In speaking with with KNPR News, KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley was asked why he declined to perform with fellow original KISS members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley at the band’s Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame induction in April. His answer has been transcribed by blabbermouth.net and can be read below.
Stanley said, It’s a tough question to answer, but there’s so much involved in it. Firstly, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame wanted nothing to do with us; they begrudgingly let us in. And my sense was that we were going to be a dog-and-pony show. They wanted to have the original guys play in the band, and all of us in makeup, and, quite honestly, I think it would have done the band a disservice. That lineup has not been together for 14 years, and physically, perhaps, wouldn’t have looked that great, and musically, undoubtedly, probably, would have sounded a bit suspect. So, to have people watch it on television and identify that as KISS because there’s four guys in makeup would not send a great signal to the people who are not following the band in its current permutation, or what it is today.”
He continued, “Look, we just did 42 shows and played to 600,000 people in America, and I would hate for those people to turn on a TV show where we were an unwanted guest in the first place and see us strong-armed into doing something that really does a disservice to something that I worked at for 40 years. I never quit the band twice, once, and to dilute what I’ve worked on all these years just to make a committee happy that really was not all that thrilled that we were there in the first place, it sent the wrong message and it endangered something that I hold very dear to me.”
KISS begins their three week Las Vegas residency, Kiss Rocks Vegas, at The Joint inside Hard Rock Hotel & Casino today (November 5th).
additional source: blabbermouth.net
204 Responses
It wouldn’t have made the “committee happy” but it would have made the fans of the original line up very happy. Personally, I get it, just say it Paul…you don’t like that those guys, who got tired of towing your company line, and you resent them for quitting. Stop pretending you have some great agenda that is somehow above what was originally created. You were in a great rock band…but, now have become somewhat of a caricature of your former selves. Congratulations on your accomplishiments and continued success…but, shut up already about the past and disrespecting the fans of the original line up.
Paul is right, and now all of you haters can start chiming in with your comments that make most of us laugh at you.
You mean the members of the “I love the imposters Tommy and Eric club,” are on here laughing at our heartfelt comments? That is crushing news!!!
paul is always right. he’s singing better than he ever has and his farts are symphonies.
That whole fiasco is over so why rehash that in the first place…with his voice being as bad as it is, I doubt he wanted to perform anyways…
I imagine the vitriol is coming, but I hope people give that last paragraph a fair shake, and put themselves in his shoes for a moment. The four members got their recognition, and as we have seen, the world continues to turn even though the four guys didn’t actually play together. They are not the first, and certainly won’t be the last, band to simply walk to the podium, and it isn’t as if the fans have been cheated by them. I think people forget it is easy to stand up there when everyone is on equal footing, and when everyone is fairly represented, and that wasn’t going to happen, and not because of Paul and/or Gene.
Well stated Bill. Most of the knuckleheads on here cannot comprehend that with Ace and Peter…Kiss doesn’t exist anymore, simple as that. I’m not particularly fond of the band as it is now but I do fully respect their right to continue on. Ace and Peter had the option years ago to stick with it or bail…they bailed. You quit…then in my opinion your viewpoint is irrelevant. As for the hall…Kiss isn’t the joke, Paul isn’t the joke. The joke is the RnR HOF. They had their chance to get the original band in all it’s glory in ’99 but they thumbed their noses. Kiss doesn’t owe’s anyone anything, either your a fan or your not. They sure don’t owe Wenner and Marsh jack squat. The very critics that have done everything they can to ignore them for 4 decades. They’ve given me alot of good music, concerts and enjoyment since ’75. As a fan what more is there. It’ll all soon be over then what’s everyone going to bitch about on here…no other band generates traffic like Kiss does on this site.
Kiss was not supposed to exist after Ace and Peter. They had this thing called the “Farewell” Tour” which was supposed to be the fans last time to see the band…ever! Then one day after the tour ended Paul ran into a guy at a car wash who didn’t want the band to end and it convinced Paul to keep the band going..forever! Apparently all the screaming fans at the concerts who wanted the core four to keep going were not enough. No, it was some guy at a car wash lol!
One hell of a dumb story indeed. He might have a ghost writer (usually working on dime novels) writing all these absurd and very obvious stories for him to use in interviews and whenever he feels like he has to justify the current lineup’s existence and quality.
Actually…if you bother to read anything, the whole reason for the Farewell Tour was Ace and Peter. The band could have easily existed had Peter and Ace been happy raking in a couple mill a year doing nothing but playing shows for adoring fans…not a bad gig IMO. Nope, as usual, they wanted more of the pie, refused to change their ways (Drunk=Ace, druggie=Peter) and made everyone miserable in the process. Again…Ace and Peter gave the fans the finger. They had the power to make a difference for a second time and failed. Not the other way around. However by all means, continue blaming Paul and Gene…even after they left the door open to Ace to return, even after offering Peter a cool mill to do a handful of shows…yes, let’s blame Paul and Gene lol.
I think either there is a mistake in the text or that Stanley meant to say that performing with the original 4 “would not send a great signal to the people who ARE following the band in its current permutation.” No? Why would he care what signal performing with the original 4 sent to people who are NOT following the band today? It doesn’t make any sense to me.
That is because he always just says what suits him in the present situation, it has become a pattern and is quite similar to what politicians do, it is never about the facts or the ideals you have, it is to preserve influence, power, public interest.