Gary Graff of Billboard reports:
With the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Induction ceremony looming closer, neither KISS nor the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation seem ready to relax the entrenched positions that led to the group’s decision not to perform April 10th at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.
KISS, according to frontman Paul Stanley, is upset that the Rock Hall plans to induct only the group’s founding lineup and tells Billboard that discussions about subsequent members “was shut down as a non-starter.”
Nevertheless, Stanley says KISS feels that honoring the other six musicians who have played in the band is “a very valid argument considering that there are people who played on multi-platinum albums and played for millions of people and were very important for the continuation of the band. And clearly when you’ve got a busload of Grateful Dead (members) who have been inducted and guys in the Chili Peppers who nobody knows who they are because they played on the very earliest albums are inducted…The list goes on and on of the inconsistencies. Now, I’m not pointing fingers at any of those people, but I’m certainly pointing a finger at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. The only consistencies are inconsistencies and the rules clearly are there are no rules because the criteria for how and who gets in is purely based upon a personal like or dislike. And when I feel we’re being treated unfairly, I have issues with that.”
Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Foundation CEO Joel Peresman says that the decision about who to induct from any band is made by the Rock Hall’s nominating committee as well as an adjunct group of “scholars and historians” familiar with specific inductees and genres. “This isn’t chemistry or physics; it’s not an exact science,” Peresman acknowledges. “Sometimes there’s an entire body of work up until (the artists) are inducted, other times it’s a specific period of time that established the band as who they are. With KISS there wasn’t one person here who didn’t agree that the reason Kiss was nominated and is being inducted was because of what was established in the ’70s with Ace (Frehley), with Peter (Criss), with Paul and Gene (Simmons). That’s what put them on that map.”
Peresman adds that KISS “is a unique situation where you have artists who wear makeup as part of what the band’s about,” but the Rock Hall felt that the later members — including current guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer, who are wearing Frehley and Criss’ makeup, respectively — “are fine musicians who…basically have the same makeup and are the same characters that Ace and Peter started. It’s not like they created these other characters with different makeup and playing different songs. They took the persona of characters that were created by Ace and Peter.” Persman notes that last year Heart was in a similar position, where the Rock Hall chose to induct the original ’70s sextet and not later musicians that played in the band.
But Stanley feels the situation with KISS is a bit more personal. “That it’s 14 years on (of eligibility) and we’re getting into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a clear indication that the people who hide behind that moniker don’t like us, but it reached a point where it was so absurd and ludicrous (to exclude Kiss) that they caved,” he says. “It’s like them swallowing a teaspoon of medicine they don’t want. It’s a bitter pill for them to swallow, so they’re making it as small as possible.”
Stanley says that the Rock Hall asked KISS to perform as the original quartet, in make-up, but he and Simmons — who have been playing with three-time KISS member Singer again since 2002 and Thayer since 2004 — were not confident the performance would be up to standard. “Honestly, I don’t want to roll the dice and possibly negatively impact on what I personally have been involved in building for 40 years,” he explains. “I have too much invested at this point. It really is a can of worms that I feel is better off left closed.” Peresman, meanwhile, says the Rock Hall has no plans for a performance stand-in for Kiss at the ceremony. “We have other artists, other inductees showing up and performing when they can,” Peresman says. “We’re very hopeful that Ace and Peter and Paul and Gene come and accept their award. We’re obviously honored to have them inducted.”
Read more at Billboard.
source: billboard.com
208 Responses
somebody said eric and tommy arent trying to copy ace and peter,bullshit!i seen them ONE time on tour with aerosmith,kiss was terrible,areosmith rocked the crowd!ive seen kiss dozens of times with ace and peter,no comparsion.i wont be wasting my money on new tour!!
Tommy is still singing Shock Me on Tour how is that not copying?
The Rock and Roll Hall of Shame makes me want to puke. Please get Rock and Roll out of the name since most of the artists have nothing to do with Rock and Roll. And to quote Eddie (paraphrasing) – if they would have inducted Kiss when they first became eligible – which they should have – none of this drama would even be happening!
I believe Kiss should be inducted as a band, period, end of story, BUT the dipsticks @ the RNRHOF have done this to other bands previously so Paul would be incorrect that they are just picking on Kiss.(might be some truth if Kiss was the 1st band to have this happen to them.)
Still, going on MUSIC ALONE, there is NO DOUBT that the four ORIGINAL members made the BEST MUSIC in KISSTORY. PEOS
Although Creatures & Carnival are a couple of my faves, nothing they’ve done since the originals broke up comes even close. ALL KISS Army would agree I think?
Never was a fan of Carnival. Dunno why, just didn’t work for me. I would add Revenge to your list. Although not a popular disc, I was a fan of Asylum. The ‘non singles’ on that album worked for me. Creatures of the Night however is without doubt one of the best albums any version of KISS ever made. It’s my #2 of KISS albums and I grew up with them in the 70’s.
Inducting Kiss into the RRHOF is on par with listing Arby’s in a Zagat guide.