31st Anniversary of KISS Taking Off Their Makeup

On September 18, 1983, KISS did the unthinkable and appeared live on MTV without their makeup for the first time.

31 years later it seems unimportant, but at the time it was one of the most shocking things in music.  For nearly a decade KISS had only been seen by their fans in their famous makeup, keeping a valuable mystique that helped make the band one of the top bands in the world.  But with poor record sales, declining concert attendance, and the loss of two original members, KISS decided it was time for a change.  An icon of the 70s, New York hard-rock scene, KISS changed their image by adopting a more glam rock sound and persona, which included losing their makeup and costumes.

KISS made their reveal on MTV, coinciding with the release of their first non-makeup album 'Lick It Up'.  Dick Clark once said that when he heard about a hard rock band that wore makeup, he thought it was crazy and would never work.  And 10 years later when that band said they would take the makeup off, he thought it was crazy and would never work.  Luckily, it did work and 'Lick It Up' went Platinum and produced two hit singles, 'Lick It Up' and 'All Hell's Breaking Loose'.  Some fans appreciated the change for KISS while others regularly pleaded for the band to go back to their roots and put the makeup and costumes back on.  KISS would remain without makeup for over a decade, transitioning from glam rock back to hard rock, and then reuniting with Ace Frehley and Peter Criss in 1996 and putting the makeup back on, keeping it on ever since despite parting ways with Ace and Peter again.

Its also a harsh reminder that the current generation doesn't even remember a time when MTV dealt with things like... music.