THE ROCK N’ ROLL HALL OF FAME’S PRESIDENT ON THE KISS DRAMA: “I DON’T LIKE ALL THE SNIPING BACK AND FORTH, THOUGH MOSTLY IT’S BEEN FORTH”
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
I think since Gene and Paul won’t come down from their clownface ivory tower to be on TMS, maybe some of these letters should be read on the show. Gene and Paul are telling the world media what they think, why not tell the world what WE think? I know this logistically would probably not work in the format of the show, but a coupla quick zingers thrown in there would be just great!
It used to us against them as brothers in arms with Kiss and the fans. Now it’s us against Gene and Paul. Feels like 1994 all over again!
Mr. Perelman and the other RRHOF clowns are a joke. His argument may apply to his thoughts regarding Tommy & Eric S. (even though I disagree), but it’s a load of crap when you apply it to Eric Carr and Bruce Kulick. They didn’t replicate anybody. So F-off Mr. Perelman, you and your stupid organization. Go admit acts like The Carpenters and Kool Moe Dee cause they are true Rock icons and would fit in well in your joke of an organization.
Paul always used to say if you paint a garbage can platinum, it’s still a garbage can, and the music has to be good. Very true. At the end of the day, it’s about the music. Now, to Paul, it doesn’t matter who wears the makeup, where it used to be that the makeup was created as extensions of the individual members’ personalities. Now, he thinks it’s just fine that your next door neighbor could join Kiss, slap on what should now be referred to as “the trademark of the brand”, and continue to perform THE MUSIC that the original four members made famous. Last I checked, Monster and Sonic Boom tanked. Yet, Alive! and Destroyer still sell. So, is Kiss today a garbage can that ISN’T platinum…?
Has Sonic Boom and Monster went gold at all?
Sonic Boom was at number two and Monster at number three on the Billboard top 200, but don’t know how well it sold. These days, no one cares for CDs or albums anymore, they just like to pick songs from a list on iTunes.
You mean gold and platinum albums don’t mean as much as it used to because of digital downloads?
you wanna bet? maybe younger people with no ear for music don’t care about cd’s or albums, but people like us (most of us) in their late 40’s/early 50’s still care and always will about cd’s & albums! I will never listen to music from a itune, ipad, ipod or whatever the hell they call that shit.
When I said, “no one” I was referring to the trend were seeing with CDs disappearing from shelves at Best Buy. I buy all my CDs online through Amazon and Best Buy. I am a CD guy too because I like the whole package so I agree with you on that point. I hate that CDs are starting to phase out, but it seems inevitable.
Hey Paul heard you’ve been looking for me the past 5 or 6 years.
Did you hear this from Eddie Trunk? Saw KISS in 2012 and Paul’s voice sounds great. Go on YouTube and watch some recent live clips and see if his voice is shot. Is this a serious debate or jus trash talk?
Im watching now…pauls voice is shot…not sure what ur watching?
Hey Mike you must be tone deaf. Paul voice has never been the same since the recording of Sonic Boom. “Paul sounded great in 2012”? Surely not, unless you like raspy and hoarse!
I seem to recall he had throat surgery sometime back. Maybe he was still recovering while on tour? He also sang the national anthem at the Dodger Stadium last year–I think his voice is fine. Yngwie Malmstein learned to play guitar again after his car accident and Paul Stanley is developing his voice so he can sing better after his surgery.
Yes he did have surgery (nodules removed on his vocal chords I believe)…if im correct, they played a show a couple weeks or so afterwards…I heard somewhere that paul said they crammed in a lot of shows for financial reasons….point is he may not have gotten proper recovery time and he may be doing more damage at this point….to me, a year off would have done him good…will he be able to sing decent enough to tour? Maybe with some R/R…sing like used to in the old days?…nope, probly not even close…if you want to hear him sing like he did in the old days, go listen to the old albums/concerts…father time taps everyone on the shoulder….its just some can bow out gracefully and others cant/wont…
It is a fact his voice is worse than ever, go to YT and watch/listen to the professionally shot and recorded gig (during a tour!) at Zurich last year, watch out for Eric (together with T. and G., of course) covering most of Paul’s chorus vocals, high notes etc., Paul does sometimes not even sing whole chorusses anymore, he cuts verses short, he modulates original melodies to a lower register, and when he does the verses, his voice is a shadow of what it used to be – I saw them live in 2008 and then 2010 and you could witness his voice deteriorating fast. The surgery might have slowed down the process, but since hedid not and still does not allow for enough recory time (other star singers with the same problem sometimes took a hiatus of a year or more) I do not think it will ever become better again, maybe for one gig, if the audience is lucky, but not for a whole tour. He can be lucky that Eric is able to hit those high notes for him, still, it sounds different, because if Paul’s voice is absent half of the time in typical Paul songs, it cannot be the same. Interestingly enough few people seem to have noticed that or they just do not want to know because they see their old heroes fading, which is sad.
I’d rather look for you than listen to you. go away.
PS’s Voice: Great and funny post!