Picture this: a young, starry-eyed John 5, standing in a hotel lobby, clutching his cherished KISS booklet, waiting for a chance to meet his demon-faced idol, Gene Simmons. Sounds like a scene straight out of a coming-of-age movie, right? Well, let’s just say the encounter didn’t go exactly as planned.
It’s the early ’80s in Detroit, Michigan. John 5, then a mere teenager known as John Lowery, is a die-hard KISS fan. So much so that he decides to skip school—because who needs algebra when you have rock gods to meet? He stations himself in the lobby of the Pontchartrain Hotel, the rumored sanctuary for touring rock bands. His mission? To snag an autograph from Gene Simmons, the fire-breathing, blood-spitting bassist of KISS. Armed with his “Originals” booklet and youthful optimism, John waits… and waits… for hours.
In a recent interview with 101 WRIF, John 5 revealed that Gene wasn’t all that keen on writing his signature on his Kiss booklet. He said:
“I was so little. I was probably, I don’t know, 14 or 13. Kiss were playing at Cobo [Hall, aka Huntington Place, in Detroit, Michigan] or Joe Louis [Arena], one of the two. And I wanted to meet my heroes and I was waiting at the Pontchartrain Hotel.”
“I’m this little kid [who] skips school, and kind of preppy, and all that stuff. And I’m the only one in the lobby.”
Revealing that his “best judgments” helped him figure out which Detroit hotel it was, John pointed out:
“I’m no detective, but you see the tour busses and whatnot.” His keen eye and deduction skills, however, weren’t enough to earn him a Gene Simmons Autograph™. John 5 continued:
“I was waiting there all day — all day. Hopefully, he’ll come down and have something to eat or go get coffee, or… Who knows — one of the guys.”
“So, here comes Gene Simmons,” he recalled. “He was walking out of the bus into the hotel. And I had my ‘Originals’ booklet. I’ll never forget this, my ‘Originals’ booklet. And I said, ‘Mr. Simmons, Mr. Simmons.’ And he walked right by me.”
He further revealed:
“I’m this little kid — a little kid. And he gets in the elevator. And I was like, ‘Screw this.’ So, I get in the elevator, too. And he’s standing there [with his arms crossed]. And I have my booklet and my little marker.”
However, despite being an absolute Kiss fanboy and persisting in his intent for this entire day, John figured that some things are not worth it. He added:
“Now, this is a true story. I can’t believe I’m going to tell this. The elevator opens to his floor, and he goes, ‘You want me to sign that?’ And I go, ‘No, it’s okay.’ Isn’t that great?”
“True story. I don’t know what it was. I was just so, like, upset that he wouldn’t… I was no threat. I was just a little kid. And I was just upset that he didn’t just stop and sign. I was waiting there for, like, five hours, and he goes, ‘You want me to sign that?’ And I was like, ‘No, it’s okay.’ Then the elevator shut. [Laughs]”
