Chuck Klosterman X: A Highly Specific, Defiantly Incomplete History of the Early 21st Century

by Chuck Klosterman

When KISS cajoles people into paying more money than the market demands, they tell everyone they know. They give instructional interviews about how future bait-and-switch endeavors can be designed and they adopt the new model for all future undertakings. Moreover, they insist the exchange was mutual. They say the experience they offer is singular and nontransferable, and that anyone who isn’t willing to pay for the KISS experience isn’t a KISS fan (and therefore does not matter, or perhaps even deserve to exist). It’s the guiding principle behind everything KISS does: In order to “qualify” as a KISS supporter, you have to be a KISS consumer. And this is non-negotiable—it doesn’t work any other way. If you try to enjoy KISS in the same way you enjoy Foghat or Culture Club or Spoon, you’ll fail. You might like a handful of songs or appreciate the high-volume nostalgia, but it will inevitably seem more ridiculous than interesting. To make this work, you need to go all the way. And this is because the difficult part of liking KISS—the manipulative, unlikable part—is how you end up loving them.