Lovin' Kiss

I bought a signed and numbered print of this great photo at a fundraiser, as a gift. It was hard to let it go – it makes me laugh! Then I found out it was featured in the New York Times Magazine on May 14, 2000. How great to know the story behind it. And no, I'm not a Kiss fan. I just love the photo.

WHAT THEY WERE THINKING David Massie and Reginald Massie, Denver, March 28, 2000 Photograph by STEVEN R. NICKERSON Interview by CATHERINE SAINT LOUIS David Massie: "I first saw Kiss in January of '77. I was about 17. I was overwhelmed. I think it was just the makeup and mystique – the spitting blood, the fire, the pyrotechnics, the bombs. Gene Simmons vomited blood at the end of his bass solo. That was just unbelievable. "But being a Kiss fan never wears off. I'm 40, and I'm still chasing Kiss. When this costume went on sale, I thought, Why not wear it to the last Kiss show in Denver? I had to have my mom and my sister do my makeup. It took an hour and a half. And my wig was starting to blow off. But it was great. I was always into Gene, with the long tongue. He's so cool. Look at him, man. And I turned into Gene for a few hours. When you are dressed as Gene, you feel larger than life. But I was actually getting kind of choked up, thinking, Dang, this could be the last concert. I wanted it to keep going forever. I hope they come back this way. I'd like to tell them what they've meant to me." Reginald Massie: "I'm into Glenn Miller. I drove 20 miles once to see Glenn Miller and that was enough. I guess my son's in darned need of help."