KISS vs. The Feed – When Makeup Meant Mayhem, Not Marketing
How Four Face-Painted Maniacs Became Rock’s Loudest Brand By One vs. The Feed
They didn’t just want to play music. They wanted to breathe fire, sell action figures, and have their blood printed in comic books. KISS was never about subtlety. From the beginning, it was spectacle over substance, branding over nuance. And that’s exactly why it worked. In the latest Close-Up Edition of One vs. The Feed, we dive deep into the glitter-caked legacy of the self-proclaimed hottest band in the world.
Born in Smoke and Spandex
Formed in New York City in 1973, KISS was the result of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley’s shared vision: a band that would look like a comic book and sound like a bar fight. Joined by Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, they became the Demon, the Starchild, the Spaceman, and the Catman—a costumed quartet of chaos. They were laughed at by critics. Dismissed as gimmick. But their 1975 live album Alive!—a not-so-live Frankenstein of overdubs and post-production magic—made them legends. It didn’t matter if the album was real. It felt real. And that was the KISS formula in one word: feel.
The Merch Machine
By the late '70s, KISS was more than a band. They were a marketing juggernaut. They had lunchboxes, dolls, pinball machines, trading cards, and a Marvel comic book infused with their own blood. Yes, really. In 1978, they each released a solo album. They starred in a hilariously awful TV movie (KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park). Their fanbase, the KISS Army, was more loyal than most cults. But all that excess came with a cost. The music suffered. Internal tensions grew. Ace and Peter spiraled. By the early '80s, the band was collapsing under its own boots.
The Mask Comes Off
In 1983, in a move more shocking than any fireball, KISS unmasked live on MTV. It was the end of an era. And the beginning of another. The unmasked years saw the band navigating the glam metal explosion. Paul Stanley held the reins while Gene dabbled in movies. The lineup changed—Eric Carr, Vinnie Vincent, Bruce Kulick—but KISS survived. Somehow. Then in 1996, they did what few thought possible: they put the makeup back on. The original lineup. The full show. The nostalgia hit like a power chord. The Reunion Tour was one of the highest-grossing of the decade.
KISS in the Age of The Feed
Fast forward to the 2020s, and KISS is no longer a band. It’s a platform. A merch empire. A meme. Gene Simmons has trademarked more things than a lawyer can alphabetize. Their final show was held in December 2023 at Madison Square Garden. Or at least, that’s what they said. With KISS, the end is just another marketing opportunity. Today, their legacy is less about riffs and more about recognition. They didn’t just sell out. They sold out so hard they owned the idea of selling out. And they made it rock.
The Black Diamond
Black Diamond isn’t just a song. It’s a metaphor. KISS was raw, jagged, forged under pressure, and unmistakably valuable. They weren’t just loud. They were louder than life. In a culture obsessed with authenticity, KISS proved that artifice can be its own kind of truth. So whether you loved them for the fire, the flair, or the fact that they turned every encore into a marketing masterclass, there’s no denying their place in the pantheon. Facepaint. Fire. Full Send.
That’s KISS.
And that’s One vs. The Feed.
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