MegoMuseum Podcast: Interview with Ray Demato, warehouse manager

[Blue Meanie]

One more Mego Mystery solved...that Spiderman suit in the pic is probably one in the same as the one dougster found at his stepdad's house:

Mego Talk

[MIB41]

http://www2.sk-static.com/images/med...423-097330.jpg

Hard to believe it was 22 years ago.

Yeah it wasn't uncommon for KISS to co-headline with other bands. As a matter of fact KISS did that a few years back in make-up with Aerosmith. They rotated nights opening for one another.

[palitoy]

According to the woman my friend took in lieu of me, KISS made Whitesnake look like an amateur hour.

BTW my friend didn't take a girl from high school, he took a girl from high school's mom.

[MIB41]

According to the woman my friend took in lieu of me, KISS made Whitesnake look like an amateur hour.

BTW my friend didn't take a girl from high school, he took a girl from high school's mom.

I'll tell you something interesting about that. I've seen KISS so many times I've actually lost count. But I have to say, without hesitation, their BEST performances (musically and vocally speaking) were WITHOUT makeup. I think in the 80's and early 90's KISS felt the burden of having to perform without the makeup. So they compensated by showcasing their vocal and musical range. Paul probably more than anyone. Those were also more physical shows. Lots of jumping around on stage. But they also occasionally went off the beaten path and played cover songs. I can recall them playing the Who's "Won't get fooled again" and even treating the crowd to dueling guitars. And they were amazing. The Hot in the Shade tour went from 1990 to early '91. And those shows were the first performances since '82 when the band actually started playing their 70's catalog again. From Lick it up in '83 until Crazy Nights in '87 they didn't play much from the 70's except for Cold Gin, Detroit Rock City, and Rock n Roll all Night. They pushed mostly their radio hits and b-side tracks to whatever the current record was. So I am never surprised when I hear people talk about those shows. I think the make-up puts them more in a posing posture and so the shows are less about performance and more about the visual. Fun without question, but different in delivery.

[Delusional B]

I'll tell you something interesting about that. I've seen KISS so many times I've actually lost count. But I have to say, without hesitation, their BEST performances (musically and vocally speaking) were WITHOUT makeup. I think in the 80's and early 90's KISS felt the burden of having to perform without the makeup. So they compensated by showcasing their vocal and musical range. Paul probably more than anyone. Those were also more physical shows. Lots of jumping around on stage. But they also occasionally went off the beaten path and played cover songs. I can recall them playing the Who's "Won't get fooled again" and even treating the crowd to dueling guitars. And they were amazing. The Hot in the Shade tour went from 1990 to early '91. And those shows were the first performances since '82 when the band actually started playing their 70's catalog again. From Lick it up in '83 until Crazy Nights in '87 they didn't play much from the 70's except for Cold Gin, Detroit Rock City, and Rock n Roll all Night. They pushed mostly their radio hits and b-side tracks to whatever the current record was. So I am never surprised when I hear people talk about those shows. I think the make-up puts them more in a posing posture and so the shows are less about performance and more about the visual. Fun without question, but different in delivery.

That's a good point. I've seen them many times with and without make-up, and I think you are right, they do seem to make up for the lack of make up (Heh, heh) in the non-make up shows.

While listening to Brian, Scott and Benjamin Holcomb's experience with Kiss as a kid, I got a big dose of deja vu. My folks wouldn't let me listen to Kiss or buy any merchandise until I was a teenager. So, when Benjamin started talking about going to see Kiss in '78 and his parents not letting him go, I had to laugh. I went through exact same thing on the same tour (Kiss with Cheap Trick). A buddy of mine's Dad was going to take us but my parents wouldn't allow it. I'll never forget being in the car with my folks the night Kiss was playing. We drove by the arena on the way to eating out, somewhere. It was torture driving by and knowing KISS was inside that arena and 2 of my best friends got to be inside watching. Pure torture.

[Wee67]

Another great podcast! I listen to this at work as I do schedules. Hopefully this doesn't end up with Steve Austin scheduled to anchor our 6pm newscast. Unless, of course, he shows up to do it!

[MIB41]

My parents made us go to church EVERY Sunday. So you can imagine what the blood drooling Demon conjured up for my Hell and Brimstone father. "Your going to wake up in hell!" was a popular expression after seeing those images. It also usually got me placed in front of the TV to watch Billy Graham whenever his crusades aired.

What kids today CAN'T understand about KISS is how much a product of the times they truly were. In the 70's the days of internet, cable, or even a private VHS tape were mostly conceptual if not down right fantasy. If you wanted to see KISS daily you had only two ways. Either by looking at their albums (and the great inserts that came with them). Or you picked up an issue of Circus, 16, Creem, or Hit Parader magazine. That was basically it. There were four networks on TV and KISS were not in lockstep with a ultra conservative society in those days. Quite the contrary, KISS were on the outer fringes of being considered almost "dangerous". Society wasn't even prepared to hear about Rock Hudson swinging both ways, so they sure couldn't handle someone coughing up blood. Having a hidden identity only fed on that imagination - both kids and adults.

So it took KISS some time to dilute that notion before they became a household name. Putting out a balled like Beth was a big step. But once they got into comics and the action figures came out, the edge was off them. Parents were still wary, but more flexible because they were becoming something a little closer to heroes with the hidden identities. When the TV movie came out, kids lost their minds. I was one of them. I hear people say all the time how bad that film was, but how much they LOVED it as a kid. And they don't understand how they couldn't see that then. To me it's pretty simple. They were SEEING KISS on TV! Who cared what the story was about? KISS could have been fighting the Tampons from another planet and it would have passed right over them. It was KISS! And that's how I remember it too. I didn't think much of the story. The talk the next day was the fact KISS made it on television. That's why it was the second most watched TV movie that year. And...more importantly... it only aired ONCE. Kids didn't have the opportunity to examine the story.

After that, KISS saturated the market with their solo albums, another comic book, trading cards, pinball machines, etc. You name it, they had it. The bloom was off the rose. In the beginning KISS was not reachable. They were like these cool monsters playing this awesome music from far away. By '78 they were fighting your Mego's for supremacy in the toy box. When the band released the disco hit "I was made for lovin' you" in '79 the diehards revolted and KISS would never find their way back.

[imp]

Great comments, gang. That conversation was a blast… Scott I really thought you'd cut out at least half of it.

I especially love the 'call in' portion. So clever. MIB41 knows his stuff. I have five more words for that: "Aww yeah, more Art Baltazar!"

I'm a little surprised folks aren't talking about this, though it's even further off-topic than we rambled on the podcast:

One more Mego Mystery solved...that Spiderman suit in the pic is probably one in the same as the one dougster found at his stepdad's house:

Mego Talk

I think Blue Meanie is spot-on. Whatever happened to that gentleman and the stuff he stumbled across?

-b
p.s. Brian I love that you found a ticket stub for that KISS/Whitesnake show. As usual, your vivid memories serve you well.

[Delusional B]

My parents made us go to church EVERY Sunday. So you can imagine what the blood drooling Demon conjured up for my Hell and Brimstone father. "Your going to wake up in hell!" was a popular expression after seeing those images. It also usually got me placed in front of the TV to watch Billy Graham whenever his crusades aired.

What kids today CAN'T understand about KISS is how much a product of the times they truly were. In the 70's the days of internet, cable, or even a private VHS tape were mostly conceptual if not down right fantasy. If you wanted to see KISS daily you had only two ways. Either by looking at their albums (and the great inserts that came with them). Or you picked up an issue of Circus, 16, Creem, or Hit Parader magazine. That was basically it. There were four networks on TV and KISS were not in lockstep with a ultra conservative society in those days. Quite the contrary, KISS were on the outer fringes of being considered almost "dangerous". Society wasn't even prepared to hear about Rock Hudson swinging both ways, so they sure couldn't handle someone coughing up blood. Having a hidden identity only fed on that imagination - both kids and adults.

So it took KISS some time to dilute that notion before they became a household name. Putting out a balled like Beth was a big step. But once they got into comics and the action figures came out, the edge was off them. Parents were still wary, but more flexible because they were becoming something a little closer to heroes with the hidden identities. When the TV movie came out, kids lost their minds. I was one of them. I hear people say all the time how bad that film was, but how much they LOVED it as a kid. And they don't understand how they couldn't see that then. To me it's pretty simple. They were SEEING KISS on TV! Who cared what the story was about? KISS could have been fighting the Tampons from another planet and it would have passed right over them. It was KISS! And that's how I remember it too. I didn't think much of the story. The talk the next day was the fact KISS made it on television. That's why it was the second most watched TV movie that year. And...more importantly... it only aired ONCE. Kids didn't have the opportunity to examine the story.

After that, KISS saturated the market with their solo albums, another comic book, trading cards, pinball machines, etc. You name it, they had it. The bloom was off the rose. In the beginning KISS was not reachable. They were like these cool monsters playing this awesome music from far away. By '78 they were fighting your Mego's for supremacy in the toy box. When the band released the disco hit "I was made for lovin' you" in '79 the diehards revolted and KISS would never find their way back.

Your story and mine are very similar when it comes to Kiss. I've been a fan since I was a kid. I've been a fan through all revolving members and permutations of the band. I can't fault my parents from barring Kiss from our house... I would do the same thing, these days, regarding my kids. Kiss wanted to look scary and non-parent friendly in the first few years, and they succeeded. At the end of the day, though, we all started to realize that these were just four regular guys trying to stand out and make it big. It's true, also, that our only avenue, as kids, for experiencing Kiss was to listen to the albums and look through magazines. I'll never forget looking through an issue of Creem back in '77 or so that had a picture of four (goofy-looking, I thought) guys with long hair and a caption that was to the effect of, "Could this be Kiss unmasked?" It just posed the question. My buddy and I, right away, thought, "No way could these goof-balls be the mighty KISS!"

Many, many years later, as an adult, I ran across the same picture and realized that it WAS Kiss in that old Creem magazine photo. We were DYING to know what Kiss looked like, back then, as it was a heavily guarded secret. Heck, we knew they were human but there was just this little spark in the back of your mind that thought they might be something else. They had SUCH a mystique. It cracks me up that we saw that photo that was ACTUALLY Kiss, and then went right on wondering what they REALLY looked like. The answer was right there in front of us but we missed it. Ha, ha. That was a such a great time.

[MIB41]

Your story and mine are very similar when it comes to Kiss. I've been a fan since I was a kid. I've been a fan through all revolving members and permutations of the band. I can't fault my parents from barring Kiss from our house... I would do the same thing, these days, regarding my kids. Kiss wanted to look scary and non-parent friendly in the first few years, and they succeeded. At the end of the day, though, we all started to realize that these were just four regular guys trying to stand out and make it big. It's true, also, that our only avenue, as kids, for experiencing Kiss was to listen to the albums and look through magazines. I'll never forget looking through an issue of Creem back in '77 or so that had a picture of four (goofy-looking, I thought) guys with long hair and a caption that was to the effect of, "Could this be Kiss unmasked?" It just posed the question. My buddy and I, right away, thought, "No way could these goof-balls be the mighty KISS!"

Many, many years later, as an adult, I ran across the same picture and realized that it WAS Kiss in that old Creem magazine photo. We were DYING to know what Kiss looked like, back then, as it was a heavily guarded secret. Heck, we knew they were human but there was just this little spark in the back of your mind that thought they might be something else. They had SUCH a mystique. It cracks me up that we saw that photo that was ACTUALLY Kiss, and then went right on wondering what they REALLY looked like. The answer was right there in front of us but we missed it. Ha, ha. That was a such a great time.

I think the biggest revelation that ever hit me with KISS was when Paul Stanley said the media was in cahoots with them. That was about 15 years ago. I was dumbfounded. And after thinking about the absolute logic of it, I shook my head in utter shame that I never figured that out for myself. The media had as much to gain in keeping KISS "masked" as the band did. Creem was the first magazine to break that "handshake" agreement. And the only reason they had those photographs was because when KISS was first looking for publicity, Creem agreed to publish pictures of them as long as the band gave them shots without the makeup. This gave the magazine the 'exclusive' when the time was right. Of course that was never agreed upon, and when the band fell out of favor with Creem and began losing it's popularity by 1980, the magazine published the photos. I imagine that picture your referencing looked something like this...

[Delusional B]

That's the one!!... or one that's very close. I think the one I saw was cropped at their waists and Peter was wearing glasses, too. I think Paul's boots would have been a dead give-away. Interesting... I remember seeing the photo during the pre-80s heyday of the band. At any rate, the way I've heard Kiss tell the story (on one of their videos... Xtreme Closeup?), they were tricked into posing for a non-makeup photo. Supposedly, while Kiss was in the Creem offices, Creem pretended to have Bill Aucoin on the phone and made it seem like he was allowing just one photo without makeup. Although, I do remember seeing another shot from this session where they are holding cans of Creem beer.

Goes to show you how much they looked to Bill Aucoin to "run the ship." Also, during the Tom Snyder interview from the Dynasty era, when Gene is asked about his history, he turns over his shoulder to an off-camera Bill Aucoin and asks if it's "true confession" time. I guess it wasn't because Gene left his Israeli heritage out of his childhood story.

[ScottA]

I finally got a chance to listen to the cast. Very good show. I too will get the 8" KISS set. Still hoping to score the original 12" set but will check out the CTVT versions. Bring on all the 8" goodness.

Edited to add we need to find Izzy.

[Jason73]

This episode was my favorite so far. I really think you should keep Benjamin in the mix for future episodes. Love the free form discussion and wow, the interview Benjamin recorded with the warehouse guy was great!

Keep this up and please keep these podcasts coming.