Andy Greene of Rolling Stone reports:
The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame’s President and CEO Joel Peresman had to deal with the wrath of KISS frontman Paul Stanley, who has gone very public with his anger over the Hall of Fame’s decision to only induct the band’s original lineup. “I don’t need the Hall of Fame,” Stanley told Rolling Stone. “And if there’s not reciprocity, I’m not interested. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, practically every member was inducted, and virtually all 175 members of the Grateful Dead. Rules need to apply to everybody.”
“I don’t like all the sniping back and forth, though mostly it’s been forth,” says Peresman. “And I totally understand his point of view. What he’s failing to understand is that there are certain acts that are nominated and brought in on their entire body of work, up until the day before the nominating committee meets. They are still evolving bands that are breaking new ground. With KISS, there wasn’t a single person we spoke to that didn’t feel the reason these guys were being inducted was because of the four original members. It’s an incredibly unique situation. I can’t think of another band, outside of Gwar, that has members that are dressed up in costumes. You basically have these new members that are replicating exactly and playing the music that was created by the two other members that are being inducted.”
KISS has invited current members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer to sit at their table, along with former guitarist Bruce Kulick. “I appreciate how Tommy and Eric have filled in and the way they do things,” says Peresman. “They are fine musicians and I’m sure they’re lovely guys, but they are basically replicating the two members that are getting inducted. How could we have asked Ace and Peter to accept the award and then have other people in their guise playing their music? They probably wouldn’t have even come. They were very clear about that. . .Frankly, I’m really, really happy that KISS are being inducted. It should have happened a while ago. The four of them will get up, accept their award, say what they want to say and then we’ll move on.”
Read more at Rolling Stone.
source: rollingstone.com
121 Responses
I don’t know how anyone in their right mind can argue with what’s being said in this article.
So Robert Trujillo’s contributions to Metallica for that one lousy album are worth being inducted into the HOF over someone like Eric Carr? Interesting.
KISS should have gone in on their first year of eligibility. KISS is the hardest working band that ever played music. I’ve been a fan since 1975 and thay have always delivered the goods. The original lineup is no doubt the reason why they are going into the hall. In the 1970’s they dominated the World. I think that a band as big and as successful as KISS shoukd be given the choice of how they want to go into the hall and which members they want to bring in with them. Long live KISS.
Except History has shown KISS makes some real bone head choices. And if your the CEO of the HOF why would you let bands decide anything, most are destructive, egotistical Jerks or High as hell.
Kiss now is a cover band, a tribute band.
Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer did not have anything to do with KISS’s popularity that brought them to fame.
I remember seeing a TV show that Eric Singer is arguing with Gene Simmons about Eric Singer singing Beth. That is Peter’s so g and always will be.
The four original members is the real KISS.
That’s all there is to it. So all of you bitching, shut the hell up. Because most of you never even seen KISS in the 70’s or early 80’s.
So, was Creatures with Vinnie and Eric a cover band too? Or is it just a visual thing for you? Just asking…have a great weekend.
Eric and Vinnie were not pretending to be ACE and Peter.
If Eric S. and Tommy dressed up like Eric and Vinnie it would still be silly and lack credibility.
They are not pretending to be Ace and Peter–they are being Tommy and Eric and writing their own songs. They are not imposters, they are filling in some big shoes, and doing a good job. Tommy has never said, “Hi, I’m Ace Frehley”. The makeup started as extensions of the member’s personalities. It is no longer an extension of their personality, but a role they play in honor of those characters. The former may be preferable, but to allude to Paul and Gene’s point, what are they going to do, create a dogman or the human butterfly? Marvel comic’s will always have their most popular characters, and so will KISS. Eric Carr was an excellent drummer but the Fox makeup was not that good–it vaguely looked like the shape of a Fox when his hair wasn’t in the way.
That’s a lot B.S. The Make up IS ACE and Peter.
Best comment i’ve read over this whole debate !
I knew it, I knew it, I knew it…Gene and Paul make Eric sing Beth. Eric doesn’t look that happy the last few tours and in recent photos. He’s probably getting paid very well to shut his mouth. The last time I saw Kiss was with the current lineup, because hell I supported them in the 80’s, so I figured why not. No more. Not paying all that money to hear Kiss tuned like Sabbath and Paul croaking. Anyway, I took my girlfriend to see this particular show, and she is a very casual fan of a few Kiss tunes. She wanted to see what all the hoopla was about. It was embarrassing, because of 2 things: Paul sucked to high heaven vocally, and then IT happened: Eric came out to sing Beth. My jaw dropped, she looked over at me, and I cupped my hands around my mouth and yelled “NOOOOOO!!”…she didn’t laugh. After the show, SHE, a person who mainly prefers The Cure and Billy Joel as favorites, said to me, “Even I know that was wrong”.
So what about us that DID see them in the 70s and 80s and don’t agree?
At the end of the day, when Gene, Paul, Peter and Ace are dead and gone, the world will only remember The Four as Kiss. I highly doubt that the legacy The Four leave us is going to cause a kid 30 years from now to have the desire to dress up like Eric Singer for Halloween. Nobody will pick up the guitar and learn to play because of Bruce Kulick. I’ve said it before and I will keep saying it: When you say “Ace”, it’s like saying “Ringo”. People get it. That’s more than music. That’s iconic. So The Paul and Gene Machine can continue to be delusional and outright insult the fans with their “This liuneup is what it always should have been” garbage. Ultimately it doesn’t matter what they say. The key worsd in that statement are SHOULD HAVE…well guess what? It didn’t happen that way, fellas. In 20 years’ time, and I say this with no personal disrespect to them, nobody is going to give a rat’s ass about Tommy and Eric, but they will always remember The Four.
With all the controversy with Kiss I don’t think I can remember who others inducted.