RECORD STORE TAKES MkII: Getting More Tale
#414: Get the Firehouse!
Initially, I wanted to do a post called “Miscellaneous Mailings”, with all sorts of fan club and fanzine paraphernalia. Once I started digging through said bags and boxes of postal paraphernalia, I realized I had enough Kiss curiosities here just to do a post on them alone.
Canada’s Firehouse Magazine’s claim to fame was being the longest running Kiss fan club in world. Based out of Surrey BC, I first became aware of Firehouse via Len, a customer of mine at the Record Store. They had an actual mail order service where you could buy Kiss bootlegs, both audio and video. That must have really chapped Gene’s ass. We all know how much Gene likes fansites and fanzines….
Len gave me the Firehouse catalogue which I used to buy a live tape and some back issues. There are plenty of cool things inside these books to drool over. News about concert dates, new releases, chart positions and set lists were regular. There are even exclusive interviews! The Sept./Oct. 1996 issue features the Ace man himself! I really like the personals ads in the back. “Hey Kissexy female Kiss fans of all ages! I will answer all!”
Other neat things I found in the bag o’ mail: bumper stickers, an official Kiss catalogue, and the sales chart from Canada’s The Record magazine, showing Kiss’ Psycho-Circus debuting at #2 on the top retail albums! The only thing that held it back was the Armageddon soundtrack, which jumped to #1 after 16 weeks on the charts. Take a look for yourself, and bask in the nostalgia of a period that boasted such luminaries as Spice Girls and Backstreet Boys on the charts.
Lastly, and certainly not least: an unsigned letter from “Gene Simmons” to my mom, who put the Kisstory II book on her credit card. Gene was apologizing for a manufacturing delay that had caused the book to be several months late. He assured my mom that her credit card would not be charged until the book shipped. How kind of him! I thought this was amusing, so I kept the letter! I’m sure my mom appreciated hearing it from Gene personally.
Enjoy the treasures below from my bag o’ Kiss!
mikeladano.com 
Dear Bonnie Ladano,
I am a demon from hell, with a tongue long enough that I can pick my nose with it. Please accept my apologies for the late shipment of this book. We will not misuse your credit card. Promise.
Bahahahaha that’s gold!
Yay for fan clubs!
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It’s so quaint isn’t it? Reminds me of when Ringo wrote to Marge Simpson.
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Also: “This process has taken be countless hours of work…”
It’s hard to type with your tongue, you know.
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True, he is a multi-tasker…
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Bag o’ Kiss! I’ve been missing out :).
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Never too late to catch up. In fact if you’re just looking for an overall good starting point, pick up the recent Kiss 40 compilation. It covers bits and pieces of every era of Kiss.
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Bag O’ Kiss. I am not touching that one. Figuratively and literally. ;)
“Hey Kissexy female Kiss fans of all ages! I will answer all”
Below was his first response, pictures first, then comments.
“Woof woof woof woof woof woof woof woof woof woof woof.” (To the tune of Rock and Roll All Nite)
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Bag o’ Kiss goes good right next to a Sack o’ Maiden.
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This is awesome … this kinda thing is lost in the internet age too.
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It is, isn’t it? I keep everything like this and I’m glad I did, for that very reason!
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Ron Roxxburgh had me as a subscriber to Firehouse as well! It was a good fanzine. I still recall when he was psyched that Kiss sent him a gold album for Kiss Alive 3…..
Give him full props for putting It together and shipping it everywhere for a whack load of years….that’s dedication man!
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Dear Bonnie,
I created the paper and ink this letter is printed on…and the book that is getting printed.
Gene Simmons.
lol
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If Gene farted on a paper, it would be worth something to somebody.
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He’d bottle that shit up and sell it if he could…
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It has magical medicinal properties.
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This is a great find! I love looking at old billboard charts too. Big Sugar was on it!
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Huge respect to Big Sugar. They were here this weekend and have just blown everybody away.
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Just imagine, I got a letter from Gene Simmons and I don’t remember.
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Well it’s not like it was from Ernie Whitt or somebody.
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True. That I would remember!
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Ernie Whitt was an owner of Mother’s Pizza, so he loves moms.
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Love this, truly. I wish Angus Young would write to my mum.
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That’s the difference between Kiss and AC/DC I guess, Joe.
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And I really wish David Coverdale would stop writing to my mum, it’s getting embarrassing!
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I remember reading a story…I think it was one of the ladies from Nashville Pussy. She met Gene and her dad happened to be tagging along to meet him too. So Gene says something to her along the lines of, “The things I would love to do to you…” and she said, “Hey Gene have you met my dad here?”
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That story about Gene and the girl from Nashville Pussy reminds me of Steven Tyler on American Idol….
Awkward. I love the dad’s face when he says it.
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He wrote to my mum. The letter was covered in cigarette burns and school boy uniform sweat. I never saw it but the only words she could make out were Oi Oi Oi, and something like Thunder Chief.
She got so excited she did the duckwalk while sweeping the floor.
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Kiss my Ascot………….https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WFSaKL5dFgc
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