American Entertainment 1978: New York Night Fever

Chapter 91 The Journey to the West

The guy Peter sent had a commanding presence. He was a Brooklyn black man, nearly two meters tall and weighing over 200 pounds, wearing a motorcycle jacket, jeans, and motorcycle boots, with a retro jazz hat tilted at an angle. He had a cold and hard aura, and looked a lot like Marlon Brando.

The accompanying staff, including the school teachers, subconsciously shrank back. No one dared to speak easily, much less provoke this fierce-looking, burly man. The atmosphere at the scene was inexplicably tense.

Qi Ke almost thought he was a troublesome person who had come to cause trouble, until he explained his purpose and he breathed a sigh of relief.

"I'm JR Smalling. I used to be the tour manager for the band KISS, and now I work full-time for Peter Chris, basically as his assistant."

No one would have guessed that this burly man, who looked unapproachable, would speak so gently and kindly, and was extremely tactful in his interactions with others, completely overturning his fierce appearance.

"Come on, Mr. Zeke, Peter asked me to pick you up."

The two walked side by side to the parking lot, where a powerful brown extended Mercedes-Benz limousine was quietly parked.

JR smiled, raised his hand, gently patted Zeke on the back, and said in a low voice, "This was specially arranged by Peter to let you experience the grandeur of a superstar's entrance."

Zik smiled and climbed into the extended Mercedes. As the car started, he looked out the window at the receding street scene, but his mind wasn't on music; it was on business.

Peter Chris wanted him to be a producer, but he declined. He wanted to collaborate with Peter on merchandise, but Peter wasn't interested either.

However, refusing to cooperate does not mean refusing to learn, nor does it mean that we cannot get along as friends.

He knew all too well what KISS was doing. They weren't fools resisting commercialization; they were turning rock and roll into a money-printing business.

In fact, the myth of the purity of anti-commercialism in rock music has been almost completely eroded. Most of the top bands like Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones, The Blacksmith, The Who, and Queen are mostly verbally resistant but honestly commercialized.

Gallup polls show that KISS is the most popular rock band in the United States, but serious music critics and the mainstream "rock scene" at the same time have a near-contemptuous attitude towards them. The Rolling Stones have long refused to give them a positive review, and their peers privately call them "cosmetics salesmen".

According to Zick, it's not because they've become commercialized (after all, everyone's doing it), but because they're shameless and have affected the "high-class" image of the entire rock scene.

What makes KISS unique is that they don't even pretend.

They directly translated the makeup on their faces and the studs on their bodies into T-shirts, lunchboxes, comic books, pinball machines, and masks.

Belt buckles, autographed pens, even condoms and coffins—then Gene Simmons frankly stated in an interview, "We're a brand, not a band."

Qi Ke admired this frankness. Hypocritical arrogance was other people's business; he entered the music industry to make money, so what did it matter if he was criticized? Being infamous was still fame!

If KISS can squeeze every last penny out of teenagers' pockets, and Brooke Shields and her mother can use forbidden fruit for marketing, why can't he?

On the other hand, selling records now yields meager profits for artists; live performances and merchandise are the main sources of income. His initial foray into domino masks has been very successful, with sales across all channels totaling nearly 50,000 units in a month.

The majority of sales are through record stores, accounting for nearly 60%, while direct sales account for about 5%, after deducting the commissions from each link in the chain.

After deducting GG fees and labor costs, Rossi Brothers Trading Company's gross profit was nearly $30. After paying Tino and Paul's share, he still steadily earned over $20, more than he made from writing songs.

The KISS concert was not only a great way to relax after days of tedious work as a campus judge, but he also wanted to see KISS perform.

How to turn fans' enthusiasm into real money.

Casablanca only throws money at GG Records, while these guys really know how to get money directly out of fans' pockets.

However, he and JR had only just met, so it wasn't appropriate for him to ask directly if he wanted to learn from JR; he had to proceed gradually.

Fortunately, both of them were from Brooklyn, and with Peter Chris as a bridge, they naturally had a lot in common, so there wasn't much of a sense of unfamiliarity. With Zeke deliberately trying to be friendly, the two chatted casually all the way and got along exceptionally well.

From JR, Zeke learned that he was the tour manager in the early days of KISS before it became a hit. He was more like a troubleshooter and was also responsible for some security work. As the team expanded and the business took off, the manager, Bill O'Kuin, brought in professionals and a company to take over the tour work. These veterans were marginalized or fired.

JR was doing quite well; the sentimental Peter gave him a job as a follower, allowing him to continue living a life of luxury.

KISS has just finished a spectacular Japan tour, spending eight days entirely in Tokyo. Tonight's show in Tachibana County is the final performance of this world tour.

After that, the band will suspend their stage work and devote themselves to filming the TV movie "KISS vs. Phantom of the Park".

"How's it going in Japan? Is the market response good?" Zike asked curiously.

When the Japan tour was mentioned, JR's eyes lit up instantly, his tone filled with excitement and emotion as he launched into a long explanation: "It was absolutely insane, man! You can't even imagine how outrageous it was!"

"We chartered an entire damn Boeing 747, and named it 'KISS Exclusive Clipper,'" the logo with those four characters painted on the tail fin—it's instantly recognizable! Over forty paparazzi followed us at their own expense; the spectacle was incredible.

"The entire KISS crew got off the plane in their costumes and with their faces painted. I swear, the hype was on par with the Beatles back in the day; the screams almost punctured my eardrums!"

"Thousands of fans packed the airport terminal, it was packed with people, screaming and yelling, they were all crazy, the whole terminal was shaking! We just got into the limousine and found that we couldn't get away at all, the group of people chased the car like zombies."

"Wow, the Japanese are really into this?" Zike was somewhat surprised and couldn't help but exclaim.

"Yeah, that's right. It was a genuine nationwide frenzy. Walking down the street wasn't much better; hundreds of people followed you like shadows." JR suddenly chuckled mischievously, lowering his voice and leaning closer. "Listen, Zeke, that organizer, Mr. Udo, took us to experience an authentic Japanese bathhouse: you lie down there, get hot essential oils applied, and the massage is absolutely amazing—and then there's a 'special program' at the end—"

"Special program?" Zeke's Adam's apple bobbed.

"Tsk," JR clicked his tongue and patted his back again, "It's so intoxicating it's almost unbearable. You have to try it if you ever have the chance to go to Japan, man."

The extended Mercedes quickly arrived at a large venue. As soon as the car came to a stop, a huge number of fans who had been waiting to enter the venue surrounded it. The dark mass of people gathered around the car, craning their necks to look, subconsciously thinking that members of the KISS band had arrived. Cheers and commotion rose and fell in waves.

When the fans saw that it was an unfamiliar face, Zik, getting off the bus, their expectations vanished instantly, replaced by obvious disappointment, and the noisy scene quieted down a bit.

JR was already used to this and didn't care at all. He led Zeke straight through the crowd and into the backstage area without any hindrance.

There was still plenty of time before the official performance, and the backstage area was bustling with activity as the four members of the KISS band sat putting on makeup, preparing for tonight's show.

"It will take at least an hour to complete this stage makeup," JR explained, then called out to Peter at the dressing table, "Hey Peter, I brought Zeke."

Zik watched the big-name band get ready with great interest. He stepped forward and said sincerely, "Guys, I'll always be a big fan of KISS! It's such an honor to meet you in person."

Just as Peter was about to grin, the middle-aged makeup artist, who was busy working on his face, shouted sternly, "Don't move!" Peter could only keep his face stiff, but his eyes showed kindness.

Lead guitarist Ice Flatley, standing nearby, smiled and gave Zeke a thumbs-up, as if responding to Zeke's enthusiasm on Peter's behalf.

Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, on the other hand, were relatively restrained. Gene, with his large, hooked nose, raised his chin and nodded sharply; Paul, more of a gentleman, bowed slightly in his chair and gave Zeke a standard business smile: "Welcome backstage, Zeke."

The four characters have highly distinctive stage personas and distinct styles: Gene Simmons is a cold and charismatic "devil," Paul Stanley is a gentle and dazzling "star child," and Ice Strike is a cool and mysterious "astronaut." Despite their different personalities, they all appear friendly at this moment.

Soon, their agent, Bill O'Quinn, came over.

He sported a neatly trimmed mustache, dressed exquisitely and with sharp tailoring, exuding elegance and sophistication in every gesture, radiating the aesthetic sense and aura of an artist.

"Zick, is it convenient for us to chat for a bit?" Bill looked up and gestured, his tone calm.

"Of course, Mr. Okuin," Zik readily agreed.

This big-name agent is renowned; Amanda and the Spiders had long wanted to sign with him, but Tino managed to snatch them away with a combination of coaxing and deception.

In addition, he is also a long-time collaborator of Neil Bogart's wife, Joyce, and has known Neil for many years, possessing considerable seniority. Both morally and logically, Zeke must give him due respect.

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