with his mother, and went to school at Richmond College in Staten Island, where he completed his bachelors degree and taught eighth grade briefly. All the time, he played on weekends with his band, Bullfrog Beer, eventually recognizing that he really wanted to make it in a rock- and-roll band. He had taught himself to play the bass, mainly because everyone else played guitar. His instinct was to set himself apart from most others, noting that "me too" brands in mass markets are far less likely to succeed than brands that appeal to clearly defined though smaller segments. And lets face it, competition among bass players wasnt as great as that among guitarists. This type of bigger-fish-in-a- smaller-pond mentality would serve as a key strategy in the KISS in- vasion of rock-and-roll music.     Setting The mselves Apart   By 1970, Gene Klein had hooked up with Paul Stanley (born Stanley Eizen), a guitarist and songwriter who responded to a newspaper ad Kline placed. They concentrated on songwriting and performing, both of which would ultimately fuel their eventual success in the industry. Even at this point in their careers, their stage antics were more important from a branding and positioning standpoint than     their original tunes. Like Elvis and Aerosmith, Klein and Stanley per- formed music-not only playing and singing, but jumping up and down while they did it. This was in sharp contrast to most musicians of the time, who sat on a stool strumming a guitar or simply stood on stage in blue jeans, singing songs, reminiscent of Simon and Garfun- kle and James Taylor. They made a commotion with showmanship, costumes, and a more theatrical model of rock and roll that pushed the visual aspects of music. The duo understood the importance of entertainment, and decidedly evolved their style of multisensory performance. They also knew they had to develop their music. Many changes occured in 1972-Klein changed his last name to Simmons (because he liked it better), he and Stanley branched out on their own, and they found a drummer, Peter Criss (born Peter Criscuola), who was willing to dress and act as wildly as they did. Finally, Paul Frehley, who changed his name to Ace to avoid having two Pauls in the band, joined the group as lead guitarist. The new union needed a new name. Simmons explains that the word kiss seemed to sum up a lot about the glamour of rock and roll. It was also perfect for international marketing because it was under- stood all over the world-it was short and simple, easy to say and remember, it translated into many cultures, and evoked simple emo- tional responses. And, bottom line, Simmons and Stanley liked the word. Creating a successful organization of any kind takes a lot more than a good product and a good name. It requires equity, which for cash-poor KISS meant sweat equity. To make ends meet, Simmons, who could type 90 words per minute as a result of his college days, took a job with Kelly Girls (later the Kelly Agency) as a temporary typist. As he relates in Kiss and Makeup (Crown, 2001), the pay was good, and because very few men were secretaries, it was a good place