Testament frontman Chuck Billy talked about his treasured memorabilia from his first KISS concert in an interview with Loudwire. Billy discussed his new memoir ‘Holding My Breath: The Two Testaments of Chuck Billy’ and explained how KISS shaped his early years and his approach to performing.
The interview focused on Billy’s connection to KISS during his formative years and the specific items he collected from the band. He was asked about what he considered KISS’ best work and whether he had a favorite piece of memorabilia.
Question: “In this book, you discuss the impact of KISS during your formative years. I’d be remiss if we didn’t get into the KISS fandom a bit. What, in your opinion, was KISS’ best work, and as a fan, do you have a favorite piece of KISS memorabilia or something that you collected from the band?”
“My first show, being so young and that experience, I don’t think I still have it,” Billy said. “I gave it to one of my best friends, ’cause he saves everything. But my first show, I got Gene Simmons to spit blood on me, so I had a shirt with blood from Gene Simmons. So that was the thing that I held as the collectible. And it was disgusting looking after years of just being dried up. But I saved it. That was the one thing.”
Billy explained that seeing Gene Simmons perform had a direct impact on his sense of self as a performer. “But for me, that was my first big live show to see Gene Simmons. And to me, I related to him because he was a big guy. And I was, ‘Whoa, there’s another big guy that’s just dominating the stage and his presence.’ So that really kinda said, ‘Okay, I could be that kinda guy, too.’ So I related to it. And then I just loved the KISS collection of all the songs.”
He added that the concert itself left a lasting impression. “The show was unlike anything I’d never seen before at that time with the fireworks and the fire and the blood and just all of it, you know? So that’s what got me. And right away, I think shortly after that, ’cause I think it was only like 1976, so was 12 years old when I saw them. We’re still going home at that point and I opened up the garage door with the tennis rackets pretending we’re KISS, mimicking to their records, you know? That’s what we did then. That’s what started it.”
Billy’s most treasured souvenir from that early experience was the shirt stained with fake blood from Simmons, which he kept for years despite its deteriorating condition. The encounter with KISS showed him that a larger performer could command the stage with presence and power.
Chuck Billy’s memoir is due on November 10, 2026 via Permuted Press. Co-written with Dave Erickson, the book is structured as two testaments and traces Billy’s rise in Bay Area thrash metal along with his battle with cancer. The memoir features a foreword by Rob Halford of Judas Priest and an afterword by Randy Blythe of Lamb of God.
Testament released their fourteenth studio album “Para Bellum” on October 10, 2025 through Nuclear Blast. The album marked the band’s first studio release with drummer Chris Dovas. The band also toured in spring 2026, with their “Thrash of the Titans” U.S. tour running from March 14 in Portland, Oregon through April 10 in Berkeley, California, headlining all dates alongside fellow thrash legends Overkill and Destruction.
KISS became famous in the 1970s for its elaborate stage performances, with band members wearing kabuki-style makeup and using pyrotechnics and fake blood as part of their show. Billy’s early exposure to this spectacle had a lasting effect on his approach to rock performance and his identity as a frontman. Like many who grew up during that era, Billy was drawn to both the visual drama and the music that KISS delivered on stage.
