Chaz and the assembled Order of Mildly Concerned Scholars (Wolfy, Scott, Corey, and special guest Heath McCoy—clearly summoned from a higher KISS dimension) plunge headlong into “Dark Light”, a song that dares to answer the question: What if Ace Frehley, Lou Reed, and a prog-rock fever dream all walked into the same enchanted tavern?The result is… well… something.What unfolds is less a discussion and more a ceremonial unpacking of a deeply confused artifact—part space opera, part Dungeons & Dragons campaign, p...
Chaz and the assembled Order of Mildly Concerned Scholars (Wolfy, Scott, Corey, and special guest Heath McCoy—clearly summoned from a higher KISS dimension) plunge headlong into “Dark Light”, a song that dares to answer the question: What if Ace Frehley, Lou Reed, and a prog-rock fever dream all walked into the same enchanted tavern?
The result is… well… something.
What unfolds is less a discussion and more a ceremonial unpacking of a deeply confused artifact—part space opera, part Dungeons & Dragons campaign, part “we probably should’ve stopped this earlier.” Heath arrives as both evangelist and realist, boldly claiming there is greatness buried somewhere in this album, though not necessarily in the immediate vicinity of tonight’s track.
Meanwhile, the show’s increasingly ambitious Elder screenplay project barrels forward—this week delivering a full-on siege, complete with undead devils, flaming roses, telepathic shouting, and at least one man being eaten by an owl. (Not a metaphor. Just…effin...eaten.)
There is debate over authorship, bewilderment over Lou Reed’s involvement, sympathy for poor Eric Carr, and a growing sense that everyone involved—band and podcasters alike—may be in slightly over their heads.
And yet… onward they march.
Because if The Elder teaches us anything, it’s that commitment to the bit is absolute, even when the bit begins to stare back at you with softly glowing demon eyes.
Featuring:
- A guest who loves KISS enough to tell the truth
- A song that may or may not qualify as “pretty good” under USDA & Ohio laboratory conditions
- A script that has now fully embraced chaos as a narrative strategy
- Repeated reminders not to lean into the mic (but absolutely lean into the madness)
THIS WEEK’S SONG:
“Dark Light” — KISS (with unexpected assistance from Lou Reed… yes, really)
FINAL VERDICT:
Not the worst thing on the album.
Which, in this context, is both praise… and a warning.
Macho Man Heath McCoy is the author of Pain and Passion: The History of Stampede Wrestling, available on Amazon.ca and at ECW Press. He appears in the award winning documentary Singhs in the Ring on Crave TV and co-hosts School of Hip with Chaz Charles here on the Boneless Podcasting Network.
The Show
In this season of Regarding…, the panel tackles KISS’s Music From The Elder one song at a time—testing whether its epic ambition holds up under scrutiny. Alongside the analysis, Scott D. Monroe’s original screenplay tries to turn the album’s abstract mythology into an actual story.
Ambition meets accountability.
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