Steve Appleford of the L.A. Times reports:
The sideshow at Dodger Stadium is about to begin as Paul Stanley emerges from his backstage trailer, shirtless and in full kabuki drag: bright red lips, his face painted harlequin white, a black star over his right eye. The singer-guitarist is here to perform with his band KISS but hears his name and walks over to a crowd gathered at the fence.
“Arriba!” yells one fan, and Stanley reaches over to shake hands, as dozens of cellphones take snapshots. “Let me see your shoes!” shouts another, and Stanley half-climbs the fence to swing a tasseled silver-and-black platform boot over the top. “Thanks, Paul!”
In less than an hour, Stanley and his musical partner of four decades, Gene Simmons, will lead KISS through two short sets of hooks and hard rock riffs as halftime entertainment for an ice hockey game between the Kings and the Ducks. It’s another strange gig in the ongoing saga of KISS, which long ago evolved from band to lucrative brand, ready for high-profile special events, reality TV and cradle-to-grave business ventures in the form of KISS Hello Kitty Dolls, KISS comics, books, T-shirts, action figures and restaurants as well as KISS caskets and KISS urns.
In one more way, 2014 could be the band’s most surprising year since its initial 1970s pop culture explosion, beginning with KISS’ induction April 10th into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It welcomes the hard-rock quartet into the critical pantheon that has at times violently rejected KISS and acknowledges the band’s huge impact on rock spectacle.
“I still believe the heart and soul of this is a band. The music is imperative,” says Stanley, who has produced the last two KISS albums and next month releases an autobiography, “Face the Music: A Life Exposed.” “Maybe our horizons are broader because we have an opportunity to go other places. Why not? Whether it’s a football team or restaurants, people say that’s not rock ‘n’ roll. Let me tell you what’s rock ‘n’ roll: Winning is rock ‘n’ roll.”
Being voted into the Hall of Fame is a victory that comes 15 years after the band’s initial eligibility and annual outrage from fans. But next month’s ceremony at Barclays Center in Brooklyn also means dealing with old wounds and complications that began with the final exit of founding guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss more than a dozen years ago. In their place ever since are lead guitarist Tommy Thayer, 53, and drummer Eric Singer, 55, who both wear the makeup designs of their predecessors (designs owned by Simmons and Stanley).
“The naysayers, and some of them are loud, talk about Tommy or Eric being impostors. I think an impostor is a guy up there doing it for a paycheck,” says Stanley, back in his trailer and now dressed in his full stage regalia, with black feathers on his shoulders and medallions over his chest of a guitar pick, a feather, a star. “We’ve never been happier.”
Any hopes for a reunion in makeup of the four founding members at the Hall of Fame ceremony ended last week with a band decision to not perform in any capacity. A statement on the KISS website read: “This is understandably an emotional situation where there is no way to please everyone.”
Negotiations with the Hall of Fame stalled, say Simmons and Stanley, who wanted to include Singer and Thayer, while the Rock Hall wanted a reunion of the original quartet in makeup.
“Imagine getting onstage and playing with a lineup that does not exist,” says Simmons, 64, comparing the situation to a forced reunion with an ex-spouse. Both have bad memories of years of substance abuse by their former partners but say they are happy and proud to accept the award with the former members. Putting the original quartet in makeup was “a nonstarter,” says Stanley.
Simmons and Stanley questioned whether the former members were up to performing. Reached via email, both Criss and Frehley are working on solo albums and say their problems with drinks and drugs are behind them. Frehley has been sober for seven years.
“We should of been able to work it out as grown men; it’s a shame we couldn’t,” writes Criss, who also survived a 2007 breast cancer scare.
“My guitar playing, singing, writing, performing and producing skills are as good or better than the past,” Frehley writes. “For years, Gene and Paul have been trying to minimize my contributions to the band, even though I designed the famous KISS logo … and designed the trademarked makeup for the Spaceman character.”
All four said they were open to joining the night’s traditional jam session at the end of the night. “That’s what the celebration is all about,” Frehley writes.
Long before being voted into the Rock Hall as a band, Simmons and Stanley were outspoken critics of the rock institution and its rules. “We had issues before this happened. It doesn’t turn into a love fest now,” says Stanley, but acknowledged, “There are some people who are angry or hurt by this, and I don’t want to see that.”
The controversies over the Hall of Fame and newer members wearing classic makeup are issues mainly for older fans with an emotional attachment to the original band. [Bassist Gene] Simmons calls up a photo on his computer from a stadium show in Stockholm, then another from Lima, Peru. Both show ecstatic young fans in the front rows.
“Can you see the faces? That’s about 90,000,” he says of the crowd. “You see a bald head in there? You think they … about Ace and Peter? They’re going, ‘Who?’ We’ve been around 40 years, and only two members stayed there the whole time, never quit, no drugs, no booze. KISS is bigger than anybody in the band.”
Read more at the L.A. Times.
184 Responses
Kiss in the last few years with Tommy and Eric have created more nee music than any other facet of kiss going back to the yearly albums of the 80s played on by all sorts of musicians. My point is that current kiss all plays their own parts on the album,no outside players and is written by just the band. We as fans always wanted the band to play and write the albums and two albums whether you liked portions or honestly all of them like me nevertheless it was honest made Kiss records showing MUSIC is still part of the brand. What I am offended about is the energy spent on these posts explaining how kiss doesn’wt draw like they did and co headline. So has motley Crue. Same could be said for them using kiss. Kiss also outdraws almost all the artists that appear on THAT METAL SHOW and that is true. But you all slam Kiss as failures that should walk away..I’m a Kiss fan and I enjoy the new shows,current lineup,and albums and I hate how folks that feel like I do are dumbed up and drunk on the fn Koolaid if we feel that way. Feel and honor your own opinion but those of us that appreciate the whole 40 yr history including Eric and Tommy aren’t some stupid brainwashed pawns of Gene and Paul. It just seems like the agenda coming from these posts are to accuse us of such blind worship when its not always the case.
Don Henley: When hell freezes over. Cher: That’s it. Daltrey ’82: Thank you, goodbye.
If kiss is bigger then members and members are just characters then why didnt gene and paul in 1996 put make up back on and kept Bruce and Eric in band as the cat manand spaceman. I tell you why because the public would not have bought it.
Ace and Peter were instrumental in the amazing chemistry of Kiss in 1972.
If Tommy and Eric were the same age in the beginning there would be no Kiss.
Eric would be a drummer for hire in a million bands, Tommy would be an asst. Editor at a rock magazine, Gene would have a ton of stupid business ventures that one of them might have worked and he became rich and Paul would have gotten signed with a mediocre music career.
The creativity and friction that Ace and Peter caused is what made Kiss great.
I’m sorry the latest version of Kiss is unwatchable.
I’d rather see no make up and have them update their material.
I also love how Gend and Paul leave Bruce Kulick out. That guy hung with Kiss for a long time. Revenge is a fantastic Record!
At this point it is extremely sad. I mean play a couple of songs with no make up.
Who ‘s the sick ones now.? Ace and Peter are doing well in a 12 step Program.
I believe the real problem lies with Paul and Gene.
Since Paul and Gene are not Alcoholic Drug Addicts they should seriously consider Al-anon.
It’s pretty sad that Gene & Paul won’t even entertain the idea of having Ace & Peter play one freakin song with them?? Why can’t they just drop their b.s.,for one night and just do something that would make their fans proud. We want everyone to see, hear & acknowledge what 4 misfits from NYC created collectively over 40yrs ago. I don’t think anyone would expect them to be “arena ready” musically, we just want to see them together & having fun playing a song together to commerate this milestone.
Do you think that Gene & Paul are worried that this idea would tarnish the brand KISS, sorry i meant “band”. IMHO, the 2,3,4 versions/lineups of KISS have nothing to do with what the H.O.F is acknowledging. This isn’t about what KISS is selling today, it’s about the 4 ORIGINAL guys who had the passion & determination to make it doing their own thing!! These guys were so cool that when they first started playing clubs they refused to play other artist’s material. BALLSY & BADASS!!
One last point that bothers me is when the KISS My Ass disc was released Gene & Paul seemed very sincere in their public address to Ace & Peter. Shortly thereafter the reunion tour that everyone was hoping would someday happen, actually turned into a reality. In an instant KISS (the business model ) turned into a money machine. As we all saw after 5 years it all came apart with the original guys, and just like before Gene & Paul carried on with KISS. My point is I just don’t think Gene & Paul see any sort of huge payoff with Ace & Peter anymore. They made there millions with those guys over the Reunion, Psycho, and Farewell Tours. I would bet if the H.O.F was offering up a nice big fat cheque to Gene & Paul for a 1-2 song performance with Ace & Peter you might actually see them jam together. Just like they used to jam back in the loft in NYC, before they had fans…..and way before the millions!!