311 Drummer's Childhood KISS Story Will Make You Facepalm

It's not uncommon for parents to not always get what their kids are into, but for 311 drummer Chad Sexton, one of his favorite childhood moments seeing KISS ended up in truly facepalming fashion as his mother's action is likely to shake up the most dedicated of KISS fans.

During a recent appearance at Audacy's KROQ Almost Acoustic Christmas, the band members were reflecting on their highlights of 2023 with host Nicole Alvarez and Sexton spoke of getting to see KISS one last time before they concluded their touring career. But that brought up the childhood memory of seeing KISS as a kid, taking home a highly sought after item from the show and the cringe-inducing thing that happened to that item.

As Sexton revealed he saw the band in the 1970s as a young kid, the other members of the band revealed he had a KISS story. Singer Nick Hexum then relayed to Alvarez, “Chad caught the bloody towel from Gene Simmons, you know the fake bloody towel, but his mom washed it."

While you let that sink in, please know that this story has a happy ending.

Sexton went on to reveal, “I don’t [have the towel anymore], but we had some people that we knew that got me another towel, probably about 15 years ago, and I have it framed.”

As a member of the KISS Army fanbase, Alvarez asked Sexton for his thoughts on KISS continuing as avatars. He responded, "There's nothing like the real thing," then adding, "For me, I saw them in the ‘70s and then to see them in 2023, but to see them in their seventies rocking, that experience and how much fun they were having it seemed, they were just incredible."

What's Next for 311?

While KISS's touring career may have concluded, though continuing in this avatar form, there's still plenty of future for 311. Singer Nick Hexum revealed that the band is currently working on a new album.

“I think we’ve got some real step-forward songs that are just chef’s kiss,” explained Hexum, then adding, “I like to think of it as 311 on steroids, just better everything.”

The band worked on the album in three different batches with additional songwriters coming into the fold. While a firm release date has not been announced, Hexum stated that they were in the mixing stage. So look for new album details coming soon.