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Alexander & Bruce Kulick in 1996 near Basle.

 

 Alexander & Ace Frehley in Lausanne 1995, (signing the Destroyer Award) Alexander & Peter Criss in Amsterdam 1994 (during the European KISS Convention Tour) Alexander & Eric Singer 2002 Union Promo Tour - Paris (1998); Alexander & his wife with John Corabi & Bruce Kulick Alexander & his wife and daughter with Eric Singer in Germany, 1998

Kreature of the Month - April 2004

Alexander Zihlmann - Basle, Switzerland

1) Tell us your name & age, where you're from, and what you do for a living.
My name is Alexander Zihlmann, I'm 35, and I live in Basle, Switzerland.  Since 1998 I have my own little company (web design & hosting).

 

2) Tell us when & how you first became a KISS fan.
It was in 1980, I was in school and we had drawing. In that lesson we could draw just what we wanted and I asked my neighbors what strange faces they were drawing.  They told me it's KISS and I asked what KISS is. "What, you don't know what/who KISS is?" and they explained me it's a music-group and convinced me that I had to buy a record.  The next day a schoolmate bought me one - it was Dynasty.  That's how it started!

 

3) Describe the first KISS concert you attended.
After just started being a fan in 1980 I missed the concert in Basle that year (beside I have my doubts my parents would have let me go there with my 11 years at that time). You must know that in Switzerland (and Europe) at rock concerts you are not seated like in the US so it's mostly very crowdie there.  Anyway the report in a local newspaper about that concert is one of the first pieces in my collection.

So my first concert I attended was 3 years later in 1983 - also in Basle.   still was quite young, it was my first concert at all, KISS just got rid of their make-up and so it was special and strange in any way: I was fascinated seeing my heroes in real, it was strange to see them without make-up, it was loud and people were pushing around (I'm not the tallest by the way).  I hardly recognized a song, it was somehow too much and like in a dream!

 

4) How many times have you seen KISS live, and what is the farthest you have traveled to see them play?
I wasn't very lucky in seeing KISS often: 1980 was just a little too early, 1983 was my first concert, 1984 they were in Switzerland again but I didn't know about that until it was over, 1988 they were in the UK and I was in military service.  1992 it was too expensive for me to afford a UK-trip and so it passed all in all 13 years before I saw KISS the second time in 1996 (Monsters Of Rock in Donington, UK).  Then-on I've seen them around a dozen times during the Reunion / Psycho Circus Tours on different places here in Europe.

But I've seen lot's of ex-members playing during their Convention / Expo / Clinic Tours (i.e. Peter, Eric and especially Bruce).

I never traveled so far for concerts - mostly I had to go oversea and especially from here traveling (flights) is very expensive.  There was a time when my collecting was more important for me compared to the money I had to invest for the whole trip than the concerts itself.  I planned to see the Dodger Stadium Show 1998 (all was booked and Keith got me tickets) but in last moment we had to cancel because of healthy reasons.

But I did travel a lot because of collecting - I traveled whole Europe that for; country to country, city to city, record-shop to record-shop (for example: 42'000 km in 2 years on my 125ccm motorbike 14 years ago).

 

5) What KISS member do you best identify with?
"Identifying" is probably the wrong word - admiring fits better and there I have to differ.

On the one hand Gene is KISS for me (with Paul of course) - they were always there and always will be as long as KISS is KISS.  I never met him (or Paul, or KISS as band) personally, so I only have the little fans feeling in front of a big star. 

I met Eric Singer several times. He's a nice guy and I even got invited by him a year ago to an Alice concert in my region.

But my favorite is definitively Bruce. I met him so many times, he is such a nice person and he always took care of me.  I know he trusts me and that makes me proud.  I even got once invited by him (with my wife and first daughter) to a KISS concert in 1999!

 

6) What does KISS mean to you?
There's no day not doing anything KISS-related.  I spent thousands of hours in KISS and KISS-collecting. It's the most intensive and important thing in my life (and as my family may read this:) right after my family!

 

7) Most KISS fans – at some point in their lives – have had to defend their allegiance to the band.  Tell us about your most memorable experience. 
6 years ago I got in trouble because of doing some KISS bootleg CD-R's (really a very low quantity). The police was coming to my place and I had two court cases.  A long story to tell so I make it short: The public attorney and local press thought it's a big deal but the judge once got me a small penalty and in the second case I was even found not guilty.  A lot of trouble for a little thing.  When you looked at it in the whole circumstances (and if I compare to other similar situations / bootleggers)  I couldn't really understand all that.  I mean I spent my whole live and money in KISS and that finally brought me nearly into prison.  There I really thought me also in defending my allegiance to KISS.  But that also brought to me a very special and absolute unique experience:  I told Bruce about that case and he personally wrote a letter to the court to defend me.  Which other fan may say something like this?

 

8) List your favorite – and least favorite - song by each member of KISS and why:

* Paul Stanley – favorite: God Of Thunder (sung by Paul, box set)

* Paul Stanley – least favorite:  none

* Gene Simmons – favorite:  Domino

* Gene Simmons – least favorite: none

* Ace Frehley – favorite: Talk to Me

* Ace Frehley – least favorite:  none

* Peter Criss – favorite:  I Can't Stop the Rain

* Peter Criss – least favorite:  none

 

9) What is the best KISS song to “knock your platform boots” to?
C'mon and Love Me - Dressed To Kill in general is my favorite.

 

10) What is your most prized KISS possession?
I have literally thousands of KISS records so there are a lot of really expensive items.  My most expensive record is a Gene Solo LP Acetate from 1978 with slightly different versions of his songs and even some unpublished and still nowadays unknown tracks - I paid $1500 for it! 

I also have tons of merchandising, clothes etc., things like the original contract between KISS and Eric Carr when he was hired - signed by Eric Caravello! 

But definitively the best (and also most expensive) item is the original bass drum KISS was using in their early years ca. 1975-1977 (including the Japan Tour).  There are a lot of pictures around with KISS using that drum. BTW: It's featured on the cover of the forthcoming (July 04) book "Official Price Guide to KISS Collectibles!"

 

11) Word association – tell us the first thing that comes to mind for the following:
*Swiss Chocolat, Chalet's, & Women: the best, the nicest, the hottest!
*Detlef Mantley: Kiss fan, Berlin.
*KISSOPOLY: game, Monopoly, collecting, nice.
*BRAVO Magazine: the first and best source around here in the early 80's.
*Best Euro city to see KISS perform: Basle, of course.
*Bruce Kulick: friend, great musician.
*1994 European KISS Convention Tour - Prague: Phil Elliot, Barbara. A great time to remember that definitively should be done again. Lots of fun. Oh yeah, Peter Criss was also around there - the first time I met a (ex) KISS member.
*2004 KISS Touring Band: Interesting composition, I'm wondering how long this lasts.
*KISS Kasket: Quite expensive but why not go in what you lived for!
*Phil Elliott: A good friend, trust him like my brother - too bad we meet not very often.

 

12) Rate the following KISS albums on a scale from 1 to 10 . . . 1 never should have been released, 10 is a KISS classic:
*KISS: 9,
*Hotter Than Hell: 9
*Alive II: 8
*Ace Frehely's Solo '78: 8
*Unmasked: 10 (my second KISS record)
*Killers: 10 (not because it's a compilation - KISS did way too much "Best Of's" but the 4 extra tracks are worth to buy it.
*Frehley Comet: 5
*Animalize: 8
*Psycho Circus: 9
*Alive IV/The KISS Symphony: 7

 

13) Time for KISS Jeopardy. Answer: Gene’s tongue. What is the question?
What is on the cover of "Sex, Money, Kiss?"

 

14) How do you feel about being selected as the Kreature of the Month?
I'm very honored being asked to participate!

 

15) If KISS was to read this, what one thing would you want to tell them?
Let me meet you!

 

Congratulations, Alexander, on becoming the April Kreature of the Month!  If anyone would like to get in touch with Alexander, you can e-mail him at kiss@kiss.ch!

 

Additional photos:

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Alexander with his daughter & Eric Singer1998 (she is grabbing his beard) Alexander with his wife & daughter and Bruce Kulick  shortly before he invited us to the KISS concert in 1999 Alexander's wife and two daughters Geraldine & Seraphine with Bruce Kulick Alexander's wife and two daughters Geraldine & Seraphine with Bruce Kulick Alexander with Bruce Kulick & Lenita Erickson during their Swiss tour 96/97 Alexander & Bruce Kulick in Switzerland (Audiodog Tour 2002)