This bitterness was likely due to his inability to launch a successful post-KISS career, which made him resentful towards those more interested in his affiliation with the band rather than his solo work (in other words, EVERYONE). I believe those stories were likely true: he was unfriendly when I first met him, and he literally scribbled over Paul Stanley’s signature on my MARVEL KISS comic. And now, over thirty years later, here I was about to see him again.

That Saturday morning, Jason (Jason Schoolcraft – after this post, I’ll try to avoid confusion by limiting each blog to only one “Jason”) and I went out for breakfast/coffee, and then, after the convention doors opened at 10, we went to the main celebrity room, where most of the guests were. While my objectives were all KISS-related, Jason had different goals.

Jason wanted to see John Russo and get his Night of the Living Dead (1968) Blu-ray signed. Jason’s not a big autograph guy, but he does love George Romero’s zombie films. The first time Jason and I did an event together was at the 2017 Days of the Dead Indianapolis show, which was also supposed to be a Dawn of the Dead (1978) reunion with Romero in attendance. Unfortunately, Romero became ill and had to cancel (he would pass away two weeks later), and his lifelong friend and associate, Russo, took over his scheduled panel, effectively turning what was supposed to be a Q&A into a tribute to the man himself. Jason reminded Russo of that moment, and the two shared a nice conversation.

With his mission accomplished, we returned to registration to get my Peter Criss wristbands (I’m not quite sure why I didn’t do it the day before). Back in March, I bought three Saturday passes to see Peter Criss via his own website. At the time, I mistakenly thought I was buying autographs, not admission passes. I should have known with autograph prices these days that $43 was way too cheap for Peter Criss, but here we are. He only allowed a limited number of autograph passes to be sold per day (he appeared on Friday and Saturday only), and each pass allowed a maximum of four autographs. Since I had three passes, I offered one to Jason (just so he could meet Criss) and kept the third, unused wristband for my scrapbook. A $43 scrapbook embellishment…ARRGH!

The second floor of the hotel was reserved for Peter Criss and his team. Before entering his realm, you would pass by KISS Army Warehouse merchandise for sale, and another booth with three of the four members of Podcast Rock City – (Joe Polo, Joey Cassata, and Leigh Westee).

In addition to the elevator, there was also a staircase leading up to this floor. While we were waiting to register the day before, I saw Criss’ assistant, John Ostronomy, talking to a fan on them.

On Saturday morning, a volunteer was stationed at the foot of those stairs, and we asked her what time we should start lining up. Criss’ Saturday signing began at 1 pm, and this was like 10:30, but I assumed I’d be up there all day. She asked if we’d gotten our number yet, and we had no idea what she was talking about. It turned out that those of us with Peter Criss wristbands could go upstairs early and get a number to secure our spot in line rather than stand there all day. Thank God for this woman! We immediately went up, and Jason and I were given a Post-it note with the #12 on it.

Having stood in my fair share of autograph lines (twelve hours for Carrie Fisher, four hours for George Romero, etc.), I thought being number twelve was fantastic. I still do, but there was one big problem with this method that I’ll bring up shortly. Let’s get into what my signing plans were first…

I brought along three albums to sign. There’s a record show in Countryside, Illinois, that takes place every other month, and I try to get to it whenever possible. At the March show, my other friend, Jason (Jason Lucas), helped me pick out a Peter Criss picture disc to get signed.

Two months later, at the May show, I went by myself and bought his original solo album to be signed as well. Since they aren’t expensive, I decided I’d try to pick up a KISS picture disc every time I attend one of these shows until I had all four members (I do love a quest, ladies and gentlemen). So, in addition to Peter Criss’s traditional solo album, I also picked up the late Ace Frehley’s picture disc, even though I knew it would never get signed. I only mention this because here I was, less than a week later, going through the KISS Army Warehouse’s bins when I discovered a signed Ace Frehley picture disc with a Certificate of Authenticity. I quickly bought it, and as a thank-you from the dealer, I was given a special Peter Criss guitar pick with the event’s name and dates etched on it. Obviously, drumsticks would have been more apropos, but I thought it was a great bonus regardless (plus it’ll fit better in that aforementioned scrapbook). I returned to my place in line with a big smile on my face, knowing I’d be leaving the New Jersey Horror Con with not one, but TWO signed KISS picture discs.

While waiting for the signing to begin, the KISS fan standing next to me (#13), who looked about my age, started up a conversation (mostly one-sided, but I didn’t mind). He came from Lake Geneva, and I never got his name, so, for blogging purposes, I’ll just refer to him as “Mr. Wisconsin.” Mr. Wisconsin helped pass the time by sharing photos from his past experiences on the KISS Kruises. This man had not only been to every single KISS Kruise, but he and his wife were also married on one with Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons standing up in the ceremony. He shared pictures from the wedding, with Paul accompanying him to get the marriage license. He also showed shots of him and Simmons getting celebratory cocktails afterward (where I’m guessing teetotaler Simmons probably had a Shirley Temple). This was followed by pictures of his signed Axe Guitar displayed on his wall in a beautiful custom-made case. One thing was for certain: Mr. Wisconsin was living the KI$$ dream.

Unfortunately, Mr. Wisconsin’s pleasant walk down memory lane would soon turn sour. Remember that Post-it note, numbering situation I mentioned earlier? The problem with this method was that, instead of assigning everyone with a wristband a single number, they assigned one to each group. So, in our case, Jason and I both shared that #12 while Mr. Wisconsin was the sole #13. Meanwhile, a group of fans ahead of us who also shared a number was much larger and continued to grow. Literally, they’d invite every acquaintance (and these guys were popular) to share their number so they could join them. So, despite Jason and me being #12, we ended up more like #30 because of this issue. I was still in an exceptionally good mood, so it didn’t bother me (especially when I considered the seemingly endless line of fans behind me), but the situation went up Mr. Wisconsin’s ass sideways, while Jason kept throwing gasoline on his fire. “They just brought in another person!” Jason would say, and Mr. Wisconsin would turn a deeper shade of red. Finally, he’d had enough, stormed off to a volunteer, and gave her an earful.  She seemed to do a good job calming him down without actually doing anything. By that time, it didn’t matter anyway, because it was 1 pm and things moved so quickly that, in the moments it took for us to get into Criss’ signing room, all was forgotten.

Inside, there was a large room full of chairs with Peter Criss signing behind a black curtain. The chairs were for us fans to sit on while we waited for our turn. As one group of people got up to go before Criss, we’d all shift over about five spaces. A volunteer stated this was requested by Peter and his wife, Gigi, who didn’t want people to have to stand for too long. Already, I was looking at a whole new Peter Criss. The one I met in ’94 would have had us standing barefoot on hot coals if he’d had his way. I’d never seen any convention headliner do this before and doubt I ever will again. We rested our legs and gazed at Peter’s drum kit, staged off to the side for his photo op.

A less popular stipulation from Criss was that everyone wear a mask. I was already prepared, as it was stated on Criss’ website, but Mr. Wisconsin, who was still keyed up from earlier, almost lost his mind. “Why do we have to wear masks!?!” he barked. A member of the Peter Criss Team passed them out and sprayed disinfectant on all of our hands. By the time he’d finished, the room smelled like 2020.

I noticed a young YouTuber, Johnny Z a.k.a. The CD Guy, sitting nearby, and I let him know I enjoyed his work. He’d met Criss recently in New York and discussed the appearance on his channel. He seemed noticeably touched that I knew who he was, and his dad (sitting next to him) beamed, “He works really hard on that channel,” he told me. As a dad myself, I felt good giving him that moment of pride.

Soon it was our turn. Once on the other side of the curtain, we saw Criss sitting at a long folding table with assistants on either side. The one on his right handled the money, while the one on his left made sure everyone was following the rules (no phones out, memorabilia were ready, etc.). As Peter signed, he spoke to anyone standing on the other side of the table, and, unlike in 1994, he was very talkative and pleasant. The man ahead of me (#11) had him sign his 2025 solo album (white cover) and a poster from his original ‘78 album.

While Criss was signing his latest album, the fan gushed. “Oh my God, I LOVE this album so MUCH!!!” he exclaimed. “I’m so glad to hear that,” said Criss. “Which was your favorite song?” The man replied, “I love ‘Walking on Water!” Criss replied, “Oh, yes. I wrote that about when I had cancer” (Side note: Peter Criss successfully battled breast cancer back in 2008).

I chimed in that my favorite song on the album is ‘Murder.’ “Is it?” asked Criss. “I wrote that song while watching the news one evening and hearing about a drive-by shooting that happened.”

I told him that, living near Chicago, I was no stranger to such headlines. Criss lit up. “Oh, man, I LOVE Chicago! You guys have a steak place called Gibson’s that’s one of my favorite restaurants.  You kind of have to dress up, but it’s fantastic, and I go there every time I visit.”  I asked if he had any plans to return to the Windy City, but he shook his head. “No, not as of now, but I’d love to go back.” (Attention Days of the Dead horror con organizers, are you reading this!?) “Chicago really is another New York,” he added (but don’t tell Chicagoans or New Yorkers that).

I told him how sorry I was regarding the loss of his friend, Ace Frehley. “Thank you,” he said. “I was with him the whole time at the end. It really broke my heart.”

As he signed my final album, I said, “I want to thank you for the things you aren’t doing, like bad-mouthing your former band members. Fans are sick of the bickering and sideswiping, and I appreciate that when you are the subject of these comments, you ignore them and take the high road. I’ve met you before thirty years ago, and you’ve since become the wise, elder statesman of KISS.”

Criss’ handler on the left cracked up, but the Catman looked up at me in total seriousness. “You know what, you’re right,” he said. “I am the elder statesman of KISS.” It was a cool moment, and I was glad Jason was there to witness it. Every life has its ups and downs, and we all have our fair share of regrets. Most of us, if we’re lucky, will grow old. Wisdom, however, is much less common. As Criss was one of the wilder members of KISS back in the day, I found it inspiring to see his evolution. I shook his hand and wished him well. I hope I have an opportunity to see him again, but if not, I couldn’t have asked for a better final meeting than this. The solemn moment didn’t last, of course. As I was leaving, I heard Mr. Wisconsin behind me greeting Criss. “Hey, PAISANO!” he yelled. “I’m Italian, too!!!”

I went to the table to retrieve my signed albums and waited for the Criss team to help dry the ink. After Criss signed your stuff, a volunteer would carefully take it from him, bring it to these tables, and breeze-dry it with a piece of cardboard. I asked one of them whose idea this was, and they said, “Peter Criss and Gigi insisted we do this for all the fans.” I’d totally forgotten about Criss’ wife, Gigi. “Where is Gigi?” I asked. “She literally just walked right behind you to go back and sit with her husband,” she replied. Ugh, I wanted to meet her!

For us, the Criss encounter ended at 3 pm, but as we left, I saw the room was still packed with fans waiting their turn. The signing was scheduled until 4 pm, so I’m not sure how long it took to accommodate everybody, but there’s no way they could get it done within an hour. I wanted to find that volunteer lady who told us to get a number and hug her.

“I can’t believe we were here for two hours!” Jason complained. “I can’t believe that’s ALL we were here for,” I responded. As mentioned, I was prepared to spend the whole day in line and could not have hoped for things to have gone as well as they did. From what I later heard, however, not everyone was so pleased. Let’s hope I can stay this fortunate during some of the other events I have coming up this summer.

After we left Criss’ room, Jason took off, and I spent time with the Podcast Rock City folks. I met Joe Polo first, and he was really awesome. Gigi requested that they film a compilation of fans sharing their admiration for Peter for them to watch together when they got home. Joe filmed mine, which was just a rehash of what I said to Criss in person. I smiled thinking of Peter and Gigi snuggling on a couch in fuzzy slippers watching our fan testimonials on their TV. I also was filmed saying complimentary things about the podcast itself, but I don’t think it was ever posted anywhere. No matter, I love these guys, and they’re as fun in person as they are on YouTube.

It was also great meeting drummer Joey Cassata, who recently joined the band Twisted Sister. On the podcast, he routinely spars with his fellow commentator, Sonny Pooni, and, prior to this event, encouraged all listeners and viewers who were attending the con to come up to him and say, “Sonny Pooni stinks!” So, I did it for him, and he filmed it with his phone so he could jab Sonny with it. ALL in good fun, by the way.

Leigh Westee, a.k.a. the “Goddess of Thunder,” was fantastic, and we discussed her incredible KISS and ’70s pop-culture collectibles. Westee has the distinction of having been “Gene Simmons” in the very first all-female KISS tribute band, “Black Diamond.” She’s also a horror gal and, at previous cons, cosplayed as Pennywise.

Leigh told me that she and the other members of the podcast were going to take a drive on Sunday to the comic book shop Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash. I didn’t realize we were so close to the place, even though I’d visited it about 10 years ago. A light bulb went off in my head, and I texted Jason to meet me in the lobby. It was time for us to take a field trip.

Coming Up…My vacation/New Jersey Horror Con series concludes with Jay and Silent Bob’s Secret Stash!

~Dave