I was a couple years too old back in the seventies to think they were any good. All the junior high and freshmen kids in my neighborhood loved them though. We juniors and seniors were way too hip. KISS were just stupid. Led Zeppelin and Deep Purple, however, had depth and meaning. Purple even had classical parts. Though listening recently to Made In Japan, I couldn’t tell where the classical parts were. In any case, I soon heard the Ramones and the Pistols, and KISS seemed more bogus than ever. And the Ramones didn’t even have any classical parts.

Wicked Lester–Gene Simmons (standing on left) and Paul Stanley (seated in center)–in their folk rocking hippie pad, 1971.