Shannon Tweed, KISS...and the *true* power of Twitter.

The other night I got to hang out with Shannon Tweed and KISS. Yes, it was amazing. And yes, it was all thanks to Twitter.

If we’re close, you’ve probably heard the details in one fashion or another by now. So I will try to keep the back-story quick, since my friend Brett Baker (@BigRedInTejas) already did a fine job with that. Instead, I want to focus on something even cooler – if you can believe that.

Long story short: Shannon Tweed (@ShannonLeeTweed) started following me on Twitter about a year ago. I’ve been a huge fan of hers for a long, long time - I’m talking back to the days of “1st and Ten” on HBO. When I won an Emmy last year, she sent me a congratulatory tweet. That sparked a friendly relationship via Twitter that I’m happy to say continues today. In June or so, I saw KISS was coming to San Antonio and asked Shannon if she would be joining them. She said yes and said she’d be happy to meet up at the concert. My friend Brett just turned 40 and happens to be a huge KISS fan. I let Shannon know the situation and everything was good to go. So fast-forward to Sunday night - Shannon met Brett and I for a drink and a quick bite to eat at her hotel (by the way, I insisted that I pick up the tab…how many other times will I get to say I bought dinner for Shannon Tweed?), and then we rode with her to the AT&T Center. Once there, we met Gene Simmons, her long-timeboyfriend, in all his KISS glory. We talked for about 20 minutes. (I will admit something here – having Gene Simmons, in KISS makeup and costume no less, take several stabs at trying to guess my weight was just one of those moments that I probably can’t explain effectively enough.) After a while, we went and sat with Shannon at the soundboard and watched KISS perform and then eventually got a ride back to the hotel. We said goodbye to both of them and thanked them for an amazing evening. Then we just kind of sat in disbelief for a while.

Quick side note: The thing I love the most about Gene and Shannon’s reality show is it always seems they put the “real” in “reality.” They come across like real parents and, despite their level of fame, down-to-Earth people. I am happy to report that is true in real life, as well. Shannon is as fun and easy-going as she appears on the show. She made small talk with me despite my obvious nerves – and that’s a lot more difficult than it sounds!

So there you have it. The power of Twitter is amazing. Shannon and Gene are definitely amazing. It truly was a night I will never forget.

End of story – right?

Wrong.

I believe Twitter is great for more reasons than setting up once-in-a-lifetime meetings with celebrities - as fantastic as those may turn out to be.

Twitter is great for reasons that I don’t blog about often – but should.

Twitter is great because I learn so much from it every day. I learn from conversations I have with total strangers about topics I may not know much about (believe me, that’s a lot).

Twitter is great because it has introduced me to some of my best friends in this entire world. I met Brett on Twitter. He has quickly become my sounding board for everything going on in my life. It’s as if we’ve known each other for decades, not 14 months.

Most importantly, Twitter is great because I met the love of my life via mutual friends on Twitter. Those of you who know Tanya know her positive spirit is addictive. It has truly made me a better person. Our eight months together have, without a doubt, been the eight greatest months of life.

And to think - I owe it all to a few random conversations about football with her on Twitter.

Now THAT, my friends, is amazing.