KISS FAN WANTS TO ROCK AND ROLL FOR ALL HIS LIFE.Byline: Gary Warth North County Times Before anyone makes any assumptions about him, let it be known that Eric Woolen wool·en also wool·len adj. 1. Made or consisting of wool. 2. Of or relating to the production or marketing of woolen goods. n. Fabric or clothing made from wool. Often used in the plural. does indeed have a life. The 26-year-old Cardiff-By-The-Sea resident is a telecommunications technician for Qualcomm, Inc., a guitarist, a surfer, a model-airplane builder, and a motorcyclist. He even has a girlfriend. All that, however, sometimes leaves him little time to devote to his lifelong passion: KISS. One of Woolen's rooms at home is all but a shrine to KISS, a rock band that rose to fame in the 1970s by wearing face paint and black leather and staging concerts highlighted by pyrotechnics pyrotechnics (pī'rōtĕk`nĭks, pī'rə–), technology of making and using fireworks. Gunpowder was used in fireworks by the Chinese as early as the 9th cent. and gore. ``My sister took me to my first concert when I was 7,'' Woolen recalls. ``It was very loud and it was somewhat scary for a 7-year-old. I remember there were a lot of bombs and a lot of fire.'' Just the sort of thing to hook a young fan for life, he says. Since that first show, Woolen has been a proud member of the KISS Army The Kiss Army is the official fan club for the American rock band Kiss, as well as the unofficial name used to refer to Kiss fans in general. It was started unofficially in 1975, by fans Bill Starkey and Jay Evans. , an allegiance of hard-core fans who collect all things KISS and swap stories and band updates internationally through a newsletter and on the Internet. Woolen has seen the band perform five times - one more than the average KISS fan, according to according to prep. 1. As stated or indicated by; on the authority of: according to historians. 2. In keeping with: according to instructions. 3. a fan magazine poll - but he hopes to see the original lineup again in all their glory and makeup. Like other KISS fans, Woolen is excited by the news that original members Gene Simmons For the actress, see Jean Simmons. For the rockabilly singer, see Jumpin' Gene Simmons. Chaim Witz (חיים וויץ), (born August 25, 1949 in Haifa, Israel), better known by his stage name Gene Simmons , Paul Stanley This article is about the metal musician. For other people with this name, see Paul Stanley (disambiguation). Stanley Harvey Eisen (born January 20, 1952, Queens, New York) known by his stage name Paul Stanley , Peter Criss George Peter John Criscuola (born December 20, 1945), better known as Peter Criss, is an American musician best known as co-founder, drummer and vocalist for the rock band KISS. Criss established the "cat" character for his KISS persona. and Ace Frehley Paul Daniel Frehley (born April 27, 1951[1]), better known as Ace Frehley, is an American guitarist best known as a founding member and lead guitarist for the rock band Kiss. He took on the persona of 'Space Ace' when the band adopted costumes and theatrics. plan to get back together and paint their faces again for a reunion concert. Woolen doesn't even seem disappointed that the tour schedule so far does not include a San Diego date. ``They won't forget about us,'' he says confidently. Woolen still has a personalized Christmas card from the 1970s that shows him smiling behind dolls of the four band members. Unfortunately, memories are all he has of his original collection. ``I got in trouble at school and my mom ended up throwing it away,'' he said of the collection, which included the original albums. ``She replaced it with `Star Wars' stuff. (KISS) was a little too much for a 5-year-old.'' But by 18, Woolen was rebuilding his collection, which includes a $300 autographed concert book from the band's 10th anniversary tour, custom-made stage outfits he wears on Halloween, picture discs, autographed photos, comic books, bootlegged albums, jigsaw puzzles, dolls and four guitar picks he caught when band members threw them into the audience during concerts. Woolen admits he probably learned to play guitar because of KISS, and his 1995 black Gibson Flying V The Gibson Flying V is an electric guitar model first released by Gibson in 1958. Origins Gibson first manufactured prototypes of the guitar in 1957. They were made of korina wood, a trademarked name for limba, a wood similar to but lighter than mahogany. is just like the one played by Stanley. CAPTION(S): Photo Photo: Avid KISS fan Eric Wollen of Cardiff-By-The-Sea, Cal if., has a room full of the band's memorabilia. Associated Press |
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