2/27: MORE KISS HOF DISCUSSION AND THOUGHTS
Been doing press all day for That Metal Show and almost everyone is bringing up the Kiss HOF stuff with me. It is no doubt the story of the week and since it broke on my show last Friday when Ace called in many are discussing it with me. It’s interesting to hear everyone’s take on all of this. It’s also been interesting reading everyone’s comments here on this site and the loads of email about it. I get and understand ALL sides of this. People who actually take the time to fully listen to and read what I say realize there is no agenda here but being a fan and giving MY opinion when asked. I respect yours even if it differs from mine. Just like I respect your decision to go see the current version of Kiss, even if I decided a while ago it’s not for me. There is SO much misinformation out there. Not only about what I say and feel (anything positive doesn’t make a good headline) but about the whole HOF process to begin with. In a nutshell I think this whole thing again comes down to Gene and Paul not wanting to go down reunion road with Ace and Peter at all, and not wanting to open a huge can of worms like the MTV Unplugged. Again, I was there, once Ace and Peter came out for two songs it was a reunion avalanche they could not go away from. When you spend 12 years telling people (believe it or not) it doesn’t matter who is behind the makeup, you can’t bring Ace and Peter out and get a huge reaction and remind everyone it does matter! Eventually Kiss wil be a franchise with no original members in those personas. That is where this is all heading. Going back to the original band hurts selling that concept and is bad for the current Kiss business model. I don’t believe it is any real hate against Ace and Peter, it is just a bad business decision and we all know Kiss knows business! I don’t agree with this decision, but get it from a marketing standpoint.
There has also been a familiar cry from Ace and Peter detractors that “they had their chance, they fucked it up”. True, they will be the first to tell you they are far from innocent in their conduct at times while a member of the band. But what exactly does that have to do with now? NOBODY wants a reunion tour again. I sure don’t! Nobody can go forever. But it seems the past keeps getting thrown out there as a reason for the HOF issue. Why? It has nothing to do with the fact that the original four guys are the ones being inducted and a song or two is all anyone is looking for one night only. Nobody is also mentioning that these guys have been clean and sober for many years now. People change with time. A couple songs would have only damaged one thing, the current Kiss marketing plans. And I GET THAT. If I was trying to sell what was coming and owned the business of Kiss like Gene and Paul do I can’t say I would feel different from a BUSINESS angle. But we were always told the fans were the boss with Kiss. And no denying the MAJORITY of the fans who fought so long and hard to see this day are upset. But I still feel no performance in this instance (because the HOF decided only the original four are going in) is better than a current band performance which you can see any time you want pretty much.
I am curious if they all show up. To me it’s clear if you read the recent interview that Paul is annoyed with the whole process (rightfully so), the fact they were snubbed for 15 years, and the fact the HOF is ignoring other members for induction (again, the case can be made rightfully so). But most artists who complain about it still end up showing up. Axl Rose didn’t. he knew it was all a play for a reunion if even for a photo op and stayed away. I honestly don’t think the HOF cares that much if Kiss plays. Getting them in the same room together is a victory enough for them. Now we wait and see what happens next. Do all four guys show? What does the HOF put on since there is no performance from the band? Is there so much fan pressure that a last minute performance gets pulled together? One more thing; fans did not get Kiss in the HOF through voting. It’s a nice thought and the fans being so vocal about it helped sway voters, but the actual fan vote is minimal and can not alone get a band in. If it did bands like Kiss, Rush and Alice Cooper would not have been snubbed over a decade! If the HOF would have put Kiss in when they were first eligible in 1999 none of this would be happening, because the original band was still together then from the reunion! And we all know the fact that Kiss, like them or not, should have gone in first time eligible, NOT 15 years later! More soon no doubt.. Again, ALL opinions welcome here as always.
Who needs original Kiss to perform?
I hope Dave Grohl, Pearl Jam and others have a version of “I Was Made for Loving You” ready to rock the hall.
What would be awesome and a nice FU to Gene and Paul would be if Ace and Peter joined one of these other bands for a song or two… Can you just imagine their reaction… LOL
Also want to throw my support to the business side of Kiss… I want there to be Kiss coffins and crossovers with Hello Kitty… I want the band (brand) to never die and have my grandkids grandkids to be able to go see the spectacle that is a Kiss concert and not just someone doing a tribute in a bar.. I do however hate that Ace and Peter were screwed out of their images… If they were at least getting some kind of kickback every time someone else got on the Kiss stage I think things would be flowing more smoothly with the whole process.
Oh, and by the way, fuck the RRHOF – just because they “finally” get around to inducting Kiss doesn’t mean that they still aren’t a bunch of fucktards!
I think it’s funny how Gene & Paul are “all about the current line up”; yet their shows are still 99% all songs from pre-1979. They MIGHT throw one current line up song in the mix and MAYBE a Creatures/Lick It up song for good measure, but they are essentially recreating a 35 year old tour year after year. I think they should lose the make up and be creative again with Tommy & Eric providing some newer current chops. They ignore basically the entire 80s/90s era, which is my favorite era. Remember the Hot in the Shade tour coming out of the Sphinx? Or Revenge tour with the break apart Statue of Liberty? It would be nice to incorporate some of that back in rather than the same old tired seventies nostalgia they cling to while claiming to be “all about the current line-up”.
Two things I think people might be over looking, 1…Maybe Paul having the problems with his voice doesn’t want to do any live performing that isn’t on a kiss stage, through their PA with some baking or doubled voices, a lot of times even when singers sing live they have partial vocals that are canned, something for Gene, who has never been a strong singer. Point number 2….Gene said in the April 2014 issue of guitar world that he could absolutley see there being a kiss that he and Paul were not part of where there sanction players to replace them and tour. I can see that very easily being the case, they own the current stage set up, the lights, etc.they don’t rent anything but the venue, it isn’t far fetched to imagine that if its profitable you could go to see a kiss production of the love gun tour in japan, the destroyer tour in Orlando, etc all going on at the same time. Granted I can see them having the replacements in the original costumes with no dollar being spared to make it as close to the original experience as possible and the fans being charged a fortune.
Eddie, you’ve indicated that you know who is doing their induction.
Any tips, clues or insight on who it might be? Seems like it should be someone with a historical tie to the band. Or, maybe a total geek out moment like Grohl & Hawkins with RUSH last year. Which was awesome.
Can you give us anything …?
No real history with the band at all and not someone Kiss fans will associate with much. But a good guy and a fan and someone the HOF loves. Remember they are all about cred..
First guess is Lenny Kravitz.
Second would be Billy Joel.
Eddie,
I get your argument about the reunion avalanche but you know, I think ’95 was a little different with MTV unplugged as Peter and Ace had been out of the group for so long since first leaving and they were all very much younger then. People wanted a reunion THEN. We all got what we wanted in ’96 and, for me, the urgency for more reunions is over. I’m not sure it will be the avalanche you anticipate regarding another reunion. SOME people will want a reunion but how is Kiss any less of a concert draw going forward for playing a couple of songs with Ace and Peter at the HOF and continuing on with Eric and Tommy? You’ve said the Paul and Gene are not long for more tours and that its all coming to an end anyway. So what’s the difference at this stage? I really don’t get what the big deal is to have the 4 being inducted to embrace it for one night and do it some justice. Like I’ve said, I think they (Paul/Gene) will come to regret it in their old age if they don’t acknowledge it in some more meaningful in April. This whole situation is so stupid and petty on their part. I’m just not convinced in your argument.