John 5: “When I heard KISS, it was like monsters with guitars and I was blown away.”

Everyone has one band who turned them on to rock music. That one band that turned your head to the dark side of music and changed your life forever. In the 70s and 80s, the height of the glam and hair rock era, a quartet from New York City going by the name of KISS was that band for many millions of music lovers the world over.

Offering something new, exciting and slightly dangerous, the larger-than-life personalities, the equally as large outfits and the huge rock anthems, KISS were the entire package and like nothing rock music had seen before. Growing up in Detroit, KISS caught the eye of a young John 5 who soon became obsessed with the rock monsters.

From the moment he clapped eyes on the band, the Motley Crue guitarist was hooked and soon found himself fully immersing himself in their world. Decades later the guitarist has amassed a personal collection of over 2,500 KISS items from outfits to jewellery to backstage passes. In just over a week, John 5 is opening up that collection to the public with his own personal KISS Museum which promises an up-close look around the collection with the tour personally led by John 5 himself.

In our latest Cover Story, V13 sat down with John 5 to talk about his collection, how this incredible journey with the glam rock titans started and some of his favourite KISS memories and memorabilia.

How did your journey as a KISS fan start?

“I have been collecting my whole life ever since I was seven. I got my first KISS record when I was seven and I was obsessed. I loved Monsters as a kid and got this record and then, at that time in 1977, there was so much merchandise and so I got a lot of merchandise and I just collected even as a little kid. Over the years, I just kept doing it and I enjoyed it. I had such a great time collecting. Later on in life, I said ‘You know what? I’m gonna have a museum.’

A lot of collectors don’t like to even share pictures. I’m gonna have a collection that people can come and see, come and feel, talk about. It took a couple of years to put it together so it’s taken a lot of work, but I’m super, super excited. I’m as excited as the people coming. It’s everything from 1973 to 1983 and they get to walk through the museum with me and I’ll tell stories and hang out with them for a couple hours.”

KISS are a band that means a lot to so many people. You talked about getting your first KISS record in 1977 but what about when you first heard KISS, what was your reaction?

“I loved it because I was mostly listening to country music because of my dad. My dad enjoyed guitar, so I listened to a lot of country guitarists like Chet Atkins and Roy Clark and things like that. When I heard KISS, because I loved monsters too, it was like monsters with guitars and I was blown away. It was a truly life-changing experience for me and it stuck with me the whole time.”

KISS were a band that tapped into the mainstream. At that time, growing up, what was it like at school? Were all your mates into KISS?

“KISS broke in Detroit and that’s where I was from so they were huge in Detroit. Just to give you an example, they were playing in theatres at this time in 1975, and when they came to Detroit, they were playing in this huge arena, a massive arena that was sold out which you can see on the back cover of Alive. That’s in Detroit. A lot of people say it wasn’t cool to like KISS but, in Detroit, it was cool to like KISS.”

Do you remember your first KISS concert?

“I do. I was too young to go to see them when they had their makeup on, so I didn’t get to see them until Lick It Up, which was late ’83. It was wonderful but, to see them at the reunion when they all got together and they put their makeup on was just incredible. It was like really wild. I think inspiration is maybe one of the most important things that can happen to somebody. Walking through Sears Department Store when I was a little kid and seeing that KISS record changed my life forever.”

From country music was KISS your gateway band into rock music?

“Absolutely. I had older sisters and they listened to the Beatles and Hendrix and all that stuff, so I knew about rock music, but when I got my first record, I was hooked. This is a true story. I’m not making this up. When I got the record, I remember sitting on the carpet playing the record, and my mom, this is so odd, my mom liked cow tongue, so she put all this ketchup on the cow tongue and put it in her mouth and went, ‘Ahhhhh!!!!.’ It scared me a little. I was a little kid but I always remember that and that was right after I got the the record.”

V13 Cover Story – Issue 89 – John 5

From there you went on to become a lifelong fan. What was it about KISS that turned you into a lifelong fan and how did you go from that to collecting?

“I think when someone collects there’s a comfort there. There’s a nostalgia there. There’s a comfort that makes you feel how I felt when I was a kid. Getting the records, all the toys, the dolls, the lunchbox, and all that stuff there was a comfort. It was kinda like if you could walk around with your blanket and everybody would be okay with it. That’s how it was with KISS for me. It was something else for me. It was all the music, the records, and that is what kept me going my whole life because it was the music and that comfort when I was a kid.”

Going from there to the museum is another massive step. How easy was it to go from being a collector to having your museum?

“It was unbelievably difficult because it’s all about organization and to have it so organized, took years and years and years and years and years and years. I’m just finishing putting the finishing touches on it but to document and to do research on a lot of things, to do in-depth research, it took years, months. Certain things that happened then ‘Where is this from? What country is this from? What year did this come out? Why are they wearing these costumes? If it came out this year…’

Magazines from all over the World, records from all over the world, tickets from all over the world, backstage passes, there’s so much that goes into this. It’s staggering and that’s why when you bring someone in, and I’ve done little test runs and things that I have to change. Little things like, Oh, I gotta change the carpets because I have these little throw carpets on the floor, I gotta take those off because I’ve seen a couple of people do a little trip on those so just things like that. There’s so much detail that goes into this.”

“Walking through Sears Department Store when I was a little kid and seeing that KISS record changed my life forever.”

Have the band had any input into it?

“Yes. They all know about it and they love it because I ask them questions about certain things like, ‘Hey, with this outfit, how many were there? Or, Can you tell me about it? Tell me a little story about it’ and things like that. The band knows about it and they’re supportive of it. They’re cool with it, you know.”

In terms of the vastness of KISS merchandise and your collection, what are you most proud of?

“I think the costume pieces like Gene’s outfit from 1974 because he only had one and he would just ride on the subway with it after the shows or things like that. I have Ace’s belt from 1973 that he wore at the clubs when he was playing, and his Mom made that. Things like that. The KISS Army. We’ve all heard of the KISS Army, but I have the original banner that those kids were holding up and that’s where the KISS Army was born. Things like that… that’s real history.”

There’s KISS memorabilia for everything. Coffins, Pinball Machines… Is there one piece that you have never been able to get your hands on?

“There’s quite a few pieces. Jewellery from Australia that’s tough to get. The problem with this stuff is that I collected up to 1983 so a lot of this stuff is 50 years and, throughout life some things happen. There are fires. People move. People throw things away. They move or it gets burnt up or something like that so it’s getting harder and harder to find these things. It’s like shovelling sand it will never end. And that’s how gigantic they were all over the world in just those 10 years.”

John 5 photo by Jen Rosenstein

Do you have a favourite and least favourite era of KISS as a fan?

“I love the whole era from 1973 to 1983. That’s what I collect. From 1983, the non-makeup years, they had incredible songs. They had amazing songs. I love 80s KISS, but my favourite would be 70s into early 80s.”

Which member of KISS did you dress up as as a kid, and which member do you dress up as now?

“I loved all of them. For Halloween each year I was a different guy. One year I’d be Gene, or one year I’d be Paul. One year I’d be Peter, and one year I’d be Ace. I was so young. I used to think they weren’t real people. When I got older, when I knew they were real people and they were being played on the radio, they would play them on the radio in Detroit and I used to think they were at the Radio Station playing. I was so dumb. I didn’t know they were just playing a record. I thought they would set up and play their song and go home.”

Considering the importance of Detroit in the KISS history, what was it like growing up in Detroit?

“I had the best childhood ever. We lived on the lake and it was nice. I had a wonderful experience in school. I played music… you couldn’t ask for a better upbringing or a childhood. A lot of people have a lot of problems, but it was just such a wonderful, wonderful upbringing.”

“I have Ace’s belt from 1973 that he wore at the clubs when he was playing, and his Mom made that.”

Being in Detroit at a time when KISS was hitting the mainstream, what was that like?

“I remember it like any pop star. Like New Kids on the Block or Taylor Swift or anybody like that. You see the merchandise. There was KISS merchandise everywhere and it was so cool because it was just everywhere you look and that’s where my collecting obsession came. I’m so happy I’ve got that collective bug because it’s brought me so much joy and I’ve met a lot of people through that experience.”

Do you deal with a lot of collectors?

“I have met some wonderful people, but most of the time I have an assistant that deals with people because there are so many people that get ahold of me, which I appreciate, and I love that people get ahold of me and say, ‘Hey, I have this, I have that.’ If I’m coming to South America or Japan or Australia, and sometimes I’ll meet up with them.”

In terms of your music career, have you played with KISS?

“In terms of my music career, I have been fortunate enough to record with Peter Criss. I’ve recorded with Ace Frehley, and I’ve recorded with Paul. I’ve recorded with everybody except for Gene Simmons, who I’m very close to I just haven’t had the chance to record with Gene yet, but hopefully one day I will. I’ve done a lot of stuff with Ace and Peter, and I’ve recorded with Paul, which was fun.”

If somebody who didn’t know KISS came up to you and asked you to pick one album from that era or one song that defined what KISS was about, what would you choose?

“I love Love Gun that was my first record, but I love Hotter Than Hell, right? I love Dressed to Kill, and I love Alive… I have a fondness for all of them. I would say probably Hotter Than Hell…”

I would put the live album on and just say, listen to that…

“It’s the 50th anniversary of KISS Alive as well, so that’s pretty cool. 50 years.”

What is your favourite KISS moment?

“I’ve been very lucky in my life, but there was one time they were rehearsing and I was rehearsing right next door and I put a chair right in front of the stage, this is just a rehearsal room, right and they played their set right there in front of me. Right there. I was the only one in the room. Techs were walking in and out, but it was so weird, it was a concert just for one.

“I think when someone collects there’s a comfort there. There’s a nostalgia there. There’s a comfort that makes you feel how I felt when I was a kid.”

That was a great moment but I think my favourite moment is when I went to go see them on the reunion tour and I was late and they were ready to go on and I ran in, and Doc McGee, the manager, said, go through that curtain. They’re right there, you know? This was way before Meet and Greets or anything. So I go through the curtain and there they were with their makeup on and everything. So we took a bunch of pictures and they were wrestling around with me before they went on.

I have one more. I was at the last KISS show at Madison Square Gardens and I was talking to Gene after the show and he had all his makeup still on. We took a picture together and then he walked into his dressing room and started taking his makeup off. I have this picture, it’s the last picture of Gene Simmons in makeup.”

As a lifelong fan, what was that concert like for you?

“It was sad. It was sad because this was the last time I was going to hear this song or that song, so it was a sad moment. But it was also wonderful. I was super happy but it was bittersweet.”

If you could sum up what KISS means to you what would you say?

“Hope. That’s what you get with inspiration. The band means a lot to me and it means a lot to millions of other people. Hopefully, kids will find this inspiration from other bands or musicians because it will change their lives as it’s changed my life. Just keep searching for that inspiration as it will strike and it will change your life forever.”

For more information on John 5’s Knights In Satan’s Service Museum, which runs from May 5th, 2025 to May 30th, 2025 head over to John’s Official Website.