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ORIGINAL KISS GUITARIST ACE FREHLEY DISCUSSES THE BAND’S ROCK HALL INDUCTION, HIS RELATIONSHIP WITH HIS FORMER BAND MEMBERS AND HOW HE FEELS ABOUT ANOTHER MUSICIAN WEARING HIS MAKEUP ONSTAGE

Andy Greene of Rolling Stone spoke with original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley. Portions of the interview appear below.

RS: Tell me your first reaction to the news that KISS made it into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Ace: It’s such an honor. I’m so excited. I learned about it last night when my assistant called me. I didn’t sleep very well afterwards.

RS: Did the news surprise you?

Ace: It surprised me, but when I saw all the people we were up against I had a feeling we were going to make it in…It should be a great evening. I’m really excited and looking forward to the night.

RS: I spoke with Gene a couple of hours ago. He said he’s willing to play with you and Peter Criss that night.

Ace: Okay. That sounds like a great idea.

RS: Are you open to that too?

Ace: Absolutely. Are you gonna want us to put makeup on?

RS: Sure.

Ace: It’s been a while for me.

RS: It’s been over a decade, right?

Ace: The last shows I did with KISS was in Australia around 2002.

RS: You have no hesitation about walking back onstage with Paul and Gene?

Ace: Not at all. I think it will be great. I think it will be great for the fans to witness and a lot of fun. I recently performed with Peter at the Hard Rock Cafe in New York for Eddie Trunk’s 30 years in broadcasting celebration. That was a lot of fun. I hadn’t performed with Peter in 12 years. We all still have it.

RS: Gene mentioned that next year is the band’s 40th anniversary. He said he didn’t want a reunion tour, but I got the sense it was somewhere in his mind. Would you want a KISS reunion tour?

Ace: It’s something I haven’t even entertained or even thought about. I hadn’t even realized that next year is the 40-year anniversary. Right now, I’m focusing on my solo career. I recently signed a two-album deal. I’ve been in the music for the past three months.

RS: If a tour was offered to you, would you think about it?

Ace: It’s something I would consider if it was presented in the proper way.

RS: Gene was praising you when we spoke, but in other interviews he will call you a “cancer” or a “loser.”

Ace: I’ve always had a pretty good relationship with Paul and Gene. We parted company on more than one occasion, but there’s always been mutual respect and admiration. I think somehow the press plays it up that there’s a lot of hate between the members. It’s really completely blown out of proportion.

RS: But he called you a “cancer” recently.

Ace: A cancer? I wasn’t aware of that. What does it mean?

RS: I guess that you’re somehow a poison.

Ace: [Huge laugh] I think he gets frustrated that even though they have a replacement for me in the band, fans are continually bombarding him and saying, “Hey, you should get the original guitar player back. Ace is still number one.” He gets that constantly. It has to be frustrating to him and Paul.

RS: Are you insulted that somebody else is in your makeup?

Ace: Well, it’s a choice that Paul and Gene have made. I know the fans aren’t happy with it. I read the comments on the Internet. Paul and Gene have lost a lot of fans because of the move they made. It is what it is.

I’m not happy about it. Most of the comments I read by fans say that, “If you’re going to replace Ace, you should have created a different character.” That’s what they did with Vinnie Vincent when I originally left the group in 1982.

RS: They have Eric Singer in the Catman makeup and he’s singing Beth.

Ace: I didn’t know he was singing “Beth.” [Laughs] You know, a lot of the fans I talk to just tell me they aren’t going to go to the shows anymore. I know concert attendance hasn’t been what they’ve wanted this past year. It is what it is.

RS: Gene has implied he doesn’t believe you are sober.

Ace: That’s kind of juvenile. Does he have blinders on? I know he’s spoken to several people that I know that he knows that have seen me and done business with me over the past several years. I don’t believe they are telling him that I’m not sober. It’s been over seven years for me and I can’t see myself going back. But all I have is today. One day at a time.

RS: I imagine it’s going to be emotional to stand at the podium with the three other guys in the band.

Ace: It’s going to be intense, but it’s going to be great. I don’t foresee any negative vibes. I don’t foresee any bad blood. I think that myself, Peter, Paul and Gene, we’re the four guys that started the group and brought it into international success. I think that sometime in the late 1970s we were listed as the number one group in the world by some polls. We achieved what most people only dream about. I’ll never forget it. And that’s something nobody can take away from me.

Read more at Rolling Stone.

source: rollingstone.com

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DEF LEPPARD PLAN TO DO A “PYROMANIA’ RESIDENCY IN LAS VEGAS NEXT

Phil Gallo of Billboard reports:

Def Leppard is planning a Viva Pyromania residency in Las Vegas in 2014 while also preparing to record an album of new material in Dublin.

“The Vegas thing was amazing,” guitarist Phil Collen told Billboard, referencing their Viva Hysteria residency at the Joint at the Hard Rock Hotel and Casino. “We’re also going to be doing Viva Pyromania at some point at the end of next year.”

Pyromania, the 1983 release certified 10 times platinum in 2004, was the Sheffield, England hard rock band’s breakthrough album.

Def Leppard gave eleven Hysteria concerts in Las Vegas in March and April before heading to Europe where they played Hysteria in its entirety at Hellfest in France and continued to have revelations about the album that contained Pour Some Sugar on Me,, Animal, Love Bites and Armageddon It.

“When we were rehearsing we realized how much went into that,” Collen said on the red carpet after the finale of The Voice. “It’s a rich and expensive sounding record. It doesn’t sound like it now, but it was very experimental. Guitar parts that you only did once, you had to revisit. And you have to get into it.”

Adds drummer Rick Allen, “So much time went into recording that record. It is so deep and complex. Every time we play it, there’s a new way to do it.”

The specter of their ’80s heyday looms over Def Leppard any time they venture back into a studio, the last time being 2008 for Songs From the Sparkle Lounge. Collen and guitarist Vivian Campbell agree they have a unique balance to be mindful of whenever they do new material.

On one hand, they hope to record a fair amount of the record live as they did with 1996’s Slang, an album under appreciated at the time of its release. It has only sold 367,000 copies, according to Soundscan.

“You paint yourself into a corner with a certain writing style when you have a huge album,” Collen says. ” Slang is very raw — us playing live — and everyone hated it. You learn from that. You don’t want to cop out too much.”

Campbell says the band can over think the situation at times. “I think sometimes you just got to let it happen. The other side of the equation is the band is successful for a certain sound. It’s a brand like Coca-Cola and you’ve got to give the people what they expect. At the same time you have to move on.”

From the perspective of Collen, Campbell and Clark, the emphasis is on big vocal beds, loads of guitar and lyrics that singer Joe Elliott can get behind. As they’ve aged, they have been able to explore tragedy on a personal level and get beyond anthems for strip clubs and frat houses.

“In a way, the real craft to me is being ambiguous,” Campbell says. “Joe is the best person to keep the balance. I remember we were writing lyrics once on the X album. I can’t remember what the word was, but I (gave him lyrics) Joe looked at it and said ‘I’m not singing that word. That’s not rock ‘n’ roll. Sting would sing that word.’ Its gotta be a blue collar working class vernacular. (Otherwise) it’s not rock n roll. You’re Bob Dylan or Bono or something.”

Def Leppard’s appearance on The Voice was in part to promote the broadcast TV debut of Def Leppard: Viva! Hysteria on AXS TV on December 29th.

source: billboard.com

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KISS’ GENE SIMMONS DISCUSSES THE BAND’S ROCK HALL INDUCTION, ACE, PETER AND EDDIE TRUNK

Andy Greene of Rolling Stone spoke with KISS bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons about the band being inducted into RNRHOF, whether or not he will play with Ace and Peter and why he may or may not dislike Eddie Trunk/ Excerpts from the interview appear below.

RS: Tell me your first reaction to the big news.

GS: Pride. For me, it’s another tug of the shirt sleeve to remind me that the American dream is alive and well. I’m living proof of it. I came here as an immigrant, a legal one — that’s a distinction — and getting the Hollywood Walk of Fame and getting the keys to the cities of God knows how many cities and the wax museums and the thousands of licensed products we have and on and on. . .Still, no matter how much much noise we make about how only the fans matter, and it’s true they are the ones that put us here and without them we are nothing, there is something in the back of our collective consciousnesses that makes us want to be recognized by our peers.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame started out as a wonderful idea and ideal, and it’s a pride and privilege. Now, we’ve had ten different lineups. It’s important to list that the honor is not just ours. It’s Gene, Paul, Ace, Peter, Eric Carr, Mark St. John, Bruce Kulick, Eric Singer, Vinnie Vincent, Tommy Thayer. . .There’s been a lot of guys, and we continue to tour and fill up stadiums and it is a testament to the idea of Kiss.

A long time ago, four knuckleheads off the streets of New York decided to put together the band they never saw onstage. We were ballsy enough to throw down our own gauntlet. “You wanted the best? You got the best! The hottest band in the world. Kiss.” You’re God damn right.

RS: Did you start to think you’d never be inducted?

GS: Yeah. I think its political. As soon as the fans had their say, I’m told, we slaughtered everybody else. I think it’s a crime that Deep Purple is not in and Patti Smith is. What the fuck? There are disco artists and all kind of credible and important kinds of music that have nothing to do with rock & roll. But, hey, it’s not my thing. I think the best thing they did was to open it up to the fans. There is an American ideal: “By the people, for the people, of the people.” Hey, that’s a good idea.

RS: You’re definitely coming to the ceremony, right?

GS: Oh, yeah. Oh, yeah. We need to stand up there proudly for the fans.

RS: It’s nice to do it in Brooklyn since you guys started in New York.

GS: Yeah. It’s the coolest of the cool.

RS: People are very curious about what lineup of the band is going to play that night.

GS: Well, Kiss is Tommy Thayer, Eric Singer, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. It’s like, if you introduced me to your wife and I go, “Wait, where are all the other wives?” It’s like, “Yeah, I was married to them and now I’m here.” You can argue that point and we’ll figure everything out as time goes on. This one is for the fans. If the fans didn’t care, we wouldn’t be here. If it meant nothing to them, we wouldn’t be here.

RS: Bands often play with old members at the Hall of Fame. Are you open to the idea of playing with Peter Criss and Ace Frehley that night?

GS: Sure, why not?

RS: I’ve heard you say in the past you never wanted to play with them again.

GS: That was for a tour. But they were equally important in the formation of the band. When you have kids with your first wife, you give kudos. The fact you got remarried doesn’t delete or minimize the important. Hey, “You have gave birth to this thing, Kiss, with Ace, Peter, Paul and Gene.”

RS: But there’s been some very public feuding and bad blood in the past few years.

GS: There’s never been bad blood. I love them as people. I just hate drugs and alcohol. I don’t care if you are Mötley [Crüe] or Springsteen. If you don’t have the balls to get on the stage straight, it’s an insult to the fans and the band members

RS: They say they are clean now though.

GS: I have no comment.

RS: People are curious to know why you don’t get on [with radio personality and] That Metal Show [host] with Eddie Trunk.

GS: Respectfully, I’m not very interested.

RS: Why?

GS: [Chuckles] Before there was metal, there was KISS. We don’t really consider ourselves metal. It’s just rock and roll and all the hand gestures that everybody does on that show, I invented that. Oh, and let me add the word “bitch.”

RS: So, it’s nothing personal against Eddie Trunk or anything?

GS: Oh, I don’t care. I wish everybody well. Everyone should have a happy life and succeed and stuff. Just because we don’t want to do a show doesn’t mean anything. I’m not really interested in Jon Stewart’s show either. That doesn’t mean we don’t wish him well. It’s just not my cup of tea. I don’t want to be a pinata while he’s going to throw jokes. But if he wants to play mono a mono, you gotta take it as well as give it.

RS: If they tell you they just want the original four guys to play, will you be cool with that?

GS: As long as they are willing to only bring their first girlfriend and their first wife. . .There’s no rules. I really haven’t thought about it.

RS: To just totally clarify once again, you’re willing to play with Ace and Peter that night?

GS: Oh, sure.

RS: That could be the last time ever then. When else could that happen?

GS: In January we are celebrating our 40th anniversary, and boy do I look good! And every time I say, “I’m never going to do this, I’m never going to do that. . .” For God’s sake, Ace and Peter were in the band three separate times. And they were let go three separate times. Every time it was about the same thing. How many times are you going to hear, “No, I’m healthy now. I’m fine.” It’s like the old, “I promise I’ll pull out.”

The only consideration has always been the military ideal: sound mind, sound body, respect for the fans. They are our bosses. We buckle our knees to the people who make our lives possible, and rightfully so. You and me and everyone else, we just work here. Everyone else that disrespects that maybe shouldn’t have the opportunities it provides. The stage is holy ground. It is electric church. Not everyone belongs there.

RS: So you think it’s possible there might be a 40th anniversary tour that involves Ace and Peter?

GS: I don’t want to do that. Nah. I’ve been through it before. Too many scars and too much, “I promise, I promise, I promise.” It’s like the Boy Who Cried Wolf. How many times can you cry the same thing? After a while, sorry Charley.

RS: They both wrote books and didn’t say very nice things about you. Did that bother you?

GS: I stand by everything they said! [Big laugh]. I’ll tell you a wonderful story. Ace, God bless him. . .You know, when he’s straight he’s a wonderful guy. He took me to the Beverly Hills Hotel and he told me a story. He said, “Look, I just want to show you a chapter I wrote in the book and just check with you and make sure it’s okay.”

I said, “Look, write whatever you want. I’m a happy guy.” He said, “I just want to check the accuracy of it.” I said, “Okay, what is it?” He goes, “Well, 19-seventy whatever it is. There’s a swimming pool and we’re all out there. There are girls and we’re lounging around and I get up on the diving board in my swimsuit and I’ve got champagne in my hand and I’m drunk and I’ve got a scarf on. You then say to me, ‘Ace, get off the diving board. You’re drunk you’re going to drown.’ I then say, ‘Fuck you. Don’t tell me what to do!'”

Then he jumps off the diving board and jumps in. Of course, he starts to drown. He says, “Of course, you dive in because you used to be a lifeguard. You fish me out, pump the water out of me, save my life.” And at breakfast at the Beverly Hills Hotel he says to me, “I want to thank you for saving my life. But how accurate was it?”

I say to him, “It was 95 percent accurate. Yes, there was a diving board. Yes, champagne in hand. Yes, laughing in my face. Yes, drowning in the pool. Yes, I dove in and rescued someone. But it wasn’t you. It was Peter Criss. You were flat out unconscious, surprise, on the side of the pool.

He just shrugged his shoulder. You can catch him in a lie or a figment of his imagination and he’ll just shrug his shoulders and go, “Oh well, what the fuck?” He’s a happy-go-lucky, I’m sorry. . .when we first got together it was magic. We loved those guys, all for one and one for all. Look, not all marriages stay together. What can I tell you? Cain and Abel didn’t get along very well either.

Read more at Rolling Stone.

source: rollingstone.com

Read more: http://www.rollingstone.com/music/news/gene-simmons-open-to-rock-hall-of-fame-kiss-reunion-with-ace-and-peter-20131217#ixzz2nlYZ7H00
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DID ONE DIRECTION PLAGIARIZE DEF LEPPARD’S “POUR SOME SUGAR ON ME?”

There is some controversy brewing as Def Leppard are allegedly looking into legal action against Pop group One Direction due to one of their songs, Midnight Memories, sounding very similar Def Leppard’s, Pour Some Sugar On Me.

“Music lawyers will routinely scour hits like this one to see if there is any evidence that a band has either copied or cleverly mimicked a Def Leppard song,” a source tells The Mirror. “These cases can often take weeks to sort out because we are not talking about peanuts here – the 1D album is selling millions and if the title track goes out as a single it will generate even more money.”

Listen to both songs below and pay special attention to chorus.

source: metalhammer.co.uk

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NO DEEP PURPLE, BUT KISS TO BE INDCUTED INTO THE ROCK N’ ROLL HALL OF FAME ALONG WITH NIRVANA, HALL & OATES & OTHERS

Andy Greene of Rolling Stone reports: The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has officially announced next year’s inductees: Nirvana, KISS, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, Cat Stevens and Linda Ronstadt will all join the class of 2014. The E Street Band will be given the Award for Musical Excellence and Beatles manager Brian Epstein and original Rolling Stones manager Andrew Loog Oldham will both receive the Ahmet Ertegun Award for non-performers.

The induction ceremony will be held at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center on April 10th, 2014. It’s the first time the general public will be able to attend the event in New York City. Tickets go on sale in January; HBO will air the event in May.

Artists are eligible for the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame 25 years after the release of their first album or single. Nirvana, whose first single Love Buzz came out in 1988, are entering the institution their first year of eligibility. “That’s really no surprise to me,” says Rock and Roll Hall of Fame President and CEO Joel Peresman. “People see the relevancy of that band. We’re just getting into the creative of the show, so I don’t know what’s going to happen with that performance. They have to figure it out.”

KISS have been eligible for the last 15 years, but didn’t get the nod until now. “The Kiss Army has descended on Cleveland in recent years,” says Peresman. “And we’ve gotten thousands of letters. They also did extremely well in the public vote.” (In 2012, the band joked to Rolling Stone, “We’ve been thinking about it and the answer is simply, ‘We’ll just buy it and fire everybody.'”)

The annual induction ceremony has moved out of the tiny New York Waldorf Astoria Ballroom in recent years into larger venues in Cleveland and Los Angeles, where the public can attend along with music industry insiders.

This year’s event at Brooklyn’s Barclays Center is the first time the induction has been held in an arena, making it the largest ceremony in the history of the Hall of Fame. “Bringing in the fans adds an incredible energy to the event,” says Peresman. “The fans should have an opportunity to see the show. They are the reason these bands exist.”

Read more at Rolling Stone.

source: rollingstone.com

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