The OC Weekly spoke with KISS frontman Paul Stanley about his new autobiography, Face The Music: A Life Exposed.
In it the singer recounts many stories including one that claimed drummer Peter Criss went on a racist rant at a Chinese restaurant and quitting the band for a few days and crawling back. “[Peter] didn’t crawl back,” Stanley says. “He swallowed his pride and pseudo machismo and came back. But part of the dynamic of the band was to have to pragmatically deal with the fact that two of the guys were often times more interested in sabotaging the band, sabotaging [bassist/vocalist] Gene [Simmons] and I, than doing the right thing. And they (Criss and guitarist Ace Frehley) also wanted equal say when they didn’t do equal work.”
He continued: “Part of what we gave the public was the myth that the four of us did everything together and contributed equally. That was something we wanted to maintain in the spirit of the bands that we loved and pictured doing that. The problem was that the guys in the band began to believe it themselves!”
When asked what it is about he and Simmons that they have managed to stay together over 40 years, Stanley said: “It’s hard to define and distinguish between friendship and brotherhood. I certainly see him as a brother, although we don’t always agree on how to treat your brother. At the end of the day, I know he will be there for me and me for him. My issues have always been more rooted in participating evenly and equally and still ending up with a equal share of money. I didn’t want it with Peter and Ace, why would I want it with Gene? He wasn’t doing his job and he was off doing other things and being paid for those things. I felt like if he wasn’t going to do his job and gonna go elsewhere. It was like he took less here or he gave me some of what he was doing elsewhere. That was an ongoing problem. But look, at this point we made the life for each other that each of us could only have dreamed of, and those lives have very little in common. I’m sure Gene would no more want to live my life than I live his. But there’s a bond there because we made it possible for each of us.”
source: ocweekly.com
192 Responses
Bubbles the chimp wore a Kiss jersey. Peter dropped the change in Compton and made that Chinese rant look tame in the remark. Ace’s ex assistant’s book I think.
It seems every time Paul talks everybody is ready to pounce on him. If he was being interviewed and the question was asked he should answer it. It’s the media and reporters who keep asking the same old tired questions! Yes it gets old hearing these same old type of comments but really what he or any of them supposed to do? Start declining interviews, it’s part of what they do. Funny how you never hear anything current, like concert type questions, what’s next for KISS, etc. I would much rather read Paul’s opinion on the recent tour or the future for KISS. It’s mostly the fault of the media I think.
That doesn’t explain Paul’s Twitter rants.
You are forgetting that the questions asked and aired are pre-selected, that is to say the interviews are scripted or at least the questions are approved of in advance – now have a guess who will be the one to approve?? Do you really think G or P will go on air and have the interviewer ask uncomfortable question that are not in line with their business and band policy? Now if the interviewer would insist, the interview will not be aired or printed, end of matter. the same, of course, is true for other bands, actors, politicians. So if we hear Paul talking about his book and telling the same old stries all over again, he is doing it deliberately.
I’m pretty sure people are tired of this conversation anyway. I wish paul would not answer any more questions about ace & peter from now on! Seriously the hall of fame fiasco was enough! Let’s just focus on the kiss tour and aces new album. Because honestly I don’t really give a f#ck anymore! Just let it go damn! They need to make up before one of them croaks and then they will regret treating each other like sh!t! So seriously guys please stop!
Yeah Paul…you did a great job carrying Kiss in the 80’s, because Asylum and Crazy Nights were such classics!
This continues to cross my mind whenever I see (as always & often) Gene & Paul continue & relentlessly bash Ace & Peter. That one day God forbid that Ace or Peter pass away to the Heaven above that either Gene or Paul are going to sit back & first start feeling some sort of guilt and then start asking was it really worth to go to those extremes for all those decades……..Gene for sure will because aside from his ego, the man has a lot of heart….Paul, not quite so sure. Regardless the four of them are up there in age, and if the Good Lord can forgive than Gene & Paul sure can also because at the end of the day, $$’s aside, they are ONLY human beings and NOT GOD!!….Joe in The Cuse