The 500 - #92 - 20 Golden Greats - Buddy Holly & The Crickets

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

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Album: #92

Album Title: 20 Golden Greats (aka) Buddy Holly Lives

Artist: Buddy Holly & The Crickets

Genre: Rock and Roll

Recorded: Between 1956 - 1958

Released: February, 1978

My age at release: 12

How familiar was I with it before this week: Quite well

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #166 - dropping 74 spots

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Everyday

In the late 1970s, something strange was happening. Pop culture had fully embraced a revival of the 1950s. From fashion to music to slang expressions, North America was fully embracing an idealized version of Eisenhower-America.

Now, to a 12-year old kid growing up in the small farming and fishing town of Kingsville, Ontario, this seemed entirely normal.  When you are that young, everything is your "normal". You don't have enough life experience to know that the world could be any other way. A child who grows up wealthy assumes everybody takes vacations, flies on airplanes and has a family cottage somewhere. A child raised during the Second World War came to accept blackouts, ration books, bomb shelters, and fathers away in uniform as part of everyday life. The remarkable becomes ordinary when it is all you have ever known.

A young boy wears a ‘Mickey Mouse’ gas mask produced for children
between two and five. The facepiece was red, and the breathing
section was blue and green to make them more friendly.

So, in 1978, I found myself surrounded by a pop-culture filled with greasers, jukeboxes, sock hops, leather jackets, and the ever-present influence of Arthur "Fonzie" Fonzarelli. Somewhere between the  successes of American Graffiti, Happy Days, Laverne & Shirley, and Grease, popular culture of the time collectively decided to take a 20-year step backward.

American Graffiti film (1973), Happy Days
debut (1974), Laverne & Shirley (1976)
Grease (1978).

In the late‘70s, Tuesday nights belonged to Happy Days. If you had any hope of participating in school discussions the next morning, watching was mandatory. Missing an episode meant standing on the sidelines while everyone else debated the latest exploits of Richie Cunningham, his family, friends -- Ralph Malph, Potsie Webber --and, of course, the king of cool, Arthur "The Fonz" Fonzarelli.

Scene from Happy Days, (l) Richie Cunningham (Ron Howard)
with The Fonz (Henry Winkler), outside Arnold's Restaurant.

The '50s nostalgia craze spread everywhere in the '70s. American Graffiti had planted the seed first by introducing audiences to a romanticized vision of the time and the music that accompanied it. By 1978, television had fully embraced the post-war Eisenhower era. Happy Days became a new phenomenon which continued with its first spin-off series, Laverne & Shirley. Looking back, it is remarkable how thoroughly a generation of children became fascinated by a time period we had never actually experienced. From Jukeboxes to Fats Domino, to saddle shoes and poodle skirts -- I think I knew as much about America in the '50s than I did about Canada in 1978.

For elementary school kids in 1978, a Happy Days lunch box 

was practically standard issue.

One of the more baffling examples of 70s nostalgia for the 50s was the emergence of the rock and roll and doo-wop revival group Sha Na Na. The ten piece musical ensemble performed a song-dance and comedy repertoire that featured, and parodied, the music of the 1950s and the era’s New York gang culture. The group’s syndicated television series (1978 - 1981) somehow became appointment viewing, despite being (objectively speaking) generally unfunny.

Sha Na Na - musical group and television show cast.

The humour relied heavily on exaggerated characters, corny catchphrases, slapstick antics and broad mugging for the camera. Even as kids, my friend circle understood the jokes were pretty thin. Still, we watched every week, happily offering our own terrible Bowzer impressions on the playground the next day. The appeal was never really the comedy. It was the energy, the music, and the simple fact that, with only a few TV channels to choose from, a bunch of greasers singing old rock-and-roll hits seemed like perfectly reasonable entertainment.

Jon "Bowzer" Bauman was the 'breakout' character
on the Sha Na Na television series.

Then came the summer of 1978, when Grease seemed to take over the world. The soundtrack was everywhere and songs from the movie dominated the charts. Even if you had not seen the film, you knew the music.

Album cover for the soundtrack to Grease.

1978 also brought the film The Buddy Holly Story starring Gary Busey to audiences. For many people of my generation, this became our introduction to the music of Buddy Holly. Coincidentally, 1978 was also around the time I began spending more time digging through record bins and developing my own musical tastes. I distinctly remember seeing the 20 Golden Greats record with the hastily scrawled Buddy Holly Lives on the cover. I didn’t buy it, but I picked it up more than once, turning it over in my hands and wondering what all the fuss was about. Like so many kids my age, I was beginning to discover older music just as the rest of popular culture seemed determined to rediscover it.

Movie poster for The Buddy Holly Story.

I've written about Buddy Holly before. Back in June, 2020, I wrote about his record, The Chirping Crickets, (#420 on The 500). Four songs from that album appear again on 20 Golden Greats. They are among my favourites, particularly, That'll Be the Day, Not Fade Away, Oh, Boy! and Maybe Baby. If you are looking for Holly's biography and the story of his untimely death, that article covers the details.

Album cover for The Chirping Crickets (#420 on The 500).

This time, I am interested in something different. Why did Buddy Holly become popular again in 1978?

Part of the answer lies in nostalgia, movies, and television. Another part lies in the music itself. Holly's songs are short, direct, energetic, and built around unforgettable hooks. Listening today, they almost feel proto-punk...maybe even proto-proto-punk (if there is such a thing). At the exact moment when punk was exploding and progressive rock's sprawling concept albums and marathon guitar solos were beginning to fade from fashion, Buddy Holly's catalogue suddenly sounded modern again. A teenager starting a garage band in 1978 could find plenty of inspiration in those records.

The similarities between Buddy Holly and The Ramones are striking. Songs including Peggy Sue rely on three basic chords, relentless backbeats, and short track lengths, matching the exact formula of the Ramones' 1976 self-titled debut album (#33 on The 500). Additionally, London punk legends The Clash and 70's San Francisco hardcore punkers The Dead Kennedys famously covered I Fought The Law, a song written by Sonny Curtis of The Crickets. 

Album cover for the single release of I Fought The Law, by The Clash.

So, in 1978, nearly twenty years after his death, Buddy Holly was back in the record bins, back on the airwaves, and back in popular culture and even permeating the brain of an impressionable Canadian adolescent who was starting his search for a musical identity. Perhaps the title Buddy Holly Lives was not seem quite so far-fetched.

The 500 - #109 - Aftermath - The Rolling Stones

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

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Album: #109
Album Title: Aftermath
Artist: The Rolling Stones
Genre: Rock & Roll, Blues Rock, Art Rock
Recorded: RCA Studios, Hollywood, USA

Released: April, 1966
My age at release: Eight months
How familiar was I with it before this week: A couple of songs
Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #330, dropping 221 spots

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Paint It Black

Like many of this generation, I’m on several group text threads. Some are made up of close, dear friends and our conversations are varied. Others are looser and organized around sports, comedy, or specific shared interests. These threads have mixed demographics. They are populated by both good friends,  acquaintances, and even strangers. Among them are “threaders” who  enjoy sharing their scores from a variety of daily word games -- Wordle, Connections, Quordle, and Reunion. There are some participants whom I have never met. In one of the groups there’s a guy I know, but not particularly well. He is, without fail, regularly angry.

Every time he weighs in, I think of the Grandpa Simpson "yells at cloud" meme. According to him, social media is ruining everything. The world is falling apart. Kids these days are hopeless. Apparently, Blue Jays players wear too much jewelry, and for some reason that’s a sign of cultural decay. Some of his comments are delivered loudly and with a bitterness wildly out of proportion with his complaints.

The other day he fired off another take that felt like a shot across my bow, and, as I have a few times before, I clapped back. Not angrily, or at least not consciously, but with a sarcastic edge that maybe went a touch too far. I gleaned this by the way the rest of the group reacted: “Wow, Hodgy shows his teeth,” someone joked. Another chimed in: “I’m staying out of this one.”

Undeterred, he followed up with a explanatory message, doubling down and justifying his point. I didn’t reply. I just moved on. Besides, my wife wanted to catch our current favourite show on television. Granted, watching the superhero satire The Boys probably wasn’t the best choice as it only magnified what I was trying to leave behind. It’s wildly entertaining for the less squeamish, but it’s also a grim mirror of our moment, where outrage is amplified, rewarded, and, so far, unresolved.

The next day, a couple of friends from that chat group checked in. They didn't say anything directly, but I could tell these were "you good?" inquiries. This was kind and I appreciated it. I wasn’t upset. I didn’t feel wronged. I wasn’t harboring resentment. I still don’t. I’ll keep chatting in that group about hockey and music, sending jokes and harmless memes. I also know, without illusion, that I am not changing this guy’s opinions, temperament, or default negativity with a single sarcastic retort.

And yet here I am, writing about it. I do see the contradiction there.

Which brings me, oddly enough, to the Rolling Stones’ Aftermath. an album soaked in sarcasm and bitterness, lyrically abrasive, often confrontational, and a little misogynistic. Aftermath doesn’t invite you in. It pushes back at you. It argues. It sneers. It insists on having the last word.

Maybe that’s what put me on edge. Or maybe listening to Aftermath simply sharpened my awareness of a tone I recognize too well...the satisfaction of winning an argument, the hollow little triumph of being right, the way sarcasm can feel sharp and clever in the moment, but leave a faint, bitter aftertaste once the noise dies down and everyone moves on.

Part of what makes Aftermath such an interesting listen is that it exists in two forms. The original U.K. version, released in April of 1966, runs longer with 14 tracks, while the American version, released two months later, trims down to 10 shared songs and adds just one more. But what an addition it is! That extra song went on to become a signature piece for the London-based rockers, Paint It Black.  It went to #1 for 11 weeks in 1966 and is a hit that they still play at concerts as recently as last summer.

60 years ago this week.

Paint It Black is one of the darker songs on Aftermath. While much of the album argues (Doncha Bother Me), sneers (Stupid Girl), and asserts control (Under My Thumb), Paint It Black sounds singularly fixated. There’s no smirk in it, no sense of winning. Its themes of grief and alienation appropriately fitted the era in which it was written. In 1966, post-war optimism was fading, The Kennedy Assassination was a vivid memory, and the war in Vietnam was escalating.

Album jacket for the single, Paint It Black.

Listening to both versions of Aftermath, especially the U.S. label with Paint It Black, I couldn’t help but notice how easily sarcasm and negativity can slip into certainty and disposition and then how quickly certainty can curdle into abrasion. Aftermath doesn’t ask you to agree with it. It dares you to. And maybe, just maybe, that’s why my patience ran a little thinner than usual, and why a single group text exchange became hotter than it should.

Aftermath, it turns out, is less interested in reconciliation than it is in having the last word. I suppose that is also my default setting. And perhaps "yelling at clouds" is necessary sometimes. 

The 500 - #116 - Out Of Our Heads - The Rolling Stones

I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time.

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Album #:116
Album Title: Out Of Our Heads
Artist: The Rolling Stones
Genre: Blues Rock, British R&B, Blue Eyed Soul, Rock and Roll
Recorded: Multiple Studios in London, Chicago, Los Angeles

Released: U.S. Version released July, 1965
My age at release: 19 days
How familiar was I with it before this week: Somewhat
Is it on the 2020 list? No

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: I Can't Get No (Satisfaction)

Many years ago, I received a birthday card styled as the front page of a newspaper. It featured the major events of 1965, my birth year,  along with pop‑culture trivia and a roster of celebrities born on the same day. It looked something like this version I found on the internet:

The #1 hit on U.S. radio charts on the day I was born was (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction by The Rolling Stones, which was released as a single a month before their third studio record, Out Of Our Heads, hit shelves. It was the first of eight #1 singles for the English rockers and one of 23 to hit the Top 10. Initially, it was only played on underground, pirate radio stations because the lyrics, which reference sexual frustration and commercialism, were deemed too provocative for public airways.

Album jacked for the single release of (I Can't Get No) Satisfaction.

The song begins with one of the most recognizable guitar riffs in modern music and it was one that would influence rock and roll bands for years. Before 1965, riffs were cleanly toned, blues-based and served the vocal melody.

Guitarist Keith Richard's fuzz-soaked repetitive hook flipped that script. The riff became the focus of the song, and everything else hung off it. That approach to song writing became the blueprint for future superstar bands, including Led Zeppelin, The Who, Aerosmith, AC/DC and every hopeful garage band rocker since.

Richard's legendary riff as a music score and guitar tab.

Legend has it the riff came to Richards in his sleep. He later said he didn’t even realize he’d written it until the next morning when he found his Phillips cassette recorder beside his acoustic guitar. On the tape were about two minutes of guitar playing, including the now‑famous riff, followed by the sound of his pick dropping to the floor and roughly 40 minutes of snoring.

Keith Richards in 1965.

A popular ice‑breaker I've encountered at staff meetings and education conferences borrows from the world of boxing and pro wrestling, where fighters enter the arena to loud, high‑energy “entrance music.”

Whenever the question about my “entrance music” comes up, I usually default to something heavy and brash from Rage Against the Machine or Soundgarden. However, I think that needs to change. Satisfaction was literally the song filling the air on the day I entered the world, so it feels right to honour that coincidence and make it my choice the next time I’m asked. The riff certainly works, even if the lyrics cast me as a bit of a pessimist.

Granted, there are some other, ironic and funny Top 10 choices for entrance music that also turned 60 last summer.

I Can't Help Myself - The Four Tops
What The World Needs Now Is Love - Del Shannon

What's New Pussycat? - Tom Jones

Yes I'm Ready - Barbara Mason

Mr. Tambourine Man - The Byrds

How about you? What songs were in the Top 10 the month you were born?

Would any make a powerful, or comedic, impact as your "entrance music"?

The 500 - #159 - Alive - KISS

 I was inspired by a podcast called The 500 hosted by New York-based comedian Josh Adam Meyers. His goal, and mine, is to explore Rolling Stone Magazine's 2012 edition of The 500 Greatest Albums of All Time. 

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Album: #159

Album Title: Alive

Artist: KISS

Genre: Hard Rock, Heavy Metal

Recorded: 4 concert venues - Detroit, Cleveland, Davenport and Wildwood

Released: September, 1975

My age at release: 10, my guest blogger was 8

How familiar was I with it before this week: Very

Is it on the 2020 list? Yes, at #305, dropping 146 spots

Song I am putting on my Spotify Playlist: Nothing To Lose

I am delighted to welcome back Glen “Archie” Gamble as a guest writer for this album. “Arch”, as he is affectionately known in his wide circle of London, Ontario friends, is a drummer, writer, world traveler and vlogger (The Gamble Ramble). He helped me out with a guest post for the first Van Halen album (#415 on The 500) way back in July, 2020. Although he is best known for his tenure with Canadian rock band Helix, he has also played with Buffalo Brothers and The Joys. However, salient to this week’s guest writing duties, he spent several years as the drummer with the KISS tribute band Alive. In that capacity, he has met and played with the original members of KISS and I knew he would have a fantastic, insider's perspective on this record. Here’s Arch!!

It was Christmas season, 1976. I know this because I was with my mother, Xmas shopping in the department store K-mart. And even though I was only eight years old, I saw something that changed my life…The Alive record from the New York rock band KISS.

KISS (l-r) Ace Frehley (guitar), Gene Simmons (bass/vocals), Peter Criss
(drums/vocals) and Paul Stanley (guitar/vocals)

Trust me, I know how silly that sounds coming from an eight-year-old. But it was legit. And very, very real. In fact, I would venture a guess, and say that the impact of the KISS Alive album had just as much to do with changing the course of my life, as it did with changing the lives of the Kiss band members themselves.

Pretty big statement, right? But it’s one I stand by. The reason being that, on my end, this album started my pilgrimage toward a love of rock ‘n’ roll. But foremost, it was the album that saved KISS’ career; it got them out of debt with the record company, saved their record deal and boosted the earnings they made from live shows. As a matter of fact the proceeds from the sales of Alive also kept their record label Casablanca Records, from going under. This album came along at exactly when it was needed. Not just for the band, but for the music industry. In a tepid pool of luke warm ‘soft rock’, including Eagles, Carly Simon and James Taylor, during the mid-seventies, KISS Alive was like a sonic shotgun blast to the face. It also helped start a trend of double live album releases that continues to this day.

KISS were known for their elaborate stage shows.

There were no soft ballads about sleeping with a girl in the desert; instead there were anthems about taking a girl backstage to C’Mon And Love Me. And this is THE album that set me on the path of becoming a musician. So not only did it incredibly alter the lives of KISS themselves, it heavily affected mine as well. I couldn’t believe the incredible energy that was pouring from the vinyl when my big brother put it on. While he enjoyed it, I was absolutely captivated. I used to come into his room and ask to listen to it. until eventually, it became mine.

A young Glen "Archie" Gamble, flanked by his brothers
 John (left) & Jim

I can recall, listening to the vinyl, sitting across like it on the floor with my headphones on, curly cable and all. And a great thing about the album was the booklet that came with it. I remember reading through the book while listening to the music and staring at these four crazy characters. Were they even human? Hey, I was eight, but it seemed to me that they had captured everything that would be exciting to a kid; hard driving, loud rock ‘n’ roll, with over-the-top theatrics and an amazing show. I was hooked.

Centerfold from the KISS Alive booklet.

From that moment on, KISS became MY thing. My brother, as I said, liked them but wasn’t a huge fan. But by the time I came to pick up the newest album, Destroyer, I was in-hook line and sinker. And God bless my parents, it was an obsession that they got behind. This was actually before I even started drumming. My mom would take me to the record store in the mall, and buy me copies of older KISS albums, and even allow me to hang posters in my room. In fact, around this time, we moved into our first brand new home in the suburbs. I got my very own bedroom for the first time, and went absolutely insane, covering the walls, and I mean every inch, with KISS posters, magazine spreads, newspaper articles, etc., etc., etc. My poor mother; she had just decorated this entire house; wallpaper, wood paneling, new carpet, and more. And I turned it into a rock ‘n’ roll den of sin. Well, as much as an eight-year-old can.

A young Glen Gamble in his KISS shirt.

And of course, seeing this insane cat like character on the drums, something called Peter Criss, also changed my life. Although I would later have questionable interactions with the human man himself, the God like character that was pictured on the album covers blew me away. And it was a perfect persona for him: his rhythm’s fit perfectly; primal, jungle, and just plain ferocious. And once again, I was hooked.

Peter Criss behind the drums (1975).

“Mom, can I have a drum set?”

My parents were very supportive, but cautious, about this new out of the blue hobby. Being a bit of a strange child with no interest in sports or academia. I think they were just happy to see me interested in something. Not to mention, their marriage started to go bad around this time and there was a lot of fighting. And I mean a lot. I think indulging me with Kiss and drums was a way to placate me and sort of apologize for the violence at home.

At any rate, my parents picked me up a toy drum kit from the Sears catalog. You know the type, paper drum heads, and tin cymbals. It didn’t matter, I was in heaven! My very own drum set. It’s not for me to say, as my memory is not THAT good, but people tell me that I took to it straight away. I could actually play something that resembled ACTUAL rhythms. Very quickly, I went through this drum kit, both figuratively and literally; the drum heads were actual thick paper. And you know that didn’t last long with a young rock ‘n’ roll roller, full of energy, right?

1975 Sears Catalogue Instruments.

So my parents took the next step up and got me another drum kit, from Sears again, but this one with plastic heads. By plastic, I don’t mean the plastic used in a real drumhead (which is mylar) I mean, just a thick sort of sheet plastic. Regardless, it was a step up, and I was once again immeasurably excited. And for toys they actually sounded good. They helped me learn my way around a kit, create muscle memory, and learn how to function with my hands and feet at the same time. The next step was courtesy of my big brother Jim, One day, we visited a young rock roller in our new neighborhood who played guitar, bass and drums and loved Kiss as fanatically as I did. His name was Doug Rouse -and we are friends to this day. He’s one of the people who helped chart the course of my life. And he had a real drum set; far from fancy, but real. It was manufactured by Silvertone and it was a blue sparkle kit with old, beaten cymbals. Regardless, I was spellbound.

The blue sparkle Silvertone kit from Doug Rouse.

My brother Jim, and I watched him play for a little while and then Jim asked “can Glen give them a try? He plays, too? While I was definitely appreciative of my big brother's support, I was also scared.-this would be the first time I’ve ever played outside of the home, and certainly never in front of anyone other than my family! Well, as family legend tells it, I sat down and began to play a steady four-four rock ‘n’ roll beat, amazing both my brother and Doug . Apparently I had picked up how to play from records, television and magazines: how to use the high hat, which my drum set at home didn’t have. I can’t honestly recall what happened, but Doug saw how much it meant to me and sold the drums to my brother Jim for $25.

Glen (left) and his brother Jim (2016).

That was it, I was in. And I mean for life. A progression of neighbourhood bands followed, and on a steady basis, better drum kits. Next thing you know, I was a 15 year-old playing in nightclubs. And by 17 I was playing full-time weekends. By 18, I took off to start touring full-time, the path of my destiny. There were cover bands in Canada that could work 52 weeks a year across the country. And that’s what I did for the next 4 or 5 years. Eventually, one of those cover bands, Nasty Klass, settled in London, Ontario. We eventually came off the road from full time work, as we decided to get serious about writing music and getting a record deal. We were just young musicians, scrambling for the next meal and rent. But we MEANT it.

Glen (left) with the other members of Nasty Klass (late 80s).

And along comes Alive … this time, the band. You see, there were rumours of an amazing, world class KISS tribute band that existed in our town of London Ontario. At this point, I hadn’t met these guys yet, but would see them at our shows. They were hard to miss, trust me. Dressed in black, leather, like a hand, they stood out. And all young musicians, they would go out and check out the “competition“. I can clearly recall the first time they came to see us at the local bar, Mingle’s; there were four giant halos of curly black hair back by the soundboard. The lighting was such that their faces were washed out, and it was very mysterious. In fact, it was like being visited by the real KISS….

Alive promotional poster, prior to Glen joining.

After that show that night, I talked to my good friend Tom Kouzinous (R.I.P.) who was friends with that band, and also the cousin of Alive’s “Gene Simmons” -- Spiro Papadatos. After the show, he explained to me that it was his cousin’s band we saw standing by the soundboard and that they were very impressed. Tom later explained to me that their drummer was leaving, and that they were looking for someone new. Initially, I didn’t even entertain the idea of joining, as we were so full-time in our pursuit of rock ‘n’ roll glory, I had no time. However, I did tell Tom that I knew the entire Alive album if they ever wanted to jam while searching for a drummer, just to keep from getting rusty.

Alive - Kiss Tribute Band - in full regalia.

And then one day, the call came -asking me if I wanted to jam sometime. I said yes if we set a date. When I arrived at the house of brothers Steve and Dean Georgakopoulos, I was floored; in their basement rec room, they had set up two Marshall full stacks, two Ampeg bass cabinets and a full-size Peter Criss drum set. The classic vintage equipment Kiss set up. And as I was soon to learn, they also played at 70’s vintage Kiss volume! In fact, I had to stop them as we set up and balanced sounds, and ask them to turn it down. I said ‘guys, no one rehearses this volume’ to which they replied “Kiss does!” And while I couldn’t really argue with that, I did have to let them know that being able to hear each other was paramount, otherwise we would never get better as a band… and I confess, having seen this amazing set up, I was already thinking of myself as part of it. I was IN.

Alive, with Glen in the Peter Criss regalia.

We started with the first song on Alive, Deuce, and the chainsaw guitars roared to life. I kicked in with that famous drum film, and ‘it’ was there right from the start; we locked in and gelled from the get-go. In fact, that afternoon we played the entire KISS Alive album. From side one to side four. Afterwards, we were all buzzing with adrenaline, and the guys asked me the obvious question: “would you like to play some shows with us?” I, of course, said yes, barring any complaints from my present band members. Thankfully, once I explained to my band that they would come first, they gave me their blessing. They saw how excited I was, and they were all KISS fans, themselves. Not to mention, they knew that we all needed to make money anyway we could.

A promotional flyer for Montreal bar, La Brique 
where Alive played frequently.

And off it went … several years of travel and adventure, with three of the best friends I ever had. Not only were they an amazing live KISS tribute band, they were also really great people. All three members were from immigrant Greek families, who took me in, fed me and treated me as one of their own. And after joining them, I found out about the real fanatical KISS Army world. I mean, I was considered a ‘super fan’ by most people I knew, but the circles they travelled in were full of diehard fans that knew excruciating KISS minutia and history. This really WAS a whole new ball game.

The members of Alive, out of make-up, posing with 
Ace Frehley of KISS.

Part of playing with Alive meant that we played fan KISS conventions, and fan gatherings. Which were always amazing. You could walk around and look at rare videos, as well as purchase them. You could also buy bootleg recordings, and fans were trading/selling rare KISS merchandise, and actual KISS owned costume pieces, guitars and more. It was like being in KISS heaven. We played a lot of theatres and clubs, college campuses, and outdoor shows. It was definitely a step up from what I was used to playing club-wise. Alive played a lot of the A Circuit rooms (top theatres) across Canada and America.

And then the call came …

We were officially invited to join the real KISS on their 1995 worldwide convention tour. Yes, THE real KISS. It was unbelievable; they had constructed a day for the fans that travelled around North America and Australia. They contacted the best vendors to appear as well as a few tribute bands. And Alive was asked to do more shows than any of the other tribute bands, something I’m proud of to this day. And at all these conventions, KISS brought out the big guns; they dug into their warehouse and pulled out rare costume pieces, vintage guitars, and drums, and stage pieces as well, for the fan to look at in person. The tickets were, an unheard of (at that time), $100 but more than worth it. It was an all day multimedia, immersive KISS Experience. It was also one of the best tours I’ve ever been on. We got to hang out and travel with KISS, as well as spend a lot of after-show social hours with them. It was truly an incredible experience. A super-fans dream came true-and true value for money for the punters that attended.

Looking back, I have to say that it’s funny: with the amazing buzz and response to the look back to their history, I predicted that KISS were going to get back together with the original lineup and put the makeup back on. Everyone scoffed at my suggestion, saying “they hate each other“ etc., but I could see it. By 1995 their non-make up career had hit, pardon the pun, “rock-bottom”. It was all over but the shouting and they had nowhere else to go. So they reunited with Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, put the makeup back on and started selling out stadiums…again.

Glen with KISS guitarits/singer Paul Stanley.

All I can say is that I was so happy to be there and take part in living my fan dream. And of course, our close proximity to KISS and their management ended up working out great for us, especially for Spiro. He ended up working for KISS for more than 10 years. And we, of course, got backstage passes and great tickets for future KISS reunion shows. And just think, all this started in 1976 when I picked up a four sided album called Alive at Kmart… what a ride it’s been. And what an adventure, one that still continues to this day. I am still a diehard, classic KISS fan and always will be (even if we did find out years later that much of Alive was re-recorded in the studio😂).

Glen performing with Alive (1990s).

And to quote the masters themselves, from the very last words of the classic Alive album…


Kiss Loves You…ROCK AND ROLLLLLL!!!