Photo: Kiss (1973)
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Artist/Band: Kiss
Photographer: Charlie Auringer
Photo ID: CA-3457-007
Date: 1973
Location: Creem Magazine Headquarters (Birmingham, Michigan)
Photographer Story:
Kiss Unmasked - It was early in 1973, and Kiss hadn't established their "no make-up" rules yet. I had the chance to photograph the process of them putting on their make-up. It was at our CREEM office in the bathroom down the hall that we shared with the dentist's office. Some patients would walk in, be shocked, turn around and walk right out. So, they got their make-up on, and we went out back behind the Birmingham Theater and got the profile photos of them clowning around with the beer cans. They cleaned off their make-up and as they were leaving we re-staged the same profile shots without their make-up on. Next day we get a call from Casablanca Records: "Well, we have decided we don't want you to publish those photos in CREEM without the make-up." They had just established the no-photos-without-make-up rule. We agreed to not publish the no make-up photos to keep the mystery alive.
Kiss Unmasked - It was early in 1973, and Kiss hadn't established their "no make-up" rules yet. I had the chance to photograph the process of them putting on their make-up. It was at our CREEM office in the bathroom down the hall that we shared with the dentist's office. Some patients would walk in, be shocked, turn around and walk right out. So, they got their make-up on, and we went out back behind the Birmingham Theater and got the profile photos of them clowning around with the beer cans. They cleaned off their make-up and as they were leaving we re-staged the same profile shots without their make-up on. Next day we get a call from Casablanca Records: "Well, we have decided we don't want you to publish those photos in CREEM without the make-up." They had just established the no-photos-without-make-up rule. We agreed to not publish the no make-up photos to keep the mystery alive.
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