The Discovery

In 1976 or 1977, I'm not really sure which; I discovered my first link to music. I was about seven or eight years old. I really loved music. I was into that Motown sound, Disco & anything else I could get my hands on except country music. Yuk! I was at one my cousin's home, when he pulled out a copy of Rock N Roll Over. I thought what a cool album cover! After he put this LP on, I couldn't believe the charismatic music coming out of the record player. I thought this is the coolest music I have ever heard. After saving up some money, I purchased my first KISS album; Dressed To Kill! Another cool album cover! After I heard this album I was hooked. I had to have all of the albums. I told my parents for birthdays and Christmas' I wanted nothing but KISS albums.

The First Visual

In the coming months of purchasing the first album, I began to get really excited about this band. I remember going to the supermarkets and reading about KISS in those old 16 magazines and anything else that had KISS on the cover. I was totally into it. As a kid you get excited about a lot of trivial things, but I was really excited about what I had seen on television and heard on the record player. I soon discovered a commercial about a New Years Eve show that was to have KISS performing LIVE! I made sure I stayed all night over at my cousin's home. We had to see this together! No Way! Yes Way! I don't remember which songs were played but I knew these guys had serious charisma. What a show! Unforgettable. After seeing these guys were as cool as I imagined, I jumped into KISSmania. Saving and buying all of those cool collectibles. My cousin and I chose our favorites members. He loved the personality of Gene. I was really into the coolness of Ace. We spent a lot of time in my cousin's room putting on our own KISS concerts to that great Alive! lp. Bascially destroying his room every visit! We did all of those silly things that all KISS kid fans did in those days, dressing up, spitting blood with Kool-Aid, lighting smoke bombs in the streets as if it were a KISS stage show, sticking out our tongues as if we were the God of Thunder himself and driving our parents nuts about going to a KISS show.

A Concert At Last!

In 1979 KISS was coming to Indianapolis. I wanted to be at this show more than anything in the world. Circumstances in my personal life left it an impossibility. But my cousin got to go to this last show in Indy with Peter Criss. He came back and told me all the details. It was just the coolest thing he could have ever seen. I knew the next time they came I would be there for sure. That didn't happen again until 1982. I knew Peter Criss was gone but Ace was still in the band when I got my tickets. To my disappointment, a couple of weeks before the show, the news was out that Ace had been replaced! No! No! No! It wasn't supposed to be that way! I thought about not even going, but my cousin and I had this planned for a while, so I went. Despite no Ace, KISS gave a fantastic performance. What a show! The stage, the costumes, the atmosphere & KISS. A very memorable moment. I won't describe the concert since to me I was emotionless.

Steve Stierwalt, Jr. posing with KISS. Picture done at the 1995 Indianapolis Official KISS Convention. Not actual live photo.

Unmasked

A big event in KISStory was KISS taking the makeup off. I was very disappointed at this. I loved the visuals of KISS and their characters they portrayed. A great fantasy for all of us. I really stayed away from the new unmasked KISS, holding on to those old albums for listening. I began to not even pay attention to what they were doing. This was another piece of childhood taken away during my teen years. In the next couple of years, I slowly let go of my KISS collectibles either selling or giving away.

Reason To Live

During 1987 KISS released Crazy Nights. I decided to pick it up since I was curious as to how the band sounded. I listened to it and thought, that it was a very good album. I slowly got the KISS fever back again. Over the next couple of years everyone around me described me as a "KISS Freak." I attended shows on the Crazy Nights, Hot In the Shade & Revenge tours. During this time, I also had the opportunity to see Ace, solo, three times. I even got to meet him at an autograph session at a record store in 1990.

Steve Stierwalt, Jr. with Ace Frehley in 1990 at a record signing.

Meeting the Spaceman

I presented him with a piece of artwork to autograph. It was a picture I had created, using watercolor, ink, marker & glitter, which featured every costume he ever wore in KISS. He said it was fantastic and showed it to the other members in his band, at the time, and autographed it. He was very cool.

The Net

Bruce Kulick holds up a copy of KISS Freaks Special Delivery magazine.

For the next few years I was into everything that all the members, past and present, were doing. I couldn't get enough info. I even got on the Internet to search for information about KISS, in 1991, when the Internet was not big at all. I found photos and discographies in different places on the Net and I was hooked. There were no KISS websites that I knew of, just pictures in music directories. I also got a Prodigy account and began reading the posts in the KISS BBS area.

The Conventions

I always felt I would never get the chance to meet KISS. The Official Conventions were a blessing. The Official KISS convention came to Indianapolis in July of 1995. I couldn't wait for this twelve-hour adventure. How Cool! I won't describe the convention to all of you but I will say it was a dream come true. It could only have been better if Peter, Ace & Eric Carr had been there. I even got to sing one of my favorites with KISS, "I Love It Loud!"

The KISS Freaks Beginning

Steve Stierwalt, Jr., Bill Starkey Founder of the KISS Army fanclub, Dale Sherman writer of Black Diamond 1 & 2 and Jill Sherman during the taping of the KAOL Video for the third cd.

In January of 1996 I decided to learn HTML. I picked it rather quickly since I already had a programming background from high school. I saw around six or seven KISS related websites online. I remember being impressed with KISS Otaku and KISS Konneseirs and the look that those sites had. I knew I could add something to the web community that wasn't out there yet. Some sites had some good ideas but they were never updated or presented in a way that was as wild as the band, so I designed what I considered to be average graphics to begin the site. I spent about three weeks putting together the site before posting it on February 6, 1996. The reunion was announced a week or so later. What timing! Since that time, there have been several changes to the look of KISS Freaks. I am a very picky person with every aspect of my life, which can be a big problem sometimes, however, not in this case. I consider KISS Freaks a successful website due to this. It is becoming more recognized everyday. 1998 was a huge year in the growth of the website. Three major graphic renovations have made it, in my opinion, the best looking KISS site on the Net. I am biased though.:)

Special Delivery Magazine

Haley from the cover of the Black Diamond books holds up her favorite KISS fanzine, KISS Freaks Special Delivery during the Indianapolis KISS Expo in 1998.

1997 brought about the creation of the KISS Freaks Special Delivery magazine. This magazine was for people that were not online, but still wanted to read the happenings that KISS websites, which they did not have access to. The covers of these magazines have been recognized as some of the best ever. With great photographers such as Eric Salsbery's & Mike Lavioe's pictures on the cover, the issues generated a lot of interest. The graphic works of Patrick Vick and Roch Vaillancourt have also been featured on the covers, with a great response from fans. Overall, I did the magazine just to see if I could do it. I guess its successful for something that was only a sideline hobby for the website. This has even spawned the first fan produced cdrom, which is yet another thing that I wanted to see if I could do.

The Farewell Tour

Bill Starkey Founder of the KISS Army & Steve Stierwalt, Jr. carry KISS Army banner in Louisville, KY during the Farewell Tour. The banner original was used to greet the band in Terre Haute, IN back in 1975.

KISS during early 2000 announced their Farewell Tour. So many albums, so many collectibles, so many fans and so many broken hearts. What rock show will we go see now? None. There aren't any. The masters of the rock show will be leaving us to ride off into the sunset.

The Gong

The KISS Auction held by Butterfields in June of 2000 was a very special event for me. I picked up one of the most sought after items related to KISS and their stage show. A KISS Gong. These gongs were used onstage in the late seventies and early eighties behind the drumkits of Peter Criss and Eric Carr. What an awesome moment when the final bid was displayed and I was the winner! When it arrived a few weeks later, it was just unbelievable. A KISS fans dream.

Steve Stierwalt, Jr. sits atop his loot from the KISS Auction in 2000. His winnings featured a road case from the 70s tours, the Gong from the Dynasty and Unmasked tours and a set of drum pads from 1987-90.

Fandom

Fandom Inc., really changed my thinking on the way KISS should be presented online. Fandom helped continue my interest in making KISS Freaks the ultimate site for KISS fans to hang out. The affiliation with Fandom helped give the site even more exposure. I have been interviewed for several magazines, newspapers and radio stations; including the Los Angeles Times. The site was also displayed in KISSTORY II, the monster of a book from the band! Sadly after about eighteen months, Fandom Inc., called it quits. They did help me renew my enthusiasm for the site, so I can thank them for that.

Steve Stierwalt, Jr. attacked by The Demon. Picture taken at the 2001 Indianapolis KISS Fest.

A New View

I have watched the KISS web community

explode during the last five years. Some sites have nice graphics or cool ideas but are hardly ever on the same site. Especially with so many sites, originality is very hard to come by for most. Many more sites will come and go online in the coming years, some good, some bad. KISS Freaks will

be on top as far as originality and creativity, no matter how many new sites come and go. My knack for never being satisfied is a benefit in the KISS Internet world. I plan on continuing to make KISS Freaks the "most original KISS site on the net!" Although there might not be as many updates to the site, the content will continue to evolve more interesting things revolving around the fans and the

Lana Kinnear and Steve Stierwalt, Jr. at ComicCon 2000 in San Diego at the Fandom booth. Lana later that year became female wrestler Lana Star.

band than any other KISS site will dare to.The KISS Army online will continue to get involved and help us take over the KISS Internet world. Take part or be destroyed! Special thanks to Mike Brandvold from KISS Online for helping us keep the site going by providing hosting.

Steve Stierwalt, Jr.
KISS Freaks.com
sstierwalt@kissfreaks.com

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