2/22: SOME THOUGHTS ON LATEST ACE / KISS HOF NEWS.
Wow, just waking up after a very late night last night and seeing the incredible response to Ace’s announcement on my show last night that he and Peter are not being allowed to play with the original band being inducted by Gene and Paul. I was aware this was coming and have been a sounding board in many conversations with many different parties ever since the HOF was announced for Kiss. Nobody was going to say anything publicly because everyone had hoped an announcement like Ace made could be avoided and at least the original band could do a song or two. The news had to come from Ace or Peter when they were ready and Ace asked me last night if he could come on because he needed to let the fans know what they were dealing with before they purchased tickets to attend (they go on sale Monday). That’s why this happened somewhat last minute on my show late last night. Tons of fans were going to come from all over and pay God knows what to see the original band, the band being inducted. Now there is transparency as to what is going on and that there are no plans for a reunion that night. As a fellow Kiss fan and someone who has been extremely vocal about them getting into the HOF for years, I join the MANY really disappointed today. The comments section of my site has blown up about this as well as my social media. Everyone has their view here and all opinions welcome as always. My understanding is Peter will also be posting a statement soon on his site if not already and is in the same position as Ace.
A few things now that this news is out:
Gene and Paul had to know this was coming at some point. What is strange however is that Gene in his initial RS interview seemed open to playing. It was Paul who had a different take via Twitter. The word out there for a while now is Paul is calling the shots in Kiss world. Wonder how much internally they are on the same page on this? Especially with the fallout so far from fans?
Does Kiss play at all? Could be one solution to all of this. That nobody plays. That would likely maybe get Ace and Peter to at least attend. Would the HOF accept a tribute vs a Kiss performance? If current Kiss plays, as it looks now, this also puts Tommy and Eric in quite a spot. They take their orders from above but hard to imagine they would want to be in that spot. But who knows? They did it during VH1 Rock Honors, but this is much bigger and only original band going in.
I was contacted last night by the HOF producer Joel Gallen. He may come on the air with me at some point. He said the HOF position is that they are inducting the original 4 and that is who they would like to play. But the HOF will not dictate Kiss can not play if they are only willing to do it with the current band. Meaning they will accept current Kiss if that is all the owners of Kiss (Gene & Paul) are willing to do, but it is not their preference. He also said nothing was decided as to what will now happen with the Kiss performance and he was hoping maybe something could still be worked out. Seems unlikely at this point since this event is rapidly approaching, Ace and Peter would need time to reconnect and rehearse with Gene and Paul, and needless to say feelings are very bruised at the moment. My take is you will either see the current band or no version of Kiss play. Also will be interesting to see if the massive backlash from fans about no original performance pressures what happens now in some way.
I have read many comments saying Gene & Paul’s decision is ego driven. While that may play some role if you read previous posts here about this I have written I truly think it is more BUSINESS driven. When you spend over ten years selling the “it doesn’t matter who is in the band” concept, and rebranding Kiss to be a franchise where they say members don’t matter, this is not good for that master plan. Why? Because it wipes all that work away and shows it DOES matter! Look no further for proof than the MTV unplugged taping. When Ace & Peter walked out for 2 songs at the end they saw how huge it was and had to do a reunion in ’96. In other words it’s a big can of worms to open and hurts their ultimate plan to sell Kiss as a franchise where members are interchangeable. No matter what, unlike ’96 there would never be a reunion tour no matter what happened. As a fan honestly I wouldn’t even want to see it. In your 40’s possible, 60’s now, no way. A show? A few songs? Sure. But fans thinking there could be a full reunion tour? Never saw that remotely possible.
Do Ace & Peter go now? I feel this is a personal decision that only they can make. There is no right or wrong answer. It is their honor and up to how they feel if they want to stand up there even for 3 minutes. Time will tell as we get closer what they do. With performance off the table as of now they can make a decision I would think right up to a day or two before. I see both sides of it and the feelings involved and really think it is all up to how they feel.
Do Gene and Paul go? Sounds crazy but who knows? Paul clearly has no love for this process from his recent interview in RS. Do they send a statement and just check out of the whole thing? Unlikely but who knows?
Much of the blame here is being pointed toward Gene and Paul. And rightfully so in the sense that according to Ace and all sources they are the ones saying they won’t play with the original band, but the HOF has plenty of blame here also. Why? BECAUSE THEY WAITED 15 YEARS TO PUT KISS IN! Think about this; if they put Kiss in in 1999 when they first became eligible (and SHOULD have gone in), this would be a non issue! Because the original band was together then! The HOF can also be blamed for just caving to what Gene & Paul want and not considering Ace and Peter in this. If they said to Kiss (G&P) only band being inducted or nobody plays at least it would have been a level playing field. But as the HOF told me they will not do that because whoever controls the name is who they ultimately leave the performance parameters up to.
Much can still happen here. Remember although we are focused on Kiss as Kiss fans, there are 7 other bands going in that have to play as well. Although Kiss fans may dominate this event (how much so now with no reunion I don’t know), the other inductees need their moment and performance too. So who knows when it gets to budgets and stage specs what whatever version of Kiss plays agrees to and if it all works out.
All of this can be debated and discussed forever but those are some of my thoughts. As always my doors remains open to ALL to discuss and debate and members of the HOF may very well come on the air with me as they have in the past when I was screaming to get Kiss in the damn thing! Ace and Peter are scheduled to come on TMS together next month. More on that when we get closer. For most Kiss fans this news sucks big time, but there’s still about 7 weeks left to see what unfolds.. All we know as of now is that their is no performance for the original band planned or being allowed by Gene and Paul. We have been told for decades that the FANS are the boss of Kiss. Judging from the reaction to this news this is one instance that clearly does not apply..
Sorry for any typos, been a long late night last night. All comments welcome and being posted ASAP.
Disgusting, but COMPLETELY EXPECTED and predictable. I’m going to openly express my opinion, which I believe is based upon 99.9% fact:
I have, like many on here, been a Kiss fan and follower for MANY years, even done TONS of their material in various cover bands. That being said, here’s MY take on this. It seems Gene and Paul are just being their typical douchebag selves, being power and money hungry as they’ve always been. I’m sure they’ll try justifying this by saying it wouldn’t be fair to Tommy and Eric by having Ace and Peter play, as well as dragging them further through the dirt, likely claiming they’d be showing up drunk and high, or some other bogus nonsense. Did Ace and Peter f#@K up at times in the band – yes. Did they deserve to get booted – more than likely. Are the current “replacement” players in Kiss “better” players – without a doubt. Were Peter and Ace “intermediate” players at best – absolutely. Should they still be allowed to play the HOF ceremony as the original members of Kiss – YES!
The fact is, f#@k ups or not, inferior players or not, there is a LONG history with these players, and are original members of a band that had a huge influence on music today. Tommy and Eric were no part of it, so they deserve to be present and even play as well, but should definitely have to take a back seat to Ace and Peter. I also think even with all the drug/alcohol and possibly mental issues Peter and Ace may have or had, they STILL deserve their due, AND are more classy individuals than Gene and Paul put together.
Oh, just for the record as well, neither Gene nor Paul have any real musical talent on their instruments either, and are pretty limited vocally as well, although both very unique in their own rights. The whole thing about Kiss was the magical combination of 4 guys that just worked. Mediocre musicians and vocalists that found a way to collectively be great. THAT’S the REAL reason anything other than the original 4 would just be a complete f#@king joke! My 2 cents worth……..
I am a KISS fan since Destroyer came out. From there i bought every 8 Track, and album from the first album to Dynasty. Now lets be logical here. Who did we fall in love with? Ace, Peter, Gene, and Paul. These are the guys that deserve to be honored. Also does anyone care that if it weren’t for the late Bill Aucion, there would be no Kiss after Dressed to Kill? I could not care less about the KISS swag, except for concert T-Shirts. I fell in love with the Kiss image. Ace and Peter were very important to me, as were Paul and Gene. Whether or not KISS moved on that is not the point, the point is respect where you came from. The 70’s were one of the best era’s for original concepts and KISS was part of that. The KISS of now is commendable for one reason. It showed the world that you can be over 50 and still Rock. Please put all 4 original members on stage and enjoy the moment
Gene and paul are showing how petty they really are. It’s very simple. Ace and Peter had a lot to do with Kiss’ early success and they deserve their recognition on this night. Adults put aside their personal bickering and do the right thing. To strip these men of their rightful place in music history is just wrong. I’m a lifelong Kiss fan. I love their material that doesn’t include Ace & Peter. I think Monster is one of the best Kiss albums ever, along with Carnival Of Souls. The fact that Kiss has moved on without Peter & Ace is a fact; and they have done great work since then. But none of that is the point and Gene and Paul need to put on their big boy pants and grow the hell up. Get over your selves and be a Mensch. It should never have come to this and just shows how small these people are.
I initially was thinking Gene, Paul, Peter, and Ace should go on the Dr. Phil Show and work out any differences between them. But in reality, I think the issue is not Ace or Peter. It is Paul and Gene not wanting to disrespect Eric and Tommy. Kiss is Gene, Paul, Eric, and Tommy. Us fans from the 70’s don’t like it, but it is what it is. Paul and Gene must think that playing with Ace and Peter at the RRHOF would be a slap in the face to the current band members.
unfortunately it stop being about the fans long time ago Eddie. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley are a bunch of ego tistical people. it stop being about the fans when Gene Simmons started his TV show family jewels. Anymore all the fans are is a source of revenue for Paul Stanley gene Simmons in the kiss brand. I feel pity for the two remaining members of KISS. They’re stuck between loyalty to Gean to Paul and a hard place. if it was up to me I would say snow performance by kiss at all. I might even to go to far to say to yank the Hall of Fame induction. It was supposed to be the four original members being inducted. This is so sad this reminds me of Axl Rose Guns N Roses. Grow up jean-paul let him play a couple songs with you and get it over with. Stop acting like children