Classic Rock Magazine interviewed KISS frontman Paul Stanley about the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Fame. Read the interview below.
Classic Rock: Did you feel honored at being inducted in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame?
Paul Stanley: No, it was done begrudgingly and because it had become absolutely ludicrous that they were choosing to ignore us. At the end of the day most people don’t realize that the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was a privately created establishment and that it has a self-appointed board. It’s a perfect case of perception becoming reality. People heard “Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame” and gave it credibility. So whether it deserves the title has to be weighed against who it inducts. So was it an honor to be nominated? No. It means a lot to the fans and I understand it because it’s validation for them. So for that reason I accept graciously and accept on their behalf.
My feelings and my ambivalence about the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame hasn’t changed any. Their attitude is elitist and it doesn’t reflect the public. It reflects a small group who dictate who meets the criteria that they set up as “rock and roll”. I’ve always felt the spirit of rock and roll meant not only ignoring your critics, but ignoring your peers and going your own way. I think we’ve done that pretty much with few exceptions for forty years. So that same criteria that kept us out has not gotten us in. I scratch my head a little and I also take issue with a certain arrogance within that group.
Nonetheless I look at some of the inductees and any club that has Jimmy Page, Eric Clapton and The Who and the Beatles and the Stones is company I don’t mind being in and my feelings have nothing to do with any of them, it purely has to do with a system which I think is tainted, corrupted and distorted.
Classic Rock: Are you looking forward to playing it?
Paul Stanley: Honestly, I have no plans at the moment to do anything, and that includes playing with Ace and Peter or anyone else. My plan at the moment is to go and accept the award. Anything else, we’ll see how it unfolds or unravels. It was interesting to me, or offensive to me, that when the question was broached with the hierarchy about inducting additional members it was shut down immediately as “a non starter,” which to me is arrogant. People who sit behind desks need to respect the people who are actually either inductees or possible inductees into this so-called hallowed organization. So the fact that there are 30 or 40 or 50 or some absurd number of Grateful Dead members all inducted, the fact that all of the Chili Peppers, including people who played on early albums that never amounted to very much are not inducted, the fact that John Rutsey, the drummer on the first Rush album is not inducted, the fact that Rob Trujillo, who’s a great guy but didn’t play on any of the classic Metallica albums, was inducted after being in the band six years makes me wonder exactly what are the rules? If the rules don’t apply to everybody then they’re not rules.
Classic Rock: Do you plan to bring Ace and Peter up on stage with you?
Paul Stanley: Of course it goes without saying that Ace and Peter deserve this moment in the spotlight. We wouldn’t be here without them. We couldn’t have built what we did without them at the foundation. That being said, we couldn’t have built what we built without a lot of people who followed them. We couldn’t have been here without them and we couldn’t be here today with them. So absolutely, of course they deserve and belong up there.
Classic Rock: Ace and Peter jammed together at recent party for That Metal Show presenter [and radio DJ] Eddie Trunk. How did you feel about that?
Paul Stanley: I didn’t feel one way or the other. I don’t own those songs, I only wrote ‘em. There’s nothing to guard or lock away. Those songs are public domain and they played on those songs so why wouldn’t they play them? For that matter, why wouldn’t anybody play them?
source: classicrockmagazine.com
115 Responses
I would love to see the 4 original players play at least one song together. If Paul and Gene can’t give that moment to the fans, then they could let Ace and Peter pick their replacements and put their makeup on so they can feel what is like when Tommy Thayer falsely protrays Ace and Eric Singer falsely protrays Peter.
If Paul is doing it for the fans that should include performing whats 3 or 4 songs to please the fans I grew on kiss had them plastered on my walls but Ill be honnest it was the original 4 that will always be kiss 4 me and some of the questions were stupid like the one will you bring Ace and Peter on to accept duh its not his choice the only choice he and Gene have is 2 play with them and they should for the fans and nothing else
Concerning Ace and Peter, would Led Zep be Led Zep without Jimmy Page and John Bonham? Nuff Said!
I love Kiss, and I love Ace and Peter… but they sure as hell ain’t no Page and Bonham. And they’d be the first ones to admit it.
First, the fact that the grateful dead are in the hall of fame nonetheless inducted before Kiss tells me all I need to know about the validity & credibility of the liberal based board who chooses which bands get inducted. Secondly, the Kiss Army should be inducted into the hall for their continuous support of Kiss over the years & their non-stop persistence to have the band inducted. Third, do we really want to see the original line-up or the current line-up perform? Paul can no longer sing & the obvious tension between Gene, Paul, Ace & Peter would certainly show in their performance in my opinion. And it’s a disgrace to Ace & Peter that Thayer & Singer wear their make-up & impersonate them now! In the 70’s & on the reunion tours, the fans didn’t come to see the spaceman & the catman. They came to see Ace & Peter along with Paul & Gene in their respective personas. Can you honestly watch Thayer play and buy the gimmick? I can’t. I have a Kiss Army tattoo and will always be a fan of the original line-up through the reunion era. But I would like to see the original band accept the award without performing & just walk away & just retire Kiss forever. I wish someone would ask Paul what’s up with his voice! It’s really bad now and in my opinion is hurting their legacy by continuing to play and tarnishing his own legacy. I’d much rather watch a video of the original band in Houston in 1977 than see any line-up of Kiss perform today.
I saw kiss on The Tour in St. Louis. His voice was fine. Whats up with your anger?
Very well said, but I think he is overlooking one key point. Those bands were mainly inducted for their musical contributions. In the Grateful Dead case it certainly wasn’t for their varried tie dyed shirts and jeans. So I guess in their eyes, all who contributed musically mattered. I am in no way saying that all members of KISS should not eventually get in, but for this ceremony Paul should realize that they are unique from all other bands and they are being inducted for their influence not only musically but for the make up and the stage show. That was the foundation started by the four original members. Same with ALICE. He had many talented people in his band over the years who contributed to his musical legacy but only the founding members were inducted. Paul should look at it from that point of view.
Alice Cooper was a different situation. Alice Cooper BEFORE Welcome To My Nightmare was A BAND , after a solo artist with a revolving support band.
Sure….point taken. Of course it’s different. I was focusing on the similarities in relation to the hall of fame induction and Paul’s post in particular. And let’s face it…..KISS are solo artists with revolving musicians since ’82.
….Also. The sad thing is that Paul and Gene can’t see that by inducting the original four guys they could actually put an end to all of this at this point. It was early enough to see if barleys had an open date the day or two after the induction and announce a full show with the original guys in their home town, not far from where it all started. All in town. No travel costs or late bullshit. Beginning to end….WITH FINALITY! Carry on as usual the next day. Mega money night and respectively ending it. Why is little ol’ me and not the smartest bandleaders of all time thinking of this?
You are suggesting a very decent farewell which I can only agree to, but, alas, Gene and Paul as we know them …, it will not happen. They have gone past the point when retiring and ending the Kiss chapter on a high note had still been possible. It is a rare thing that artists leave it when the audidence still wants more, many just keep on repeating and mimicking themselves, only worse, until everyone is just bored and annoyed. Led Zep did the right thing when not embarking on a tour after the O2, this great concert will forever be in the fans’ hearts and will serve as a great farewell to the world. Maybe the HOF can provide this chance for Kiss once again, but I do not think they will see it that way, they are much too blinded by their business way of thinking while your suggestion would be thinking for the fans and for the music.