KISSOnline.com has posted part I of guitarist Tommy Thayer's interview with writer/photographer John Harrell for Burrn! Magazine. An excerpt follows:

Harrell: You’ve always been a KISS fan, you grew up with the band so tell the fans in Japan what it’s like to put on the makeup and the suit and go to work? I mean, you’re wearing the authentic real deal. It’s not Halloween and it’s not COLD GIN.

Thayer: "It’s hard to describe because it’s such a sacred thing, especially to the KISS aficionados and the fans and stuff. It really is one of those things where you just can’t believe that you’re doing it, to tell you the truth. It’s better than Christmas when you’re a kid. I did have a little experience with it ten years prior in COLD GIN that actually helped a bit and made things easier and a bit more comfortable for me in terms of learning how to put makeup on and getting into a KISS costume and moving around in it all. As I’m sitting in the dressing room putting makeup on with Gene and Paul and Eric and Peter, also the first year there, and you just ask yourself, "Is this all a crazy dream?" How many KISS fans would love to be in this position?"

Harrell: So was there a mental part of that where you realized it is sacred and had second thoughts?

Thayer: "A little bit, but to be honest with you, I grew up on KISS, I’m just as much of a fan as anybody and if I was sitting off to the side, I may think the same thing and I am conscious of that. It is a little bizarre, but you have to look at the bigger picture and realize that it’s not 1975 anymore. It’s good in a lot of ways that you can have a viable band now that can really play and do the classic show and wear the costumes and KISS fans are able to go out and see the show with the same energy that it had in the beginning."

Harrell: Do the fans hassle you about being in Ace’s makeup?

Thayer: "The vast majority of the people see KISS up there and a lot of the younger ones don’t know if it’s Ace or whoever. It’s just that is the lead guitarist with that makeup on and then for some of the older fans yeah, some of them aren’t comfortable with it and they say that it’s not cool or think that fundamentally it’s the wrong thing to be doing, that I should have my own makeup or the band shouldn’t be wearing makeup at all. Most all fans are very supportive."

To read the entire interview head to this location.