KISS ME DEADLY: Can a rock video...

KISS ME DEADLY: Can a rock video slander a building? That’s what attorneys for New York real estate baron William Kaufman contend. In fact, they’ve filed suit in Manhattan Supreme Court for a temporary injunction to prevent MTV from airing “Let’s Put the X in Sex,” a popular Kiss clip that features the band performing in front of a 42-story office tower owned by Kaufman’s Sage Realty. “It’s pretty obvious it’s supposed to be a 42-story phallic symbol,” Kaufman attorney Bob Ward told the New York Post. “They are panning up and down, shooting (Kiss bassist) Gene Simmons’ crotch. It’s not the kind of thing we want our client associated with. It is a fancy building that seeks high rents from tenants.”

Ward also claimed that Kiss shot the video under false pretenses, saying it was for a high-fashion video. Not so, says Kiss management, who said the realtor was given a contract clearing stating the clip was intended as a rock video. “I’ll never look at the New York skyline the same way again,” Kiss vocalist Paul Stanley told Pop Eye. “But I think it’s hysterical. It’s especially funny that they’re the ones who are calling their own building a phallic symbol, not us. The way I look at it, if they’re building 42-story phallic symbols, they should at least put a sleeve on them.”

Stanley also disputed Ward’s claim that Kiss’ video pans up and down Gene Simmons’ crotch. “Just so none of our fans get the wrong idea,” he said. “It’s my crotch.”