On 2. November 1980, Kiss made a three-minute appearance with Lord Mayor Doug Sutherland on the balcony of the Sydney Town Hall in Australia. A crowd of approximately 3,500 showed up in the hot afternoon sun. The band returned to the Sebel Town Hall (the hotel where they were staying) for a press conference. They were “interviewed” by the Australian comedian Norman Guston (see clips below). That night Kiss cruised Sydney harbour on a luxury cruise ship.
Radio report documenting the march of the Kiss Army that preceded the band’s appearance on the balcony of the Town Hall in downtown Sydney, and two reports about the appearance at the Town Hall were done.
Gene Simmons:
“We couldn’t go anywhere. We were trapped on the top floor of our hotel. Helicopters with zoom lenses were trying to get photos of us without makeup, because their was a price on our heads. America had gone nuts for Kiss in 1974. Japan had taken it to the next level in 1977. But Australia in 1981 was like nothing we had ever seen. Anything we wanted was ours.”
– “Kiss & Makeup” by Gene Simmons.
Paul Stanley:
“When we arrived in Australia for the first time, in November 1980, it wuickly became clear that things were going to be crazy. We’d been told Kiss was massive there, but you never know what to expect. You can only comprehend things you’ve already experienced; Australia was like nothing we’d ever experienced. Huge here meant not being able to leave the hotel. It meant taking a helicopter from the hotel to the stadium we were playing.
The phenomenon we witnessed became known there as “KISSteria.”
We had an entire floor of the hotel, with one suite devoted to our own Australian public relations staff. And no wonder, since we were on the front page of the newspapers every day accompanied by headlines like, “Kiss in Midnight Cruise on Sydney Harbor.” We had to keep the curtains drawn in our rooms. The place was crawling with bodyguards, and there was a constant drone of screaming outside. “You’re not going anywhere,” we were told.
Thankfully, Australia had its own Penthouse magazine, and a number of Penthouse Pets came over to the hotel to keep us company. Paparazzi camped in front of the hotel, and whenever we went anywhere, we had to hide on the floors of vans. Every single night, the promoters threw parties, which were packed with models and actresses. Some parties were women-only. We would show up at a club or ballroom that had been taken over, and the place would be filled with beautiful women. Australia was one giant Chicken Coop.”
– “Face the music: A life exposed” by Paul Stanley.
Kiss arrived in Australia on November 2 in Sydney to a reception at City Hall that drew thousands of people to witness them being greeted by the Lord Mayor, Alderman Doug Sutherland—an event that drew negative publicity for the Mayor for some time afterward. For the moment though, it was an impressive start for the band on that Sunday afternoon. Things went slightly sour at the subsequent press conference held at the Sebel Town House in Sydney, as the band arrived late to a room full of reporters and photographers who were already upset at the lack of chairs for them. The serious intentions of the conference were soon completely lost with famous Australian comedian Norman Gunston (actually, actor Garry MacDonald) asking early on, “Which one of you is the construction worker?” This question by Gunston, mistaking the band for the Village People, was a typical joke by the comedian who had made a career out of surprise and nonsensical interviews with famous celebrities (of which, one can be seen in the Rolling Stones documentary, 25 X 5). Such jokes continued throughout the interview and were taken well by the band, especially Eric; although Paul seemed at a loss for words while Gene could be seen quite clearly angered by a racial joke Gunston made about Diana Ross.
– “Black Diamond: The unauthorized biography of Kiss” by Dale Sherman.
Kiss at the Australian press conference in Sebel Town Hall, Sydney, 2. November 1980. Photo by Bob King.
In Sydney & New Zealand, promoters ran daily ads counting down the number of days until Kiss performed. Television coverage was inescapable. After their appearance with Lord Mayor, Kiss held a press conference at Sebel Town Hall in Sydney. Kiss was upstaged by an Australian comedian named Norman Gunston, who asked them, “Which one of you is the construction worker?” Later that night, Kiss took a lengthy luxury cruise around Sydney Harbor, where Penthouse Pet of the Year, Tracy Wallace was seen hanging on Paul’s Arm.
Merchandising was just as extreme, perhaps even surpassing their 1978-79 merchandising zenith in the USA. The Australian merchandising blitz was done through 20th Century Fox. Their were 43 different licensed Kiss products on the market in Australia in November 1980, including Kiss Ice Cream. In the years following, Kiss & it’s associated merchandise were looked on as nothing more than a fad by many Australians and as a result, most of the merchandise is exceptionally hard to come by as many collections were thrown in the garbage in the mid 80’s.
– “Kiss Alive Forever” by Curt Gooch & Jeff Suhs.
