rocket. Finally, the insidious purpose for all this new training is exposed, and Red Team (with their new member, Poppy) gets to have the spot-light when they fight the villain

-Everybody finally goes back to Earth together, and this time, a big celebration is held for their return. They spend most of their time out of armor on Earth, so the general public leaves them alone. Some fun shenanigans with everybody finding ways to amuse themselves (Sarge doesn't like going outside, the sky is too BLUE). Now that she knows where they are (thanks to the welcoming celebration), Tex finally catches up with everybody, revealing that when Epsilon Deconstructed, the information from his memories transferred back to the original Beta unit, reviving her. The Director had this whole plan for eventually bringing Allison back with a synthetic human body made from her DNA sample, but he could never make it "perfect" (Tex isn't an identical clone, more like a genetic "sibling" to Allison). She isn't the only one who found them; the parents Simmons went looking for finally show up (now that their son is a famous space hero). He's more than happy to get their attention, and they have him join their work at a bio-tech company (everybody else immediately recognizes the parents as a-holes, and the business as shady, but try telling Simmons that). Tex was initially hesitant to reveal the other AI Fragments were also revived, what with some left-over sore feelings regarding Sigma and Omega (Wash is ironically more willing to forgive them for everything; he wishes he had been able to do that BEFORE, instead of fighting against them as the Meta, and the whole spiral from there). Carolina talks through emotions with Sigma, and Omega compliments both Doc and O'malley for finding their back-bone. Everybody else is happy to get to know the Fragments better. Some Drama happens with the Reds, but Simmons finally sees his parents don't really care about him, and they all figure out that the bio-tech company has the original Alpha Unit hidden away. They rescue Church, who has the chance to be in his own synthetic body based on the Directors DNA (again, not identical, just similar)

-Everybody gets to CATCH THEIR BREATH, Caboose and Tucker have Church back, Church and Tex get to do people things, hooray! A distress call out there in space tricks Tucker into thinking Junior is in trouble, so he heads out to find his kid (most of the others join him, but a few stay behind because of recovering injures, etc). This turns out to be a trick, Hargrove and Temple are both being jerks. The rest of the gang arrives for a rescue, and Church has each of the Fragments assist his friends for the escape; for Hargrove, this was his attempt to test out a "new version" of scanning a mind to make his own AI (his tech is wonky, and will definitely kill people it scans). For Temple, he's under the impression that if he helps, he can have his own mind scanned, thus giving him a "recreation" of Biff from his memories. Hargrove REALLY wants people who have interacted with the AI Fragments as experiments, since he thinks there is important data to be found from minds like that. Temple just wants to kill the main group because he hates their guts, and it isn't FAIR, why do they get their dead friend back? Also, everybody finds the AI file for Sheila! When things settle down, Grif and Simmons talk, and at last they are on the same freaking page

-After the rescue, Hargove escapes again, and the group hears a distress call from Chorus. Some old problems are going on again, so they swing by to help out. Hargrove has one last-ditch effort to get what he wants in terms of AI experiments... Felix didn't just come back wrong, he came back WORSE. Well, everybody has the chance to work through some unresolved negative emotions aimed at him (Kimball, Locus, Tucker- everybody gets a stab in!). Felix wants to use his sword again, but it recognizes him as "dead". He tries to use a temple that "revives echoes" for key holders, but this just gives him a ghost of Doyle ("It was mine before it was yours"). The Echo also brings back other AI like Santa, who have been programmed to make certain events happen... while everybody tries to deal with Felix AND finally catch Hargrove for good, the Echo creates a whole third problem. At last, a group of aliens arrive, alerted by the Echo, and in the group is- Junior!

-Some happy family reunion time for Tucker and his boy. Junior explains what he's been doing for so long; he wasn't trying to avoid his father, but there are dangerous groups out there trying to kill him, and he's been hiding while also trying to save others. The strange "prophecy" about him, as well as things involving a "Great Destroyer" is indeed true (Gary admits he kind of just made up what it was about, but it really WAS real!) have become more urgent. Somebody who wants to take over and wipe-out anybody who opposes them has been targeting Junior. There are also many other half human/aliens like him, an attempt to create as many potential "prophecy children" as possible, but all were rejected by their human parents and only seen as tools by the other aliens (except for Junior, who is actually loved by his dad... even though they haven't been able to spend much time together). Another temple out in space supposedly has the power to give "continuous life", and the villain intends to use that to win. Tucker and the others try to protect Junior, but the temple doesn't work the way they all think...

-Back on Earth again, life seems to give them all a break... but unusual things begin happening. It eventually becomes clear that there are "new AI gods" toying with them (some are just playful, a few are genuinely malicious). This involves somewhat amusing, if a little annoying, shenanigans (like Wash getting turned into a cat, and a tiny 7-year-old Sarge showing up), but also very dangerous situations. Alternate time-lines and realities collide, some arguably "worst-case scenarios"

-It finally becomes necessary to confront the cause of all this. The group gets pulled into a pocket dimension where a lot of realities intersect. One AI god demands people fight for their amusement, and the winner will get to return to the "reality they want". The group really just wants weird paradox stuff to STOP. Church, Tex, and the Fragments figure out a way to keep everybody from dying, even the enemies they have to fight, until they have the chance to take on the one trying to control everything. Just when it seems like that issue is solved... Donut throws up. Weird, cosmic throw-up, like if the big-bang was a liquid. Being the one who has been traveling through time and reality the most, he's kind of absorbed a LOT of cosmic energy, and he can't control it. A big monster-transformation happens, but everybody figures out how to fix it so they can save Donut. Are we done? Are we DONE now???

-Yes. Everybody has the chance to live their lives, whatever that means for each of them. They get to be happy. Sometimes, bad things still happen, it can be difficult and unpleasant to live- but they still LIVE. Eventually, they pass on too (and that also means different things for some of them). When all is said and done, they're mostly glad they all got to be here~

[rock-and-roll-hell]

September 14, 1979

Dynasty Tour

Riverfront Coliseum - Cincinnati, Ohio

The day before this show Lydia’s divorce from Peter Criss was finalized

“KIϟϟ wasn’t playing any gems either. The 40 minutes this writer sat through before catching a final-edition deadline showed that KIϟϟ’ vacation from touring did nothing to improve the group musically. Peter Criss still approaches the drums with a beginner’s gingerliness. The concept of a backbeat continues to elude him and he uses the cymbals as often as donkeys fly. What Criss lacked in finesse he more than topped with his ill-timed tempos. He rushed so terribly it became obvious he couldn’t keep the beat if it were locked in Ft. Knox. Gene Simmons’ tentative bass guitar work was right at home with Criss’ drumming. The same went for the outrageously out-of-tune guitar musings of Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley. In concerts past, KIϟϟ attempted to temper its wretched rock with on-stage wanderings which bordered on theater. Theater of the absurd, but theater nonetheless. Friday evening, the theater was gone. KIϟϟ was merely a rock and roll band in grotesque mime makeup. Thus, the band’s performance could only be judged on the basis of its music and… its dancing. Oh, yes. There was dancing. As Simmons garbled his way through "Calling Dr. Love,” Stanley bounded across the stage. In his high-heels and mincing, one-and-a-two-and-a-three steps, he cavorted like a reject from a Lawrence Welk polka contest“ (Cincinnati Enquirer, 9/15/79).

The harshness of the review is hardly surprising in the context of the critic’s preshow interview and piece that ended, "That’s great, Gene. You’re just what the world needs, and old school teacher who preaches nihilism and sticks out his tongue” (Cincinnati Enquirer, 9/9/79) as a response to Gene’s comments that being awed by a show experience was more important than searching for meaning in art.

[metaladdicts]

GENE SIMMONS: 'I'm Okay With Being Labeled Or Thought Of As An A**hole'

Gene Simmons, the iconic KISS bassist and vocalist, was interviewed by Kara Mayer Robinson on “Really Famous.” During the interview, he was asked how the public perceives him. “I would say there are some — could be a large number, could not — who think I’m an a**hole,” Simmons responded (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “In fact, I named my second solo album A**hole, which, I thought, was akin…

[myvinylplaylist]

KIϟϟ: Alive And Talking (1996)

Fold-out insleeve, backside is poster from the cover.

Nice picture cd.

Rockview Records

[starry-eyed-never-satisfied]

For the ask game - 6, 19 [KISS], 22 [Paul] - please!

19. What's your favourite thing about [fandom] (the people in it, not the media you're all enjoying together)?

For the longest time I thought that the things I thought about them, headcanons, horny thoughts, writing fan fic, was weird. So I kept all that stuff to myself. Then when I discovered tumblr and found out I wasn't the only person who did that, it was a realisation that I'm not a freak! There are others like me! Kissblr is awesome! There are so many talented writers, artists and just lovely people. Even posting about non-KISS stuff, I get such wonderful supportive feedback, and it's just a wondereful feeling that although I haven't met any of you, you care.

22. Give us a headcanon for Paul

Paul is not fond of doing interviews, he's never fully gotten over the anxiety of talking to people. He doesn't hate them, he knows its part of the job, and he loves his job, but it is outside his comfort zone. If he's doing it with Gene, if the anxiety gets too much, he will lean closer or against Gene, just for comfort.

6. Show us a bit of a WIP!

This one is called Coming Home and it is the one I asked for help with on driving from LA to New York

He was stuck.

Stuck in the middle of nowhere.

Gene went to the phone booth and called the operator.  “Collect call please,” he said and recited the only number he could think of.

The phone rang.

Paul rolled over, arm emerging from the covers, grabbing at it.

“Ugh.”

“Collect call from Gene Simmons, will you accept the charges.”

Paul’s eyes jerked open.  Why was Gene calling collect?

“Sure,” he replied.

“Paul,” Gene gasped.  “I’m in the middle of nowhere, the car broke down, I lost my wallet!”

Paul sat up.  “Where are you?”

“I don’t know!”

Paul shut his eyes.  “Calm down,” he said.  “You must know where you are.  Are you back in New York?  Or in LA?”

“I’m trying to come home,” said Gene.  “I don’t wanna do the movies anymore.  I want to come home.  To you.  To KISS.  I don’t know where I am.”

“Okay,” Paul said gently.  “Take a deep breath.  Think Genie.  What was the last state line you crossed?  What cities have you passed through?”

“I left Denver this morning.  I was supposed to be in Omaha by tonight, but the weather was terrible!”

“Good boy.  You’ve found a phone booth, so there’s businesses nearby?”

“Yes.”

“What are they?”

“Most are dark, but there’s a motel.”

“What’s it called?”

Gene wiped at the fogged up window and peered up the road at the neon sign.  His heart sank.  “BJs.”

There was a muffled sound on the other end of the line.

“Paul Stanley, are you laughing at me?!”