Epaulet shop - Official Affiliate thread

[Epaulet]

The band now has someone else wearing his makeup, so maybe it's the new guy.

LOL yeah that's very possible.

I'm not particularly a KISS fan, but I definitely love all of the Telenovela-esque drama that would happen within the band. This video is really a favorite, as it's almost too absurd to believe:



The Wikipedia page on it is even better. The song was sung by Peter Criss, who sounds like he smoked 5 beautiful handmade Macanudo cigars before the session. Criss claimed to have written it too, but that's in dispute because he never wrote anything before or after it. I love that a very somber KISS is serenading a woman who's dressed like the cover of a Land's End catalog. And Paul Stanley is calmly strumming a guitar in a song that features zero guitar whatsoever. It's just fantastic.

 

[scurvyfreedman]

LOL yeah that's very possible.

I'm not particularly a KISS fan, but I definitely love all of the Telenovela-esque drama that would happen within the band. This video is really a favorite, as it's almost too absurd to believe:



The Wikipedia page on it is even better. The song was sung by Peter Criss, who sounds like he smoked 5 beautiful handmade Macanudo cigars before the session. Criss claimed to have written it too, but that's in dispute because he never wrote anything before or after it. I love that a very somber KISS is serenading a woman who's dressed like the cover of a Land's End catalog. And Paul Stanley is calmly strumming a guitar in a song that features zero guitar whatsoever. It's just fantastic.

Wow. That was positively awful. I really haven't heard much KISS. They were a little before my time. I remember when I was very young - maybe 4, in 1978, my aunt went to a KISS concert at Nassau Coliseum. I remember it being a big deal. But, that song was just brutally bad. And, the video was - strange. Early videos just can't be beat in terms of how they are totally disjointed alternative story telling. The laser eyes in Total Eclipse of the Heart is definitely one of my favorites.

The only thing I really know about KISS is from the rants of Eddie Trunk on his XM radio shows. I learned that the two members who own the name of the band and the copyrights, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, have replaced Ace Frehley and Peter Criss with players who wear their costumes. It makes the traditional fans really angry b/c the original replacements came up with their own personas, but since they left again after the reunion tour, Ace and Criss basically have impersonators in the band.

 

[Epaulet]

Wow. That was positively awful. I really haven't heard much KISS. They were a little before my time. I remember when I was very young - maybe 4, in 1978, my aunt went to a KISS concert at Nassau Coliseum. I remember it being a big deal. But, that song was just brutally bad. And, the video was - strange. Early videos just can't be beat in terms of how they are totally disjointed alternative story telling. The laser eyes in Total Eclipse of the Heart is definitely one of my favorites.

The only thing I really know about KISS is from the rants of Eddie Trunk on his XM radio shows. I learned that the two members who own the name of the band and the copyrights, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, have replaced Ace Frehley and Peter Criss with players who wear their costumes. It makes the traditional fans really angry b/c the original replacements came up with their own personas, but since they left again after the reunion tour, Ace and Criss basically have impersonators in the band.

LOL yeah it's a crazy song. They were fairly before my time as well, but their story is totally fascinating. It's impressive how Stanley & Simmons were able to parlay their act into such a successful, lifelong career. I think that most people would agree that their songwriting and playing is pretty average, but they always had a great head for theatrics and marketing.

Check out the video for "Lick it Up" and their attempts to go mainstream hair metal in the 80s. It's just amazing. They really fought to adapt to the times.

I do love "Detroit Rock City" though. And this cover version of it by the Mighty Bosstones is just a masterpiece. Dicky Barrett has this huge buttondown collared shirt which I'd bet came from Brooks Brothers, J.Press, or the Andover Shop. Let's just ignore this odd shell necklace that he's wearing over it. This was the 90's after all.



His scream of "WHYYYYYYYYY" at 3:58 is everything!

 

[Duke Silver]

I feel like there’s one really famous Kiss song that I know but I can’t think of the title and I might not actually be able to recognize it. Am I just imaging that you’ve posted stuff about Kiss before? Like a meme or something? Or am I mixing them up with Dee Snyder? Or maybe I’m just being an asshole by assuming that every white person who grew up on Long Island in the 80’s likes Kiss.

 

[Sneaky Pete]

Wow. That was positively awful. I really haven't heard much KISS. They were a little before my time. I remember when I was very young - maybe 4, in 1978, my aunt went to a KISS concert at Nassau Coliseum. I remember it being a big deal. But, that song was just brutally bad. And, the video was - strange. Early videos just can't be beat in terms of how they are totally disjointed alternative story telling. The laser eyes in Total Eclipse of the Heart is definitely one of my favorites.

The only thing I really know about KISS is from the rants of Eddie Trunk on his XM radio shows. I learned that the two members who own the name of the band and the copyrights, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, have replaced Ace Frehley and Peter Criss with players who wear their costumes. It makes the traditional fans really angry b/c the original replacements came up with their own personas, but since they left again after the reunion tour, Ace and Criss basically have impersonators in the band.

I take it you've seen this?

 

[hpreston]

I feel like there’s one really famous Kiss song that I know but I can’t think of the title and I might not actually be able to recognize it. Am I just imaging that you’ve posted stuff about Kiss before? Like a meme or something? Or am I mixing them up with Dee Snyder? Or maybe I’m just being an asshole by assuming that every white person who grew up on Long Island in the 80’s likes Kiss.

 

[Duke Silver]

That's it!

 

[Epaulet]

I feel like there’s one really famous Kiss song that I know but I can’t think of the title and I might not actually be able to recognize it. Am I just imaging that you’ve posted stuff about Kiss before? Like a meme or something? Or am I mixing them up with Dee Snyder? Or maybe I’m just being an asshole by assuming that every white person who grew up on Long Island in the 80’s likes Kiss.

Haha, you know I'm not sure if I've ever posted about KISS before. While your Long Island hypothesis is broadly correct, I didn't honestly listen to any of their songs until my late 20's or so. I'm not a particular fan, but their entire story and all the drama that went along with it is pretty fascinating.

Now if you assumed that every person from Long Island has to like Billy Joel, then yes, you're probably correct. Even I couldn't escape that. His music was everywhere. You'd literally walk into an Italian Restaurant and hear "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant."

I take it you've seen this?

LOL I've never seen that but it's brilliant!! I've seen this one and a few other in the genre:



Fun fact: "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Making Love Out of Nothing At All" were both written by Jim Steinman. He also wrote most of the hits for Meatloaf and "It's All Coming Back to Me Now."

When I was running our short-lived store in Santa Monica, we'd get fairly regular celebrity visits. One day, around 2PM... Jude Law came in and I sold him a scarf. He was very cordial and even though I'm a fan (especially of The Talented Mr. Ripley), I was able to talk to him normally.

Maybe an hour later Jim Steinman wandered in and I was totally starstruck. He was surprised that anyone would recognize him... and it would have been tough.. but I had just watched a documentary about him a few weeks prior. We must have talked for 45 minutes, it was very cool. It's fascinating that such a counter-culture guy who wrote such bombastic songs for musicals had so much mainstream success.

 

[Epaulet]

Outside of ridiculous 1980s videos, got a few things happening today!!

1) We're doing 3 custom oxfords for $399... it's a quickshot deal that's good until Thursday and delivering in mid-January

2) We're getting ALL of the Sashiko Doyles and Garment-Dyed Corduroy Doyles. We'll ship preorders starting tomorrow and put open stock online starting Thursday.

3) It's the last day to get 15% off our Sashiko Blankets, Moleskin Doyle, and Magee Tweed Doyle. Newsletter will go out about this shortly.

use code blanket15 for the blankets and winter15 for the Doyles.

 

[Duke Silver]

Fun fact - Billy Joel married my sister's college roommate not long after she graduated.

 

[Michigan Planner]

When I was running our short-lived store in Santa Monica, we'd get fairly regular celebrity visits. One day, around 2PM... Jude Law came in and I sold him a scarf. He was very cordial and even though I'm a fan (especially of The Talented Mr. Ripley), I was able to talk to him normally.

Maybe an hour later Jim Steinman wandered in and I was totally starstruck. He was surprised that anyone would recognize him... and it would have been tough.. but I had just watched a documentary about him a few weeks prior. We must have talked for 45 minutes, it was very cool. It's fascinating that such a counter-culture guy who wrote such bombastic songs for musicals had so much mainstream success.

I had never heard of Jim Steinman until about a year ago when Slate's Hit Parade podcast did an episode (or maybe it was two?) about Steinman and his outsized influence in the careers of disparate artists like Meatloaf and Celine Dion and Air Supply and Bonnie Taylor.

The Unlikely ’70s Smash Album That Established Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman

Musician and journalist Paul Myers tells Chris Molanphy the origin story of ‘Bat Out of Hell.’

slate.com

I think the Slate Hit Parade podcasts are a bit long-winded but they're worth checking out.

 

[scurvyfreedman]

Haha, you know I'm not sure if I've ever posted about KISS before. While your Long Island hypothesis is broadly correct, I didn't honestly listen to any of their songs until my late 20's or so. I'm not a particular fan, but their entire story and all the drama that went along with it is pretty fascinating.

Now if you assumed that every person from Long Island has to like Billy Joel, then yes, you're probably correct. Even I couldn't escape that. His music was everywhere. You'd literally walk into an Italian Restaurant and hear "Scenes from an Italian Restaurant."



LOL I've never seen that but it's brilliant!! I've seen this one and a few other in the genre:



Fun fact: "Total Eclipse of the Heart" and "Making Love Out of Nothing At All" were both written by Jim Steinman. He also wrote most of the hits for Meatloaf and "It's All Coming Back to Me Now."

When I was running our short-lived store in Santa Monica, we'd get fairly regular celebrity visits. One day, around 2PM... Jude Law came in and I sold him a scarf. He was very cordial and even though I'm a fan (especially of The Talented Mr. Ripley), I was able to talk to him normally.

Maybe an hour later Jim Steinman wandered in and I was totally starstruck. He was surprised that anyone would recognize him... and it would have been tough.. but I had just watched a documentary about him a few weeks prior. We must have talked for 45 minutes, it was very cool. It's fascinating that such a counter-culture guy who wrote such bombastic songs for musicals had so much mainstream success.

That's true about LI. I grew up there until age 11 and then went back in the summers. The KISS fans were the ones who grew up in the 70s not the 80s. And, I can attest the ubiquity of Billy Joel. My parents liked him from his Stranger days (It might have been the last album they ever bought except Tracy Chapman's debut) and he was still the most popular LI artist through the 90s. There were those of us who gravitated to Public Enemy and Rakim, but we weren't the mainstream. Others, like my cousin, spent his time following Dreamtheater, but that was probably even a smaller fan base.

 

[ljl]

Grew up in the 70s in South Florida. Some neighborhoods might as well have been an LI burb. Bat Out of Hell is reminding me of how popular the Rocky Horror Picture Show was (which I never went to). Went to a Halloween karaoke party this year. 'Time Warp' got all the oldsters up off their seats.

 

[Epaulet]

Fun fact - Billy Joel married my sister's college roommate not long after she graduated.

Haha, was her roommate Christie Brinkley?

I had never heard of Jim Steinman until about a year ago when Slate's Hit Parade podcast did an episode (or maybe it was two?) about Steinman and his outsized influence in the careers of disparate artists like Meatloaf and Celine Dion and Air Supply and Bonnie Taylor.

The Unlikely ’70s Smash Album That Established Meat Loaf and Jim Steinman

Musician and journalist Paul Myers tells Chris Molanphy the origin story of ‘Bat Out of Hell.’

slate.com

I think the Slate Hit Parade podcasts are a bit long-winded but they're worth checking out.

Oh wow, that's awesome... I'll definitely listen to that! I honestly didn't really listen to any podcasts until last year. With all the COVID time in my house, I started running them as the background noise at all times. As an ex-New Yorker, it's nice to keep hearing Brian Lehrer's voice every morning.

That's true about LI. I grew up there until age 11 and then went back in the summers. The KISS fans were the ones who grew up in the 70s not the 80s. And, I can attest the ubiquity of Billy Joel. My parents liked him from his Stranger days (It might have been the last album they ever bought except Tracy Chapman's debut) and he was still the most popular LI artist through the 90s. There were those of us who gravitated to Public Enemy and Rakim, but we weren't the mainstream. Others, like my cousin, spent his time following Dreamtheater, but that was probably even a smaller fan base.

I've made my peace with Billy Joel's music. There was a solid part of my youth where I HATED it because you couldn't even go to a pizza place without hearing "Always A Woman to Me." I still can't abide those really schmaltzy ballads, but I'm legitimately happy when "Allentown" or "Big Shot" is on.

Long Island definitely had a big metal scene. I wasn't allowed into the city for punk or hardcore shows until 16, but I was watching Type O Negative and Megadeth before that at all ages shows.

Grew up in the 70s in South Florida. Some neighborhoods might as well have been an LI burb. Bat Out of Hell is reminding me of how popular the Rocky Horror Picture Show was (which I never went to). Went to a Halloween karaoke party this year. 'Time Warp' got all the oldsters up off their seats.

Haha yeah, "Time Warp" and the "Electric Slide" are still popping up at weddings!

 

[Duke Silver]

Haha, was her roommate Christie Brinkley?

Nope, just some random 23 year old. I don't even think she would qualify as an uptown girl. This was after Billy had divorced Christine and was well into his 50's.

Also, I now realize I was confusing Kiss w/ Danzing. My apologies to their dozens of fans.