First Concert Memories #21: KISS with Brian Slagel, CEO of Metal Blade Records
Metal God Brian Slagel, Founder & CEO of Metal Blade Records, takes us on a journey to the night he saw KISS on the Alive! Tour and how it changed his life
We all have vivid memories of our first rock concerts. You know the ones - when you're young, full of anticipation with no knowledge or understanding of the assault on your senses that a great rock show brings. These are the moments we capture on First Concert Memories and for episode 21, we have none other than Brian Slagel. Yes metalheads, THE Brian Slagel who founded Metal Blade Records more than 40 years ago. The first man to put a Metallica song on a commercially available tape. That's how we know Brian. But on this episode, he's taking us back to when he was a 16 year old KISS fan, hoping to get to see his heroes live for the first time.
Thankfully, his neighbor Carl Graves (a performer and musician in his own right who would tour with Oingo Boingo in the 80s & 90s) told Brian's mother that he'd take him to the show and make sure he got home safe. So Brian saw his first ever concert - KISS on the Alive! Tour on February 24, 1976. A teenage Brian was blown away by the pyro, the fire and blood spitting demon, the loudness of the Marshall stacks and the spectacle that a KISS concert in 1976 offered.
Brian also tells us about getting to know the original members of KISS on a personal basis, which band he's seen over 300x and his killer new podcast - The 100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal. It's a fantastic time with a metal legend!!
Check out Brian's 100 Songs That Define Heavy Metal Podcast
Check out our new website: Ugly American Werewolf in London Website
Visit our sponsor RareVinyl.com and use the code UGLY to save 10%!
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
