Ohio University student Kevin Plis has a shrine consisting of about 100 items to the metal band KISS — a band he doesn’t like.
Plis, a graduate student studying computer science, said his KISS collection started as a joke between him and his roommates.
“We were at the mall one day and walked into Spencer’s (Gifts),” he said. “They had this random KISS stuff, and it became this running joke that we should decorate our house in the theme of KISS.”
The following summer, Plis said his internship paid him more money than he knew what to do with.
“They paid me more money than anyone that age should be paid,” he said. “I didn’t know what to do with the money, so I went out and bought $300 worth of KISS stuff.”
Since that initial purchase, Plis said he now estimates his collection to be worth $1,500.
“I try to buy the most ridiculous KISS stuff — stuff that should for no reason have the KISS logo on it,” he said. “I have a rubber ducky that is made to look like (lead singer) Gene Simmons. There is no reason that should exist. It’s just dumb, and that’s why I bought it.”
Of everything in his collection, Plis said he has a favorite — the KISS phone.
“Apparently, when it rings, it plays ‘Rock and Roll All Nite,’” he said. “I don’t have a landline, but I’ve thought about getting one just so I can use it.”
Plis is not a fan of KISS’s music; rather, he said he appreciates the band’s marketing tactics.
“I don’t actually like them; I like to pretend I like them. It’s a giant marketing gig,” he said. “We always say they’re good businessmen, but they’re not that of great musicians. If it exists, they are willing to put their label on it and make money off of it.”
Monthly trips to Cincinnati flea markets have earned Plis some recognition among local vendors, Plis said.
“I could buy stuff online, but that takes all the fun away,” he said. “Apparently they know and talk about me when I’m not around.”
Plis said he is used to the confused reactions of his first-time guests.
“I get a lot of, ‘Wow, you really like KISS.’ I always say, ‘Actually, not really,’ and they just stop asking at that point,” he said. “Apparently, I make really terrible first impressions.”
Matt Zimmerman, a 2010 graduate of Bowling Green State University, was Plis’ roommate while they were undergraduates.
“I love Kevin’s KISS shrine,” he said. “If you know him, then you know it’s not out of the ordinary for him to do something like that.”
The collection is something that could be misunderstood, he added.
“If any woman is kind enough to agree to marry me, I feel it will be a hard sale to make,” Plis said. “Yes ladies, I am single.”
Plis said he plans to keep collecting KISS memorabilia until he dies.
“(If I stop collecting), then it’s just something I did when I was young and stupid,” he said. “But if I keep it going, then it’s like I’m building to something.”
When it comes down to it, Plis said he doesn’t care what others think.
“Some people say it has gotten out of hand,” he said. “I just like to say I’ve taken it to the next level.”
cd234008@ohiou.edu
@ThePostCulture
