Hello to KISS fans everywhere around the world! Let me introduce myself. My name is Jon Rubin, and I'm a 36-year old KISS fanatic and collector from New York whose earliest memories include lip-synching "I Want You" at most family functions at the tender age of 4. Thankfully, my older brother was a big fan, and thus was my initial exposure to the greatest band of all time. In fact, in 1975 he actually taped KISS pictures to my baby crib, which for some reason my parents didn't know or they would have probably disowned him. So that is why I can say I literally was a fan from birth - it's amazing I turned out alright! Anyway, I grew up listening to KISS all the time, and was Ace Frehley for Halloween every year in elementary school (but never won the costume contest). Paul's solo album was the first KISS record I ever actually bought for myself, while inheriting my brother's vinyl collection in 1979 after he and his trend-happy cronies decided KISS was no longer cool upon buying "Dynasty."  But I never gave up on them because I always felt that the notion of KISS was so much bigger than just one album; so when the music strayed a bit off course, I still knew that there was so much more coming from this band in the future years that I never lost the faith. To those who skipped out on the 80s KISS, you missed a great time (R.I.P. Eric Carr) and you're probably listening to those songs on your local classic rock station as you read this (or Satellite radio!)  And to those who also kept the faith, we were repayed for our loyalty ten-fold, starting with the reformation and record-breaking reunion tour of the original line-up and the exciting 1998-99 Psycho Circus album and World Tour.  Of course, we had the Farewell 2000 tour to enjoy, which never quite ended but at some point after a few more summer tours, 3 kick-ass KISSOLOGY DVD releases, and a brand new studio album in 2009, KISS found a way to stay somewhat relevant throughout another decade.  Today their music clearly lives on, and all of the naysayers and critics who thought it was a joke can only laugh at themselves.  All it takes is one listen to their latest studio album Sonic Boom to realize the band is as solid as it has ever been.  Over 35 years later, KISS is the ultimate force to be reckoned with, and has achieved so much in such a glorious, phenomenal and unique history.

Combine my deep passion for this band with an entrepreneurial spirit and you have the beginnings of the KISS ROCKS Fan Club. In late 1984, a simple eight-page black and white newsletter called KISS ROCKS debuted as one of the first KISS fanzines in an underground press that would soon expand tremendously. An ad in the back of a 1985 Circus magazine (w/Paul on the cover coincidentally, 2/28/85) started it all, and soon the membership grew to include fans in over 25 countries and almost all 50 states. Over the years I had the distinct pleasure and honor of conducting phone interviews with Eric Carr, Gene Simmons, Vinnie Vincent, and Bruce Kulick, as well as meeting all members of KISS past and present. I also was proud to see KISS ROCKS listed in the "thank you" section of the "Hot In the Shade" liner notes, where many KISS fanzines were thanked for their hard work.  Fast forward to 2009 and I am absolutely thrilled that KISS ROCKS is included and well-represented in Gene Simmons' new release 'The Ultimate KISS Fanzine Phenomenon 1976-2009' (pgs 88-89).  It is a book like this that sums up exactly the relationship between the band and its fans.  Highly recommended!!

Anyway, the newsletter was a great way for me to express my passion and dedication for the band, and a perfect venue to share it with others. It also set the stage for some of the contacts and good friends I've made along the way with whom I still write and trade merchandise. The funniest thing about it all was that I never told anyone my real age, because I thought being only 12 or 13 years old, that I and the newsletter wouldn't be taken seriously. And I never gave anyone my phone number because my pre-pubescent voice would have surely given me away! Anyway, after finishing high school in 1991 and getting ready to head off to college (with a slightly deeper voice), I decided to stop publishing the newsletter simply because I wouldn't have the time anymore to do the best job possible. So after 7 years, I stopped publishing KISS ROCKS but my love for the band certainly remained (back issues of the KISS ROCKS newsletter from 1985-91 are available inexpensively in the BARGAIN BIN ).

When KISS hosted their own conventions in 1995, my interest in the original merchandise began to increase and I decided to build upon my already decent-sized collection. I started collecting anything and everything with the official KISS logo on it, and eventually had tables at many east coast KISS conventions in 'rock cities' such as Detroit, Cleveland, New York, Philadelphia, Providence, Boston, Baltimore - and of course the always awesome Annual New York/New Jersey KISS EXPO (here's to NY in 2011!)   Keep a lookout on this site's homepage, or you can always visit www.kissasylum.com for an updated list of all KISS EXPOS and CONVENTIONS happening worldwide.