Gene Simmons Still Rocks!

I was about 10 when my teenage cousin, Mike, showed me his new KISS record. I had never heard anything so...terrible! I didn't understand why they wore makeup and I thought they were evil. Mike smiled and told me that some day I would like them. I absolutely did not believe him, but he turned out to be right. I was never a super fan, but I did have a couple KISS cassette tapes in high school.

I dressed up as Gene Simmons for the Central College leming race. Students elected a Grand Leming, dressed up and ran behind the Grand Leming across campus and into a pond. A few years later, TJ and I wore "Simmons Family Reunion" T-Shirts to a Halloween party. I was Gene again, and he was Richard! I've always wondered if Gene and Richard are distantly related. Does anyone know?

I spent most of last week at meetings at a hotel in Milwaukee. Half-way through the afternoon, this image floated by the windows behind the presenter. It was hard not to be a little distracted.

Then it drove by the window about ten more times throughout the afternoon.

The bus was sitting in front of the hotel when we got back from dinner, so we were checking it out. Some detective in our group noticed the California license plate and deduced that it was legitimately connected to KISS and Gene Simmons.

Then the bus driver came over and asked if we wanted to look inside. That was the second best offer I'd had all day, the first was the stuffed churro I'd had with lunch! The bus driver sells guitars at KISS concerts. Even though it wasn't exactly Gene's bus, it was pretty interesting.

Terrible picture of me driving the Gene Simmons bus

And I saved the best picture for last.

Bridget, Wendy, Angelia and ME (on the right) in 1994.