Today in KISStory May 18 1987 (May 18)

KISS EXPOSED VIDEO RELEASED

KISS released their full length home video KISS EXPOSED May 18th, 1987. This fan favorite release featured both classic footage of KISS as well as some hilarious tongue in cheek humor. KISS Exposed was certified both Gold and Platinum.

Review by Paul Diamond Blow

Now this is what I call a rockumentary! The KISS Exposed video is freaking hilarious, in fact it's funnier than Spinal Tap - mostly because this is full of campy humor and involves a REAL band. This video runs like a feature length movie, at an hour and a half, and is the most entertaining music video I've ever seen.

This rockumentary, if you will, stars Paul Stanley (the hairy-chested one) and Gene Simmons (owner of the world's biggest ego). Paul and Gene, after all, ARE KISS, at least they were in 1986 when this video was released. Eric Carr and Bruce Kulick make brief cameos (about 10 seconds worth), but Paul and Gene are what it's all about, and they know how to entertain, let me tell you.

Here's how the video plays out... A nerdy interviewer and his camera man go to the KISS mansion to shoot the video. A red-eyed Paul Stanley gives us a tour of the house - scores of scantily clad women passed out every where - "Leftovers from the party last night", Paul explains, or something like that. We enter Gene Simmons "room", actually a dungeon, complete with live women with their heads on trophy plaques. A caped Gene Simmons sits on a throne, surrounded by - you guessed it - scantily clad women. This is hilarious stuff.

Paul and Gene lead us down to the bowels of the KISS mansion, to the archives - where everything related to KISS exists. This is where all the historic live concert footage is kept, and we're treated to scores of live KISS tunage. This is some fantastic footage - some of it is very early KISS, filmed in black and white, and other footage is from the huge concerts KISS have been known to play. All the KISS hits are included in these archive tapes - "Love it Loud", "Christine Sixteen", "Deuce", "I Wanna Rock and Roll all Night" and the best live versions of "Strutter" and "Detroit Rock City" I've ever heard! Paul and Gene treat us to lots of footage never seen before, some footage even with axemeister Vinnie Vincent on guitar.

There's many a post-makeup video here, also, some of those videos that were hits on MTV in the '80's, featuring some of the most atrocious costumes I've ever seen (and hordes of scantily clad women, of course).

The music aside, it's the total camp humor that makes this video. When the interviewer asks Gene about a scantily clad woman tied to a stick like a roasted pig, carried by two men, Gene replies "That is my lunch." Paul Stanley shows us his secret to maintaining a healthy rock and roll lifestyle - granola cereal with root beer (instead of milk). "It's all natural", explains Paul, "made from roots." Those are just two of my favorite chucklers.

Yep, this rockumentary has it all - Rock and roll music, scantily clad women, campy humor, scantily clad women, Gene Simmon's big tongue and bigger ego, scantily clad women, Paul Stanley looking pretty, and one topless woman scene. Did I mention the scantily clad women?

If you're a KISS fan, or if you loved Spinal Tap, you've got to watch this video. I've watched it about a hundred times, and it still makes me laugh. And of course, the music footage is very cool. This is a must have for KISS fans, period. I give it three thumbs up.