Larry Getlen of New York Post reports:
When Paul Stanley, frontman and rhythm guitarist for the band KISS, married in November 2005, he shared his joy with friends and family, including bandmates Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer.
Notably absent from the ceremony: Stanley’s longtime musical partner, KISS bassist Gene Simmons. He wasn’t invited.
“Your views on marriage are your own,” Stanley told Simmons, who publicly denounced the concept of marriage until his own nups in 2011. “But when you insult and demean people who get married and ridicule or dismiss the idea of marriage, you have no place at a wedding.”
The incident is replayed in Stanley’s memoir, Face the Music: A Life Exposed, written with journalist Tim Mohr and out Tuesday.
As success came [to the band], Stanley noticed in interviews that Simmons “sure used the word ‘I’ a lot.” Stanley accuses him of abandoning the band in the early ’80s, distracted by attempts to become an actor, but then taking credit for Stanley’s work; and also of using the KISS logo and persona for personal projects without contractual permission.
During this time, Stanley writes, Simmons’ duplicity left him feeling there was “a traitor in the midst.”
As harsh as Stanley is with Simmons, he saves his real venom for former band mates Frehley and Criss. After it was announced back in December that KISS will be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame at Barclays Center on Thursday, a public war erupted over which band members would play at the upcoming ceremony.
Frehley, Criss and the Hall wanted a reunion of the original lineup in full makeup; Simmons and Stanley refused, since KISS now has two other long-standing members in drummer, singer and guitarist Thayer. As of now, all four original members will attend the ceremony, but there will be no performance of the band’s music.
Stanley’s book sheds greater light on why he wouldn’t want a full-on reunion, recalling countless past times that Frehley and Criss, who have both had substance-abuse issues, were belligerent and even unable to play.
Stanley also accuses Frehley of stashing drugs “in the bags or pockets of crew members — without their knowledge — so he wasn’t on the hook if they were found.”
Even more shocking are his accusations of anti-Semitism against the pair. Noting that Frehley owned a collection of Nazi memorabilia, and that some of his earliest experiences with Criss involved the drummer racially mocking waiters at Chinese restaurants, Stanley writes that Frehley and Criss resented him and Simmons for controlling the band’s creative output — which Stanley says occurred because Frehley and Criss’ songwriting contributions “just didn’t amount to much.”
Stanley reiterated to The Post that yes, he does believe that Frehley and Criss are anti-Semitic.
“Yes, I do,” he says. “It’s based on years and years of interactions. It’s not pulled out of thin air.” Frehley and Criss did not respond to requests for comment.
Read more at the New York.
source: nypost.com
246 Responses
What would happen if Ace and Peter did play with Paul and Gene at the HOF show and absolutely killed it??? Could you imagine the massive outcry for a reunion tour??? I think the real reason that Paul and Gene don’t want to perform with Ace and Peter….
That’s another reason Paul and Gene didn’t want to reunite with Ace and Peter for a performance and this is something Ace pointed out in Rolling Stone.
So done! Commenting is not worth it.
And yet you just did.
Paul using the Anti Semitic card to sell his book. Also the ex wife card is getting old. If Ace and Peter are the ex wives then stop dressing your new wives like your ex wives. Anyone with IQ over room temperature gets it. Paul was always my favorite but I am sadden if the old bitter man he has become!
Even though I completely disagree with everything you just said, I am laughing hysterically right now! Very funny!
I’ve always liked Paul too, but this nonsense with the HOF and now this Nazi stuff dredged up is making me rethink my like for him.
Keith Richards has tons Nazi stuff, he even wore a SS winter coat on the Ed Sullivan show in ’67 playing piano with the real deal patches off. Paul knows Gene has no marriage morals, he’s in his “office” at every arena with C-list strippers & escorts, a total loser.
Who cares, it doesn’t make it right. I don’t get all the excuses, it’s called having a conscience.
So, if Lemmy, Ozzy, Nikki Sixx and Keith Richards all jumped off a bridge..Get where I’m going?
Who cares? Apparently not Eddie, because it doesn’t/wouldn’t keep him from having(and fawning over) any of those folks on his various shows. Meanwhile, what’s your point? That Eddie should do a mea culpa for inviting accused anti-semites and nazi buffs on his show? Get where I’m going?
At then end of the day, all of this HOF debacle, Paul’s anti semitic remarks, Gene and Paul bashing Ace and Peter on Twitter, all the negative, hateful interviews Genie and Paul are giving out there, Ace coming forth and saying he is trying to distance himself from Peter ( I just love Peter so I hate to see Ace push him away 🙁 )….. these are nothing more than publicity grabs.
Paul has a book coming out too- so all of this is playing right into getting his book on the best seller list right away.
About the HOF, Ace did the right thing by notifying everyone before the HOF tickets went on sale that the band wouldn’t be playing together.
It’s only fair that if fans were expecting that to let them know so they wouldn’t buy plane tickets, book hotel rooms, and so on.
That got the mud slinging started. It pissed off Genie and Paul because for once they weren’t in charge with their smoke and mirrors act, so they took to Twitter in retaliation and drug Peter into it also. Then Genie starts talking and Paul starts talking and they both discover it brings so much publicity- remember bad publicity is better than none at all- and it has just snowballed.
The more the fans get riled up, the more Genie and Paul vocalize. Paul is really over stepping to bring up the racial thing. I just don’t think that was necessary- but again, publicity, good or bad.
That stuff was FORTY years ago- move on. It’s sad to bring this racial issue up because it brings out so many trolls and oddballs who want to put in their two cents about it and it gets stuff stirred up that should be packed away, way far away never to be seen in the pubic eye again.
I personally think it was crappy of Lydia Criss to print those photos of Peter and Paul dressed in those outfits. However a lot of people would sell their mother to the devil for fifty cents.
As much as they deserve the HOF, I almost wish they hadn’t gotten in. This has caused more heartaches and bad feelings than when KISS was making their changes with Ace and Peter leaving the first time.
It’s leaving a bad taste in the fans mouth. Paul and Genie may regret it one of these days if it ever backfires on them.
I don’t think Ace meant to distance himself from Peter by dissolving their friendship, which I’m glad they made up last year, but Ace has his own vices apart from Peter’s. However, I wonder if Ace distancing himself from Peter was because of the things that Peter said about Ace in his book.
I don’t think so, this was a very recent interview like a week ago. I thought they had made up when the played Eddie’s birthday party. Now Ace says he ‘loves’ Peter to death, but is trying to distance himself.
Like Peter was the bad influence on him, even now. Ace MADE his own problems.
With Genie and Paul flinging salvos at Ace and Peter and saying Peter was fired, yada, yada… Ace clarified he WASN’T fired and didn’t want to be drug down the rabbit hole with Peter. Which is nonsense. Ace is just trying to dust himself off after all of this current round of BS.