Whereas, when they just grab some of their favorite childhood songs and let rip:

Check out ‘Pure Rock Fury’ from 2002:

Now here’s a fan video from the same tour I saw. Now granted, the sound quality’s better on the other one, which helps my point. But can you hear how clean and polite everything is. The song is called ‘Pure Rock Fury,’ so shouldn’t you let loose a little bit?

Come on, Clutch, come back to us. We already lost Primus.

Still, it’s too early to give up, and this track’s been stuck in my head for weeks. I love this minute the most, the way all these wordless vocals soar off in different directions:

Also, they should use this to open every concert they do from now till the end of time.

We could easily go with just about any sixty seconds of this track, but let’s start when the incomparable CHUCK D really gets into it….

Big credit for that has got to go to Paul, who never left the band, never wandered into movies and TV like his partner Gene, and is way overlooked when the “best frontman in rock” conversation comes up.  Plus, he seems to have gained a bit of a sense of humor and understanding about his place in the world. Back around ’84 I listened to a radio interview where he savaged the film ‘Spinal Tap,’ as if it was an attack on his very soul.  When the DJ tried to wind up the topic, asking if Paul would advise people to take the film with a grain of salt, Stanley angrily spat “I think they should bring a lorry full of salt!”  (Credit to him, it was an English radio show.)

Contrast that with the self-deprication he demonstrates at the start of this ‘Nightline’ clip, crediting the wonders modern science can do with formaldehyde for his good looks, or the Led Zeppelin ‘Whole Lotta Love’ party he’s having here at a recent London show:

Just a wink and a nod, makes it all cool again. Now if only we can get an official release of ‘Let Me Get This Off My Chest,’ the hysterical collection of between-song raps some genius collected a few years back..

That would be ‘Down to the Sea,’ from 1993′s ‘Fate of Nations, and it’s a great choice for a number of reasons. First off, check out that big drum build up at the start – good way to say hello.  Second, the lyrics serve as a perfect hello / state of the union address – “that’s where I wanna be, here where it all comes around” – all in the kind of flowery, hippie-dippie style that only he should be allowed to trade in anymore.  (Much in the way only Howard Stern should be granted permission to talk on the radio in the morning.)

If you want the best minute of this song, skip ahead to about 2:20 to see why Plant and Jimmy Page aren’t playing together anymore. No way Mr.ZOSO would stand for a 20 second solo, and besides, whoever played this one knocked it out of the park. From there on we’re in the ride-out, with all sorts of great layered vocals. The whole song’s great, is actually my point. OK back to the Zeppelin marathon..

60: When did you first see and / or hear Kiss? Was it a “oh wow” moment right away? Has your love for them ever faded (say during ‘The Elder’ era?)  If so, what got you back?

Rich Kosak: “The first time that I saw KISS was on the Paul Lynde Halloween Special. I remember it being very explosive if you will and I couldn’t believe what I was seeing. Almost the very next day it seemed I saw the commercial for the KISS radio. I heard the beginning riff and saw the radio explode on our television and I thought to myself that I have to find out as much as I can about who these guys were. Ask me if my love for the band has ever faded during any period of their career, and I would tell you that it hasn’t. I have looked at every phase of their career as another opportunity to get more into them. In the late ’70′s and even through the ’80′s and ’90′s those eras seemed innocent. Every period of the bands career played an important part of my development as both a fan and a person.”

What was the first tour you ever saw?

“The first tour that I saw was the Dynasty Tour. The date was July 21, 1979 in Pittsburgh, PA. I was in the 5th row and it was just unbelievable. It was my third concert but by far the one that told me that this form of entertainment was going to take me places that I never dreamed that I would go.”

What made you decide to be in a Kiss Tribute Band?

“I made a friend at a record show one Sunday afternoon who shared my same passion for KISS. We began playing guitar together and before too long what we were doing was sounding pretty good. So we placed ads for a drummer and a bass player and before we knew it we had assembled a band. Then one day I saw an article in Metal Edge magazine about a KISS tribute band in L.A. called Cold Gin. This band featured Tommy Thayer as “Ace”. We got together and thought that we could do that too. We had no idea what we were about to undertake but it has been one hell of a journey.”

Do you stick to the 70′s stuff exclusively? Is “Modern Day Delilah” gonna make it to your setlist?

“We cover something from every KISS album except “Carnival Of Souls”. That even includes “Sonic Boom” from which we do “Say Yeah”, “I’m An Animal”, “When Lightning Strikes” and “All For The Glory”. Oh yeah, we even perform “Modern Day Delilah” which has been a staple in our show since the album was released in 2009.”

What did you think of their move to take off the makeup?  How quick did you see them when the makeup came back on?

“When they originally took the make up off in 1983 I thought it was the coolest thing! It was KISS being KISS! I didn’t care about how it was going to impact their career. I just wanted to see them. I was fortunate enough to see them on the “Lick It Up” tour and even caught a drum stick from Eric Carr at the show. Speaking of fortunate, I was at Tiger Stadium (editor’s note – me too!) and it was amazing. Our seats were in the second to last row from the stage on the field but we didn’t care…we were there!”

‘Mr. Speed’ is a relatively unknown song from Kiss – is it one of your favorites or did you mostly think the name sounded good (which it does)?

“We chose the name of the band because we wanted to have a name that stood alone among the other tribute bands at the time. Most tributes to any artist choose a song that is easily recognizable by the fans. We wanted to set ourselves apart by choosing one that when you heard it there would be no mistaking who we were. In hindsight, it may not have been the best idea but when I met Paul Stanley on the Farewell Tour in 2000 I was introduced to him as “Rich from MR.SPEED”. To which he commented “cool song to name your band after”. Enough said.”

What do you think of Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer wearing the original makeup of Peter Criss and Ace?

“Having gone through many members of our own band I completely understand where Paul & Gene are coming from. If someone doesn’t want to be a part of the team then you find someone that does and move on with them. Musically speaking the current KISS line up is as solid as you could hope for them to be. I believe that if you are going to put a product out on stage for people to come and see then you should give them the very best that you can. I believe this to be true at their level and even at ours. I want to be able to look at myself in the mirror and know that at the end of the day we didn’t short change ourselves or the fans.”

What’s your favorite song to play live? What’s the hardest? Is there one you’re sick of but the crowd demands? Isn’t “Rock and Roll all night” kinda overrated?

“There are a few but “Unholy” is a fun song to play. The hardest would be “Hard Luck Woman”. It’s mainly because I haven’t quite figured out Paul’s picking style and there are times when I don’t feel that the song stands up in amongst all the other tracks that we play live. As for “Rock and Roll All Nite” being overrated…I’m insulted. I would rather listen to that than “Lunatic Fringe” by Red Rider or “Twilight Zone” by Golden Earring. Those songs are overrated.”

Have you ever thought of playing an entire album in order live?

“We have done this in the past. Each year we are invited to perform at the Indianapolis KISS Expo in March. The past two years respectively we have done “Hotter Than Hell” and “Dressed To Kill” at those events.”

What do you say to people who aren’t sure if they want to check out a tribute band?

“I really don’t have too much to say to them. It’s their choice if seeing the real thing means that much to them to not want to see a tribute. I get it. Our show is really for the fans that feel the music of the band that they love. I don’t want people there because they really aren’t sure if they should be.”

Your site says you’re a collector of Kiss stuff – what’s your prized possession? Got the Pinball machine?  Do you want to be buried in a Kiss Coffin?

“I actually have quite a few. Most recently I met Paul in September of 2009. I had taken a poster of an unpublished shot of him from the Dynasty era to have signed. Prior to him signing it I told him of my appreciation for all that he has done and how much it means to me in my life. Of course I told him that I portrayed him in MR.SPEED. So he pondered for a few moments before signing the poster and finally wrote “Do me proud”. I think he understood what I was saying to him. I do own the pinball machine. As for how I would like to go out when my shift is over…I want to be cremated and added to the powder that is ignited in the explosions at the end of “Rock and Roll All Nite”. Pretty creepy, eh? ”

No, actually.. pretty awesome!

60: How did you first experience Motorhead? What was your first song? First album? first concert? What were your first impressions?

Motorhead USA: “I borrowed the anthology double LP from my neighbor when i was a kid. Which the first song on that is “I Got Mine” which is a total fukking street jammer! The first gig I went to was in 1988 at the Cleveland Agora w/ Slayer and Overkill also on the bill. I think I got a shirt from all 3 bands, which i’m guessing was around $36!”

When did you get the idea to be in a Motorhead tribute band – what’s the story of your musical career history?

“I was in a band from the early 90′s through the early 2000′s called Boulder and we would do Motorhead songs for kicks. Then it just started doing whole Motorhead sets. It’s not something we do all the time. I don’t really consider it a tribute band but we do do the songs in tribute!”

What’s your favorite motorhead album and why? What’s your least favorite? What’s your favorite album cover and least favorite and why?

“Shit, you like to squeeze a lot of answers out of your questions! Fave LP would be anyone that’s being played at the moment (w/ Fast Eddie on it or ‘Orgasmatron’). Least fave would be any one being played at the moment w/ Mikkey dee on it! Fave cover would be the first album with the swazi. Least fave would be ‘March or Die.’”

Which lineup do you prefer? How many different ones have you seen?

“Not to sound generic but I prefer the Philthy, Eddie, Lemmy line-up. Pete Gill and Wurzel are good though too. I’ve seen every gig I could since 1988.”

What’s the most fun Motorhead song to play? The least? What’s hardest to learn?

For me right now it’s “Keep Us On The Road.” far out and groovy lyrics with a bitchin bass solo. If it’s no fun to play we won’t play it, right? It’s Motorhead it’s not supposed to be hard. If it were hard we wouldn’t put that much effort into it.

Do you look like, or attempt to look like Lemmy on stage?

“I do not look at all like Lemmy, he is a very handsome genteleman. I on the other hand have been described by my own father as a “goofy lookin son of a bitch”. Yeah i do throw on a wig and shades, but no cowboy hat!”

Do you like Hawkwind?

“More than like.” (editor’s note – this is why we cram a lot of questions together.)

What’s your take on Ween’s ‘It’s Gonna Be A Long Night?” Had you heard it before? Pretty obviously a Motorhead tribute, right?

I’m sorry I’m at the library and don’t have the time to listen to tunes. But I see that it’s Ween. I saw them sometime in the early 90′s. I remember them being entertaining but i don’t remember any of the tunes.

What about Probot, “Shake Your Blood” -did you dig that?

“It’s ok.” (see?)

Do you play songs from all eras of Motorhead, or stick to some certain range?

“Mainly we play songs from the first album up to ‘Rock n Roll.’ I’d like to play some newer era tunes in the vain that Eddie and Phil would’ve played em.”

Motorhead USA at the Beachland Ballroom January 30th as part of the ‘Lemmy’ Screening. Go see it. (I can’t, gonna go root for the Miz at the Royal Rumble!)