THE KISS OF THE FUTURE?

I'm a KISS fan, and I've been dreading this for years. Once the post-makeup/reunion KISS "replaced" Ace Frehley and Peter Criss with Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer - in Ace and Peter's makeup - I knew it might be a matter of time before Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley considered retiring themselves, but not retiring KISS. After all, as Gene always reminds us, it's a brand not a band.

And apparently, Gene has been talking about doing just that (although Paul says he doesn't know anything about it).

I myself have enjoyed KISS the band and the brand. I love their albums up through Alive II, with select songs since then. And I love their naked ambition to take over the world. When they reunited in 1995, it was one of the most exciting shows I'd ever seen. People were going crazy to see the KISS they knew and loved again.

But the thing about brands is - and I'm not a marketing expert - they need to build up a trust with their customers, and those customers have to feel like their not being ripped off. Gene can tell himself (and any journalist who will listen) that KISS fans will buy anything, but I don't think it is true. They've already done a farewell tour that has never really ended, which is bad for the brand. I hope they reconsider this course of action, and really just end KISS. Not the marketing machine, but the touring entity, before consumer demand ends it.