Back in the days when KISS was a renegade rock ‘n’ roll band, it was rumored that their name was an acronym for Knights In Satan’s Service. But after the much-publicized KISS auction last weekend at Paramount Studios here in Hollywood, we can think of better ones: “Krap Inc. Salvage Sale,” or maybe “Kapitalists In Self-Service.” And we’re sure of at least one thing: Gene Simmons never throws away anything. Anything.
Let’s say you’re a KISS fan, a real die-hard. OK, how much would you pay for a New Year’s greeting card that Simmons once received from bandmate Paul Stanley? A card imprinted with the saying, “Is it my imagination, or is life getting better?” and bearing Paul’s handwritten inscription: “Dear Gene, hope you like these. Thanks for another great year. — Paul.”
Well, somebody from Baton Rouge paid $850 for it. That’s 850 bucks, not $8.50. And that’s not all.
Sure, the KISS auction included some cool stuff. On the first day of bidding, more than $888,000 worth of the band’s old goods, including a set of four KISS costumes worn by the actual band members during their 1996-97 tour (winning bid: $189,500); four more costumes, from the band’s 1998-99 tour ($145,500); a bass guitar played by Simmons during the band’s late-1970s “Love Gun” tour ($21,850); and so on.
In all, there were more than 1,600 items sold, but most of these were hardly the same caliber as the aforementioned big-ticket items. To put it bluntly, it looked like Simmons had cleaned out his desks, file cabinets, dresser drawers, garages, storage lockers, glove compartments, and scraped the dirt from under his fingernails, and handed it to the auctioneers at Butterfields, with these instructions: “Sell it.”
There were lots of party invitations that Simmons had either sent or received (winning bids: $160 to $350 each); a press kit for the “Double Platinum” album, personally owned by Gene ($350); a “congratulatory telegram” that Simmons received from a friend in 1976 ($225); and various “drawings” by Simmons (they looked like idle noodlings on paper napkins) from the late 1960s and early 1970s ($200).
Of course, there were a few items from Paul Stanley’s personal effects, too. But there was hardly any stuff from guitarist Ace Frehley or drummer Peter Criss (no surprise there; those guys don’t look like they’re into filing and cataloguing).
No KISS members were sighted at the auction (the band is traveling North America on its so-called farewell tour). The bidders were a mix of black T-shirted KISS fans and sharp-dressed dealers and collectors (joined by thousands more bidders in cyber-land) who’ll turn around and sell the stuff on the memorabilia circuit.
The thing about KISS is — and has always been — that they inspire tremendous dedication from their fans. There are people out there who absolutely, positively must have everything related to KISS, even if it’s “a dirty sock that Gene Simmons once wore,” says Mike Dufresne, a collector from Dallas.
But, now that the band is calling it a career, what about posterity? Why not put these items in the hallowed halls of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Hall of Fame? Why not open a KISS museum?
That’s the thing about KISS,” says Dufresne. “It’s all about the money.”
Amen.
