MTV Buzzworthy Blog › J.J. Jackson

During a unit on the '60s, my high school sociology teacher brought in a set of photographs that he'd taken at our school as a new teacher, 40 years before. Each one came with an exaggerated story about cigarettes in the bathroom, girls being sent home for going bra-less and the like.

The photo that made the biggest impression on the class was of a hulking weirdo in a flannel shirt and what looked like shop glasses. Despite his tough-looking shoulder-length hair, he was the biggest goon we'd ever seen.

But Mr. Lemon told a different story. Apparently this guy had been the biggest deal in his class by a long shot, and spent four years being chased by all the ladies. We were blown away. How could a few decades have changed people's taste SO much?

Well, check out this 26-year-old video, in which KISS -- one of the biggest bands of their time -- manage to stop all MTV programming and pull an exclusive segment, just by taking off their make-up for the first time. That was 1983. Amazing how fast things change, eh? Can you imagine such a thing making you scream? More importantly, can you imagine what your kids are gonna think when they get a look at Bill Kaulitz? WEIRD!

With no further ado, we open the MTV Vault and travel back in time with (deceased original VJ) J.J. Jackson, to see KISS, unmasked!

Tags Bill Kaulitz, J.J. Jackson, Kiss, Tokio Hotel, vintage-video