Goths, sex and too much lipstick are hardly a recent phenomena....

At the request of a college buddy who went on a spring break vacation with me (and my sister and her boyfriend) back in the late 70's, I dug up the plastic cups that slurpees were sold in at 7-11 convenience marts in gulfside northern Florida. One person alone saving plastic slurpee cups for 30 years could simply be a nuerotic attachment to vacation memorabilia. But, how do you explain all four of us doing the same thing? I believe it is because the psycho-social impact of artlessly mixing so many genres (goth, glam, rock, sex, bondage, romance, platform shoes) on a slurpee cup is timelessly relevant. Behold!

Right, keep in mind that we were staying at my dad's place near Pensacola, home of Eglin Air Force base, in a matrix of military installations and housing. Here's what the back of the Paul Stanley cup said:

                                             Paul Stanley is the lover of KISS with his pouting ruby lips and rose tattoo. These marks and the black star always outlining Paul's right eye make him the KISS sex sym- bol. Playing rhythym guitar as an expression of pure love for his fans, Paul is KISS! Paul started KISS in 1973 as a duo with Gene. He's a Capricorn.

OK, so there is some very helpful information if your seats at the KISS concert are way in the back or you are updating your goth watching life list. Also, to have some finality on "who's idea was THAT, anyway?" is comforting. But seriously, the personal style tips were problematic. While sporting a tattoo around the armed forces wouldn't necessarily get you assaulted and/or murdered, the pouting ruby lips definitely would have.

Hopefully I will be able to update this site with personal photos of the entire collection, Giff, Mary, Scott, waddya say?

Kiss Out, Amy

Wow, it truly does get better, Mary & Scott came through, again, Behold!

And the absolutely killer text on Peter Criss....

                                     Peter Criss is the Brooklyn-born drummer of KISS. Setting the powerful beat that dominates every KISS performance, Peter is the catman on attack. His unusual feline make-up has been particularly popular in Japan. Peter, a Sagitarrian, was the third member of the KISS group, joining Gene and Paul originally to form a trio.

Awesome tips for impressing Japanese cats, and I must admit it works for me too! Pause and take a breath before we move on to Giff's amazing set with Gene's and Ace's bios.

                      Gene Simmons is the reptile-tongued bass player of KISS. He’s a fantasy monster, becoming a vampire onstage, much to his fans’ delight. Simmons grins, amused, pleased. Fans faint. It’s KISS mania, a scene right out of this world. With Paul, KISS was started in late 1973 as a duo. Gene’s sign is Virgo.                Ace Frehley is the futuristic, incredible lead guitarist of KISS. “Space” Ace is the real inter-galactic personality of the group and a real science-fiction fan himself. The silver- eyed spaceman was the fourth man to join KISS before their first professional gig at The Coventry in Queens, New York. Ace is definitely a Taurean.

Regrettably, in the heated excitement of collecting the cups we failed to get the Paul Stanley "large signature" in concert-situ version. I will try the auction sites for a photo. Nevertheless.....

I think the word sublime was invented for gulping down a delicious carbonated frozen beverage laced with the condensation of Florida humidity on a KISS cup. Don't you?