Had a chance to read Paul Stanley’s book on my many flights lately. I was looking forward to seeing how much Paul would open up in a book like this. In my limited dealings with him over the decades I have found him to be fairly private and very sensitive to anything not in line with the current plan, so his approach to an auto biography would no doubt be interesting. Contrary to what many think, and despite whatever feelings he has about me, Paul was actually always my favorite member of the band. For a long time he was one of my favorite singers and his songs were always what I liked best in Kiss. I agree with his own feelings throughout the book that he has always been the prime driving force in the band. In much of the press he has done leading up to this book he has painted doing this for some greater more legitimate reason than most other rock books. I don’t see any great difference with this than any of the other MANY rock books out there. It is very well written, entertaining, inspiring, and told from his perspective and how he saw it, like ALL of these books are. But I don’t see a great distinction over many other good ones that are out there as Paul has said is the case with his. The one down side is that his is the last of the Kiss members books. The good; that he answers some of the others books, the bad is that many of these stories we have heard already. Especially if you consider we just had the very in depth Nothin’ To Lose as far as Kiss books for history which he was a writer on. But still for any Kiss fan this is a more than worthwhile read. But like ANY book it is his spin and take on the story as he wants to tell it. That is the case with all the books, it’s up to the reader to find the balance from four peoples perspectives when it comes to Kiss. Not surprisingly Paul’s book paints him as the guiding force in the band throughout and rarely does he ever take responsibility for anything that was bad for Kiss. For example he describes the demise of Kiss in the late 70’s to be more about the costumes and stage show than writing a disco song. I can tell you even though it was a hit, I Was Made For Loving You was DEATH to the Kiss fan base at the time and some still haven’t recovered from it. The shots at Ace and even more so Peter are expected, but more surprising are the shots at Gene and how bad their relationship was at some stages. Almost every bad decision was because of someone else it seems at times. Some other interesting things:
*No acknowledgment of what a big song “Shock Me” was for Ace and the Love Gun LP, or the success of Ace’s solo album over the others with “NY Groove”.
*Not much made of the impact “Beth” had crossing the band to an entire new audience. A huge moment in the bands history to get on the radio.
*Glosses over some of the later 80’s albums. Almost no mention of Crazy Nights and recording with noted producer Ron Nevison. Would have loved more back story on the making of the 80’s and 90’s albums.
*Talks about the many bad songs Gene mailed in during the 80’s but outside of the two on Smashes Thrashes (which were bad and he does say so!) never mentions his role in some duds as well. Bang Bang You? Read My Body? Although his material was mostly better he had some clunkers for sure along the way.
*Good to see how he admits not handling the passing of Eric Carr within the band the right way. How the band didn’t stop while Eric attempted to recover is hard to believe. It did bother Eric Carr greatly that while he was fighting cancer his band was already recording with Eric Singer, who he predicted would replace him. Def Leppard stood by their drummer when he lost an arm, Kiss could have waited to see how Carr would do. He does take this on and take responsibility and it was good to see finally.
*Didn’t acknowledge that fans at the MTV unplugged in ’95 actually booed when current band was re introduced and chanted for a reunion at the end of the taping. I was in the audience. It was an avalanche that resulted in the reunion in ’96.
*Psycho Circus very glossed over. Who plays on it? Why were they not able to make a deal with Peter and Ace? Also no mention of performing with the symphony in Australia. Not my favorite thing in KISStory by any stretch but should have had a mention.
All that said I truly enjoyed the book and would suggest it to any Kiss fan. But like ALL Kiss books it is HIS version of how he saw things. I’m not about to go tit for tat with all four books and who’s told the story best and most accurate. They ALL are coming from that persons point of view and get that persons story out as they saw it. And something tells me there will be no shortage of more Kiss related books to come…
144 Responses
I never understood the whole backlash over 1 song, and to me, I never heard I was made as a disco song, even if paul refers to it as disco himself, can you dance to it? of course, but there’s hundreds of “rock” songs you can dance to, alot of rock bands in the late 70’s “experimented” & they never got the shit kiss got for 1 song, I think at that time if any other rock band made that song, it would not have been a big deal at all. 9 songs on dynasty, 7 rock, 1 pops, & 1 “dances”, so what, if so many kiss fans turned their backs on them over 1 song, that was their loss, because it didn’t erase what they did before dynasty and the success of I was made didn’t turn them into the village people, if it did, even I would have jumped out of the kiss army!
1. It’s a disco song
2. KISS, at that time, was a band you wanted/expected your parents to hate, to be scared of. When that song came out neither of those 2 things were possible anymore. The edge was gone. Some may argue that point came when Beth was released but Beth is just a ballad. IWMFLY is a dance song much like YMCA.
3. The Village People were more like KISS than you may be aware of. This song narrowed the gap even further.
You are comparing I Was Made for Loving You to YMCA? That is the most inane statement ever.
Only that they are dance songs. Nothing more. Relax.
I Was Made For Loving You – was a HUGE mistake. You had to have been a kid in the late 70’s to realize what Disco meant to us Rockers : we HATED it. Not just the music, but the lifestyle that the Disco-Fans led…we thought of it as a threat to Rock and Roll. And for KISS to do that song was a BETRAYAL. As it turns out – Disco died…but in 1979 it was alive and well.
A BAD song to do…one that Ace regrets doing as well.
Its a disco song! Paul admits it….he even said that while it gave them a hit song, its not something they would want to do again…I think he said that on extreme closeup…but the song is a bit heavier live tho..
this is for sal a., #1 wasn’t a kid in the late 70’s, #2 was, is and always will be a rocker, #3 not all rockers hated disco, just ask alice cooper, who he himself admitted to owning a copy of the SNF soundtrack! lighten up. #4 not everybody heard I was made that way, “as a disco song” most people I knew, including myself just heard it as a rock song (let me finish) with a strong danceable vibe, so it was a little “different”, so what, it wasn’t the end of the world as we knew it, it was just 1 song. why didn’t anybody overreact with drama when the stones did miss you? or when queen did bites the dust? I can go on & on. yes paul co-wrote it, but kiss didn’t produce it, if they did, I’m sure it would have turned out a lot different, more like it sounds live.
hey sal a. 1 more thing, even though I was only 13 in ’79, (the height of the disco craze) I grew up on the stones, the who, zeppelin, doors, aerosmith, just to name a few, and then when disco came around I don’t ever remember feeling threatened by it, I guess some people did, but I just looked at it as here today, gone tomorrow, and it was! some rockers gave in & maybe made a song or two they regret now, but back in’79 it was just a sign of the times, for better or worse.
Not “YMCA.” But definitely “I Was Made For Dancing,” by Leif Garret. When that Kiss disco song came out my heart sank.
well, that’s your opinion ben, but my parents were very cool, they actually liked kiss from the beginning, and they really liked the stones, zeppelin, aerosmith, just to name a few. their costumes in the ’79-’80 era were over the top, but that was just a sign of the times, just like everybody jumped on the glam wagon in the mid 80’s. if any other band made iwmfly, do you think they would have gotten the same reaction as kiss? iwmfly sounds a lot different live, the way it was “supposed to sound” as paul says. in 1979 there was a fine line between disco, pop & rock, and again to me, iwmfly is somewhere in the middle, whatever you want to call it, it was, is & always will be a good song to me. some songs from other rock bands were very different at that time than what fans were used to, maybe not as different as iwm, but it’s like I said before, if somebody turns their back on a band because of 1 song, that’s their loss.
I do like the song by the way. A lot. One of the best KISS songs in my opinion. In fact my wife and I were introduced as a couple to it at our wedding. I won’t go as far as calling it a sell out but I do think they were trying to make a hit song. KISS were never innovators but rather followers even imitators thru out their career. They have always tried to produce music that was popular at the time. Early on it was the stones, Bad Co, British stuff, then came the disco movement, then it was the concept album craze, then came heavy metal, then came the Bon Jovi lookalike and soundalike in the 80s, then it was grunge. They have always imitated.
well, I have to disagree a little bit, I think they were very innovative in a lot of ways, and as far as the music goes, even though most bands would never admit it, they all listen to each other. I don’t think anybody ever tries to copy each other, but other than their own creations I think one way or another all bands unintentionally or not influence each other. I think more than anything most bands get inspired by the times their in. in a way, it kind of sucks if you think about, because you’re damned if you do and damned if you don’t, they all create & follow to some degree, but I guess that’s the nature of the music business.
Ahhh yess, the analogy comparing Kiss and the Village People…. brilliant…. The Village People named after the predominantly gay neighborhood of the “Village” in NYC. All members were gay except the lead singer. All songs had references to the gay lifestyle. YES, VERY similar to Kiss. Dover, stop posting now so you can save yourself further embarrassment.
I’m not embarrassed but thanks for the unsolicited advice anyway. I’m sure you meant well.
I’ve always felt IWMFLY actually keep the band going somewhat strong another year. By the time Dynasty came out the glow had already begun to fade. Sadly nobody told Kiss nor did they realize what was happening. That song more than likely helped keep it going longer, at least another year.
Further it’s pretty much the natural way of things…for a fleeting moment, Kiss was the biggest band in the world and then they weren’t. Brian May pretty much said the same thing…for a moment, Queen was the biggest band in the world (oddly from another disco influenced song) but those moments don’t last long. It’s what you do afterward that really counts. How do you last. So I agree with you…the criticism of that song hurting Kiss is silly. Kiss was on the backside regardless of that song. The trick is to keep it going regardless of the peaks and valleys. Which any band that’s been around 40 years is going to have. They’ve done pretty good.
that’s basically my point, queen, who is one of my favs, never got any BS for bites the dust, big disco vibe in that song, sounds nothing like stone cold crazy or tie your mother down, but it never got compared to those songs the way I was made got compared to earlier kiss stuff. I don’t recall any queen fan turning on them for bites the dust, which is a great song, but again what’s the difference between I was made & bites the dust? In ’79-’80 almost all bands, producers & so on were experimenting with sounds & vibes, but for some reason kiss got the most BS for getting caught up in the times. nobody accused queen of selling out or saying queen goes disco like they did to kiss, it’s incredible, 35 years after iwmfly & kiss is still getting shit for it, from some. I guess those are the ones who forgot about kiss alive!, destroyer, creatures, revenge, just to name a few, and for writing one of, if not the biggest rock ‘n’ roll anthems of all time, rock and roll all nite.
Doug,
I agree. Was is “technically” a sell out move, ok/maybe. Was it a fatt song that had respectable KISS style balls-YES. Can’t believe there is still such a jock twist on this; especially given the luke warm material that made up so many subsequent albums. I’ll take that song over seeing Gene painted up like a Bourbon St. hooker (circa ’88) anytime.
James
Youre giving hookers a bad name..lol
The book isn’t just about KISS, it’s about his life. He didn’t talk about “Shock Me” and “Beth”…..big friggin deal! Sounds like you’re trying to start shit. I’m a fan of yours but please….
Start shit? How come it’s not “starting shit” when I point out no talk of Crazy Nights, the symphony show, etc? Oh, that doesn’t sell the agenda right? Incredible..
Gee, he left out some things over 60something years. Boy you’re right Eddie….
I’ll start some shit… So what if Paul didn’t acknowledge “Shock Me”… that song wasn’t even included on Double Platinum… big fucking deal. Why should Paul give any kudos to a guy who was causing Paul and Gene nothing but grief. Also… Eddie Trunk… My biggest beef with you is that when you Jim and Don sat down to interview Axl Rose on TMS the 3 of you acted like little school girls with a crush. You DIDN’T ask him 1 tough question but instead threw him softballs the whole entire interview. Were you 3 afraid of Axl Rose’s plastic surgery and hair weave? That guy kept you waiting for hours. You should have packed it in and left but instead stuck around and then served up the slow pitches. Also… GnR still tours with only 1 original member and for some reason that is okay with you. Hypocritical to say the least.
Pat, you are so lost at the conclusions you reach it is staggering. You really are carrying an issue with me over a TV interview from over three years ago you didn’t like? Do you have any knowledge of the backstory and conditions around that interview? Of course you don’t. But you seem to have it ALL figured out. Why Shock Me could have been mentioned? Oh, I don’t know? Maybe the first song ever sung by the bands lead guitarist that the current Kiss STILL plays and was a big show highlight was worth a mention? And you continue to ignore that fact that I NEVER had an issue with ANY band using replacements. My issue is then the replacements IMPERSONATE what others created. But none of this works for your agenda so keep believing what you want and ignore the facts…
Paul wasn’t going to go down the “He didn’t talk about “Shock Me” and “Beth”…..big friggin deal” road because those songs, especially “Beth” propelled “KISS” into mainstream radio. Kinda funny considering in years past it has been well documented “KISStory” that Paul never wants to give credit to Ace & Peter where the credit is due. And the irony of this is Eddie’s hall of fame video when Peter mentioned that with Bogart & Aucoin “KISS” would be nowhere & Paul is still a taxi driver. Notice when Peter mentioned those important names (IMHO) Paul turned away in disgust acting like ‘we would still be here without Bill & Neil’…….WRONG!! “KISS”wouldn’t have exisited without them….so Andrew Eddie is SPOT ON!! Lesson over, Joe in The Cuse
C’mon Joe…every now and then you have good points and then you’ll throw out something stupid like Paul turning away in disgust type junk. You have no clue what was going through the mans mind at that point…total guessing on your part. Paul states in his book how important Bill and Neil were. And he’s repeatedly given Ace’s playing in the early days props. You’re grasping at straws here man. That’s exactly why I said “haters” in another post…this is a classic example of doing just that. So where’s Peter without Paul…still playing 2 bit dives. Again, as I always say…it goes both ways.
JB I certantly don’t “hate” anyone let alone Paul….he is actually my favorite in the band and grasping at straws?? Uhh no, I’m just merely stating what has been present for decades. Paul believed (Oct 1984 issue Creem) that quote “KISS” would have been successful with or without certain Bill Aucoin & Casablanca Records” ….aka Neil Bogart. Sorry JB, but those points are valid, not stupid. But I do respect your post. Joe in The Cuse
Again…fair enough but put yourself in his shoes in 1984. At that point in time these guys were scratching and clawing to remain an arena level band without two original members and a changing musical landscape…giving Aucoin and others props at that point for their success would be akin to saying “we weren’t good enough without them”. That’s admitting weakness at a time when your trying to appear strong when in reality the band was teetering on the edge. I mean COTN was arguably the greatest album those guys ever put out (is in my opinion) and it flopped. Future was bleak. I can totally see where his mindset was at that moment…afterall he was only 32 and facing a life without Kiss.
Again…that’s why I take much of what these guys say with a grain of salt. Opinions, attitudes, view points…all change with time and age. And lately, I’ve read enough from Paul to decipher that he knows without Bill and Neil, he isn’t where he is today…he states that in his book and has been fairly consistent in those remarks in recent years.
I’m just saying its a Paul Stanley book not just a KISS book. Get off Eddies balls already. BTW, agreed Pat!
JB….those are very valid points and you’re (IMHO) spot on. I’m really trying to not take sides here…I’m very grateful for what Paul has done…I loved the 80’s version of KISS, 70’s will always be the Bible for me but Bruce Kulick & Eric Carr along with Gene & Paul was just a fantastic band. Unfortuantly I was very uneasy for this era of Kiss and after seeing them twice & reading the many reviews I knew (basically for me) Kiss was a dead band. But I still don’t wish nothing bad & Im sure if Gene & Paul said, “Joe, dress in the Spaceman gear & go out & play with us”….Uhhh DAMN STRAIGHT I’m doing it. So kudos to Tommy & Eric. Joe in The Cuse
I love all the era’s Joe…except now. But I fully support them, they’ve earned the right to continue soldiering on IMO and if fans out there are still digging it, more power to them. At the very least…the fans that come now can get a bit of a taste of what it was like. I guess that’s better than nothing. One day it will all be just a memory and I’m glad I have them. I’ve seen them nearly 40 times but 5 shows stand out…Love Gun tour…was lucky enough to see that, my first rock concert. The COTN tour…musically they were a juggernaut on that tour and it really is to bad it failed. My next favorite show was the club tour to break Singer in…right when Revenge was released. Saw them at a 1,000 venue in Atlanta (Center Stage) and holy hell…they were amazing. No bombs, no production, no staging…they just threw down. Then the Revenge tour itself…loved it. And the Reunion Show…2nd night of the tour…was like old times. In a perfect would I wished it had all ended after the Farewell Tour but amazingly they’ve lasted another decade. Hell they’ve lasted longer after their Farewell Tour than most bands career…now that’s amazing and in reality shows the power of the band.
He actually talks about Beth a lot. Mostly crediting Bob Ezrin for the song and not Peter. And when he pulls into his parents driveway with a brand new car, and he’s second guessing buying such an expensive ride, he mentions Beth being on the radio and how that was his reassurance that he’d be okay.
Doesn’t seem to me, from Paul’s book at least, that he ever wanted Ace to leave the band. Ace chose to leave both times, despite being more social within the band and seemingly more happy in the company of both Eric Carr and Eric Singer, who he considered to be better drummers than Peter. And each time Ace also wasn’t doing well physically with his substance abuse.
no matter ho many sides of a story, the truth of the matter lies in the middle for others to find
Exactly.
Perfectly put Eddie. Was a good read just like the others. KISS was so unique in having four members that were so different on every level that its no surprise to me at all on how four of the books showed four completely different perspectives. It’s what makes KISS-KISS I suppose. As always, thanks for all you do for us metal fans!
I have a few things to say regarding the very attractive Eddie Trunk’s comments about my band mate & lifelong brother the very attractive & powerful Paul Stanley. First I invented books & how to write them. However I didn’t give everyone all of my book writing secrets. Thus the reason why so many books were written prior to mine. It was to make my book look so much better written than everyone else’s. Also my Hollywood days of the 80’s never died. In fact I created reality tv which lead to the greatest reality tv series ever, Gene Simmons Family Jewels. And my recent appearance on CSI ( which I invented) confirms that my incredible acting ability of the 80’s was no fluke ( and don’t forget my tremendous performance in KISS Meets The Phantom Of The Park just ask your girlfriend!).
Did you invent that seaweed net that you wore on your head on CSI?
C’mon, is that thing alive or what? Do you need to feed it? Trim it? Cultivate it? Cage it?
Is it going to appear on Shannon and Sophie’s new reality show?
Everyone wants to know.