WATCH DRUMMER ERIC SINGER PERFORM KISS’ “BETH” AT LIVE SHOW
Fan-filmed video footage of KISS performing the band’s hit ballad, Beth, on July 12th at Manchester Arena in Manchester, England can be seen below (courtesy of YouTube user Chromeboy2003).
Although, original drummer Peter Criss is credited for writing the song. along with the late Stan Penridge and producer Bob Ezrin, Paul Stanley claims that Criss had very little to do with it. Stanley reportedly told Rolling Stone. “Peter can’t write a song, because Peter doesn’t play an instrument. Penridge came up with [sings], ‘Beth, I hear you calling…’ Peter had nothing to do with it. Because if you write one hit song, you should be able to write two. That’s the reality. Devastating? It’s the truth. It was a lifeline that Peter hung on to validate himself, but it wasn’t based on reality.”
Criss responded to Stanley’s comments by saying, “Paul is so full of f–king shit’cause as a lead singer of the band he never got to write the hit. That’s his problem. They hated the fact that I wrote a hit record and won a People’s Choice.”
In a 2000 interview, Penridge was asked how Beth (originally called Beck after Becky, Chelsea bandmate Mike Brand’s wife) was written and how much of it Criss was really responsible for, he said, “Beck was written, almost word for word, from Mike Brand’s responses to his wife’s constant calls that interupted our rehearsals. It got to the point where I wrote down his remarks over a period of 3 or 4 days in what I called my ‘wizard book.’ It was merely a small notebook I carried to jot down silly sayings, sketch in, anything….to save ideas. If you look at the lyrics and view them as a hen-pecked hubby’s remarks to his nagging wife, you’ll see what I mean. Just pause after every sentence and pretend there’s a bitch at the other end of the line. You’ll catch it — I’m sure.”
He added, “[Peter was] absolutely not responsible [for it] at all. Another poorman’s copyright by me in ’70.”
KISS is currently on their End Of The Road farewell tour. Remaining dates are as follows:
August:
6 Sunrise, FL @ BB&T Center
8 Charleston, NC @ North Charleston Coliseum
10 Charlotte, NC @ PNC Music Pavilion
11 Bristow, VA @ Jiffy Lube Live
13 Virginia Beach, VA @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
14 Newark, NJ @ Prudential Center
16 Montreal, QC @ Bell Centre
17 Toronto, ON @ Scotiabank Arena
20 Brooklyn, NY @ Barclays Center
21 Hershey, PA @ HersheyPark Stadium
23 Darien Center, NY @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
24 Saratoga Springs, NY @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
27 Syracuse, NY @ St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
29 Cincinnati, OH @ Riverbend Music Center
31 Indianapolis, IN @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
September:
1 St. Louis, MO @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
3 Des Moines, IA @ Wells Fargo Arena
5 Little Rock, AR @ Verizon Arena
7 Bossier City, LA @ CenturyLink Center
8 San Antonio, TX @ AT&T Center
9 Houston, TX @ Toyota Center
11 Albuquerque, NM @ Isleta Amphitheater
12 Denver, CO @ Pepsi Center
14 Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheatre
16 Oakland, CA @ Oracle Arena
additional source: blabbermouth.net
OMG … I have lost count – how many times is it now that Paul is dissing old members to make himself shine out more? the selfsame wording time and time again as if repeating (half-)lies would turn them into truths? Why is that? I guess the only straight and plain answer is: because he needs to. He just needs to. In spite of all the fame and fortune and acknowledgements from fellow musicians, fans, interviewers, whoever, in spite of a ton of money in the bank, in spite of so many accomplishments and privileges that so many others would love to have and will never come close to, he still needs to bash others to feel better. In short: Jealousy. Anger. Incomprehension. Envy. Egotism. Which will surely and maybe inevitably result in: Bashing those whom you make responsible for not getting what you think you deserve (most/more than them), belittleling and negating the accomplishments of others, and finally just telling lies about them to create your own little dreamworld – it’s delusional, and because it has happened so many times now in exactly the same way I think it is on its way to becoming pathological. Maybe the time when he was young and he was joshed because of his crippled ear and maybe other things we all know nothing about have created a pattern in his way of thinking that nothing can ease, no money, no fame – so, that is the nice version/explanation. The not-so-nice one would be that he is just one self-centered, self-righteous, mean spirit that just cannot cope with the fact that somebody else is more popular with the fans than he is, even though he is a great songwriter, frontmen, etc., and also that even though Peter as a drummer had his limitations he is still loved by the fans and acknowledged for his share in the magic that the original lineup once created. This is also why I would never pay for a meet-and-greet experience with any of my favourite artists – I would not want to find out that my idol is, in fact, a dislikabe person. Rather put on the music and enjoy.