In my neighborhood, there is a venue where a lot of the medium-sized acts that come to town play. I’ve yet to go inside, though a number of delicious artists have played there even since I’ve lived here. Live music is such a hit or miss thing and at $100 a pop, one must do some serious soul searching to gauge if it’s worth it.
But I digress….a few months ago as I was walking home from a work gig, I noticed a lot of people walking around sort of all looking the same. The Australian term for this particular look is “bogun” but we all know such a look to be “banger” or “trailer-park”. Long hair, mullets, tight black jeans, dark eye makeup, band t-shirts. The works. As I approached the growing mob, I realised almost everyone had a KISS t-shirt, hat or bandana on. Looking up to the marquee, I saw that Paul Stanley was playing that night. Suddenly the scene made a lot more sense. As I continued through the throng of black-laden, poofy-hair, mellowed-out-by-a-few-cold-ones-in-the-parking lot concert goers, I pondered the fact that although these people were attending the concert of one person from the band KISS, their fandom clearly resided with the whole band.
What would Mr. Stanley think of such a display? Is that loyalty or the opposite of loyalty?
Not being of a particular group that follows the whos and wheres of 70s and 80s rock bands (especially ones that looks scary) (I’m a sensitive girl), I have no idea why Sir Stanley is touring alone and not with KISS. Perhaps it was just time for them to take a break. Maybe they did the old ‘amicable split’. Maybe their creative differences got the best of them or perhaps buddy just woke up one morning and thought, “to hell with this group thang, I’s gonna get me some solo love!” I have no idea.
In any case, this is really just a long way of stating my current rhetorical conundrum: would it be in bad form for me to wear my Napoleon Dynamite t-shirt* to the screening of Blades of Glory tonight?
*no, not that lame-o ‘Vote for Pedro’ one that everyone and their grandma owns!
