The other day I was creating configuration files for my Amiga emulator. You see, the Amiga emulator is rather complex. Not only must you select which disk image or images you’d like your emulated system to run, but you must also choose which version of the Kickstart rom, which chipset, which RAM configuration, which CPU, and which floppy drive setting you’d like to emulate as well. Shit’s complicated, yo.
So it’s much easier to just save a configuration file and launch that to launch the game. And it was while I was creating a configuration file for a puzzle game for a game called “Psycho Squares” that I absent-mindedly started singing a cheesy KISS song called “Psycho Circus”.
And I got to thinking about my like-dislike relationship with KISS.
KISS can be a rather divisive band. Some find their brand of rock and roll music to be trite, while others find it to be trite and dull. I find it to be trite, while at times dull and at times worthy of attention. I also can not stand some of their product.
So I started reading up about KISS on Wikipedia. And I dug out the KISS albums I have – the only ones that matter. These are Alive and Alive II. But you can listen to pretty much every KISS album on YouTube because people have uploaded every damn KISS album in their entirety and I find this fucking hilarious simply because it must infuriate Gene Simmons to no end.
You see, I have a respect-disrespect relationship with Gene Simmons. I do have a lot of respect for his chutzpah and showmanship. And hell, that battle-axe bass guitar he has is way fucking cool. Plus he wrote my favourite KISS song “Love It Loud”. But he has said some really ignorant things about people who download music for free from the internet.
Meh. I’m also listening to a lot of Neil Young right now. I don’t think that there are two musical entities with artistic aims as diametrically opposed as KISS and Neil Young. One makes music as a byproduct of the way it does business. One makes business as a byproduct of the way it does art. It’s fascinating to juxtapose the careers of the two.
Incidentally, there are some songs by Neil Young that I don’t… uh… appreciate so much either. I wonder if he ever wore makeup on stage.
