On 9. April, 1976, Kiss did the “Destroyer” press conference to announce their upcoming European tour, and six photo sessions with Barry Levine, Fin Costello and Waring Abbott at Mother’s Sound Stage, 210 East 5th Street, Manhattan, New York. The six iconic sessions were the “Destroyer Red” and “Chopper session” (with photo model, and Gene’s girlfriend, Start Stowe) with photographer Fin Costello, the “Sparkle shots”, “Spirit of ’76” and “Destroyer White” with photographer Barry Levine, and the press conference (with Start Stowe) with photographer Waring Abbott.
Waring Abbott
“She was completely out of it (Star Stowe), although maybe that was just her personality. At that time I had no idea she was Gene’s Playboy Playmate girlfriend, just that she was in her underwear, which was fine with me. Mothers Studio was a rehearsal and video studio on the Lower East Side. The press conference was to announce their first European Tour the following month.”
– The Official Authorized Quarterly KISS Magazine, Fall 2005 Volume 1 Number 4
Barry Levine:
“That session ended up being much more successful than anything I could have hoped for. It produced two sets of well-known pictures, including the entire series of “sparkle shots.” Those were the set of indoor pictures of the individual band members and the group in front of a sparkling, starry backdrop. The pictures ended up being used for an early Kiss Army photo set, as well as the buttons that you could order from the form that came inside the “Rock and Roll Over” album. These shots were used again in 1996 inside the “You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best” album which heralded the reunion of the original band.
One thing we didn’t really plan on was how long the session ultimately took. We shot for almost 15 hours, which was quite a bit longer than any other rock photographer dared work in one sitting. It was grueling. By the last couple of hours, Ace was so drunk he was weaving, he kept falling down, and we kept having to prop him up and just grab one more shot. The last picture of the day was the famous “Spirit of ’76” picture. The grin on Ace’s face in that shot is because he was so hammered that he could hardly stand up by himself any more. Kiss ended up liking all the photos so much that they invited me to do more sessions with them, and our relationship quickly grew.”
– “The Kiss Years” by Barry Levine.
9. April 1976, Kiss doing the “chopper session” with photo model (and Gene’s girlfriend) Start Stowe. Photo by Fin Costello.
9. April 1976, Kiss doing the “Destroyer” press conference. Photo by Waring Abbott.
9. April 1976, Kiss doing the “Destroyer red” session. Photo by Fin Costello.
9. April 1976, Kiss doing the “Destroyer White” session. Photo by Barry Levine.
9. April 1976, Kiss doing the “The Spirit of ’76” session. Photo by Barry Levine.
9. April 1976, Kiss doing the "Destroyer" press conference. Photo by Waring Abbott.
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On 9. April, 1976, Kiss did the “Destroyer” press conference to announce their upcoming European tour, and six photo sessions with Barry Levine, Fin Costello and Waring Abbott at Mother’s Sound Stage, 210 East 5th Street, Manhattan, New York. The six iconic sessions were the “Destroyer Red” and “Chopper session” (with photo model, and Gene’s girlfriend, Start Stowe) with photographer Fin Costello, the “Sparkle shots”, “Spirit of ’76” and “Destroyer White” with photographer Barry Levine, and the press conference (with Start Stowe) with photographer Waring Abbott.
Waring Abbott
“She was completely out of it (Star Stowe), although maybe that was just her personality. At that time I had no idea she was Gene’s Playboy Playmate girlfriend, just that she was in her underwear, which was fine with me. Mothers Studio was a rehearsal and video studio on the Lower East Side. The press conference was to announce their first European Tour the following month.”
– The Official Authorized Quarterly KISS Magazine, Fall 2005 Volume 1 Number 4
Barry Levine:
“That session ended up being much more successful than anything I could have hoped for. It produced two sets of well-known pictures, including the entire series of “sparkle shots.” Those were the set of indoor pictures of the individual band members and the group in front of a sparkling, starry backdrop. The pictures ended up being used for an early Kiss Army photo set, as well as the buttons that you could order from the form that came inside the “Rock and Roll Over” album. These shots were used again in 1996 inside the “You Wanted the Best, You Got the Best” album which heralded the reunion of the original band.
One thing we didn’t really plan on was how long the session ultimately took. We shot for almost 15 hours, which was quite a bit longer than any other rock photographer dared work in one sitting. It was grueling. By the last couple of hours, Ace was so drunk he was weaving, he kept falling down, and we kept having to prop him up and just grab one more shot. The last picture of the day was the famous “Spirit of ’76” picture. The grin on Ace’s face in that shot is because he was so hammered that he could hardly stand up by himself any more. Kiss ended up liking all the photos so much that they invited me to do more sessions with them, and our relationship quickly grew.”
– “The Kiss Years” by Barry Levine.
9. April 1976, Kiss doing the “chopper session” with photo model (and Gene’s girlfriend) Start Stowe. Photo by Fin Costello.
9. April 1976, Kiss doing the “Destroyer” press conference. Photo by Waring Abbott.
9. April 1976, Kiss doing the “Destroyer red” session. Photo by Fin Costello.
9. April 1976, Kiss doing the “Destroyer White” session. Photo by Barry Levine.
9. April 1976, Kiss doing the “The Spirit of ’76” session. Photo by Barry Levine.
9. April 1976, Kiss doing the "Destroyer" press conference. Photo by Waring Abbott.