Face Painted & Passionate For KISS
By Mike Kernels - VIRGINIAN-PILOT
From the mind of Freddie Hamm:
KISS concert. T-minus several hours and anxiously counting.
KISS T-shirt. Check.
KISS belt buckle. Check.
KISS body spray. Seriously. "It actually smells good." Make that a big check.
KISS face paint. Ready to be applied. Estimated time: 45 minutes - minimum.
"I'm that fanatical," says Hamm, 18, of Virginia Beach.
And he's not alone. For a legion of KISS fans, painting their faces for a concert is like an American Express card: You don't leave home without it.
"Just throwing it on is not an option. If you're a diehard fan, you want to do it just like them. Attention to detail is important."
Because the makeup of KISS singer Paul Stanley, for instance, consists of only a white face and a black star over one eye, it's an easy 20 minutes for Hamm.
Guitarist Tommy Thayer? That's 45 minutes.
Frontman Gene Simmons? Also 45. "Unless you're doing his hair," Hamm says.
To get drummer Eric Singer right for Friday's show, Hamm will use a combination of white, black, silver and green creams, lipstick and something that doesn't come with a bar code: patience.
"It is," he admits, "a pain... to put on."
