Lost your password?

kiss

PAUL STANLEY Says KISS Had No Other Choice Than To Go Unmasked

Manos Spanos
According to The Pulse Of Radio, Paul Stanley feels that KISS had no other option than to go "unmasked" in 1983 with the release of their "Lick It Up" album. Stanley, who will be inducted along with KISS into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame next month, has come under attack along with Gene Simmons for deciding that no lineup of KISS would be performing at the celebrations — in essence robbing fans of one last time to see the band's founders, including Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, play together. Over 30 years ago, on September 18, 1983, KISS — then featuring guitarist Vinnie Vincent and drummer Eric Carr — unveiled themselves without makeup for the first time live on MTV. Paul Stanley told Guitar World that it had come to a point where KISS needed to make a drastic change, recalling, "I didn’t see any other choice at that point. And I take my hat off to Gene that, although he was uncertain about it and maybe less comfortable with it, he came to realize that it was the right move. Or at least he saw that I was very committed to the idea." Stanley went on to say, "I felt that we had diluted everything the band was to the point where it was becoming a farce. What happened was, we kicked Peter out of the band — 'we' meaning Ace, Gene and myself. But rather than saying, 'We’ve built these iconic figures together and we’re going to continue on with what we built,' we bought into the idea of, 'We have to have a new character.' That watered it down. Some people may argue with me, but I feel that Batman is Batman whether he’s played by George Clooney, Christian Bale, Val Kilmer and on and on." When asked about KISS finally getting inducted and being arguably the most successful band to be passed over year after year by the Hall, Stanley said: "To ignore somebody with the kind of fervor that we’ve been ignored, that’s clearly a conscious decision. For better or worse, that’s not being ignored at all. When it happens year after year, that’s a choice. But on the other side of it, to me rock and roll has always been about doing what you want to do and ignoring not only your critics but also your peers. For 40 years, we’ve rarely wavered from that. So I would have to say that the same criteria that has kept us out of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is the same criteria that now has gotten us inducted into it." Paul Stanley, who turned 62 in January, told The Pulse Of Radio that the things that spurred him and KISS to super-stardom still drives the band to carry on. "There's no substitute for the enormous crowds, or the response or the mania that we see and that's directed at us," he said. "There's no substitute for me getting up onstage and having 15,000 people calling my name — y'know, all the accouterment, all the stuff that goes along with it. . .
03 min read

KISS Documentary ‘You Wanted The Best You Got The Best’: Official Teaser Poster

Manos Spanos
The official "teaser" poster for what's being billed as the definitive KISS documentary, "You Wanted The Best You Got The Best", can be seen below. The film is expected before the end of the year. According to The Pulse Of Radio, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss have opted out of appearing in "You Wanted The Best You Got The Best". Classic Rock magazine spoke to director Alan G. Parker, who's behind the officially sanctioned film, and he shed light on why the two co-founders are staying away from anything having to do with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, explaining, "Gene and Paul were shocked at first, but now they don't seem to be. There's been so much bitchiness down the years, and so much said about and done to Ace and Peter that they interpreted the request to be in the movie as a favor to Gene and Paul. Because of that, they won't go anywhere near it. The negotiations were interesting, to say the least." In the end, Parker will use footage shot of Frehley and Criss by band archivist — and current lead guitarist — Tommy Thayer back in 2001. In addition to Thayer and current drummer Eric Singer, Parker has filmed interviews with former guitarist Bruce Kulick and his brother Bob Kulick — who performed on many of the band's studio tracks. Parker also held, "positive meetings" with the family of Eric Carr, the band's late drummer, who replaced Peter Criss in 1980 and died of heart cancer in 1991. With the film currently in the editing stage, Parker "hopes to show the finished film to the band in February or March, followed by a spot at the Cannes Film Festival in May and a worldwide opening in the autumn of 2014." In a November 2013 interview with Eddie Trunk's "Eddie Trunk Rocks" radio show on New York's Q104.3 FM, Frehley stated about his refusal to appear in "You Wanted The Best You Got The Best": "I don't know. I found it very weird that, instead of getting a call from Gene or [KISS manager] Doc McGhee or [KISS guitarist/vocalist] Paul [Stanley], because they're behind this documentary, instead of getting a call from them, I get a call from my bodyguard, and he got a call from KISS' bodyguard about me doing an interview for this documentary. They tried to go through the back door — probably because they don't wanna pay me any money, as usual, and it left a bad taste in my mouth, and I just passed on it. You want me to do a documentary? Let me know how much money you're making, give me my fair share, and I'll sit down and talk. You don't wanna do it that way? Forget about it… If KISS is behind the documentary, Paul and Gene are making the lion's share of the funds." Former KISS filmmaker Tommy Thayer now "portrays" Frehley's character in KISS' live show. Unlike Frehley's original replacement Vinnie Vincent — who was given his own unique persona — fans have had mixed reactions to Thayer possibly "duping" some people into thinking Frehley is still playing with the band. Thayer looks at it from a theatrical, rather than a historical perspective. "You've had different guitarists in and out of the band, and different members. At this point, if you start introducing new characters and new makeup designs and things, I think that it really dilutes the whole core and, y'know, the original foundation of what KISS is," he said. "And those four original characters are certainly the whole basis of it. To change that and come up with a new design or character, it just convolutes things."
04 min read

KISS Wins Fan Vote For ROCK AND ROLL HALL OF FAME Induction

Manos Spanos
Legendary rockers KISS have won the fan vote for induction into the 2014 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. The poll ended with KISS at 17.22 percent, followed by NIRVANA at 15.69 percent, DEEP PURPLE at 11.93 percent, and YES at 10.88 percent. The Rock Hall's official poll will be used to create a single online fan vote. That will be matched against about 600 voters consisting of artists, historians and members of the music business. The artists who get the most votes will be announced later this month December and will be inducted at a New York City ceremony next April. Highlights from the event will be shown on HBO in May. During an interview with The Huffington Post, KISS frontman Paul Stanley took time to salute the band's fans while taking a swipe at chairman of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame Foundation, Jann Wenner, when asked if he ever sees a day when KISS will be inducted into the Rock Hall. "Well, it depends on who lives longer, us or Jann Wenner," Stanley said. "Look, the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is marketing," he continued. "You've got a bunch of faceless people in a back room who trademark a name that sounds very official. Well, if you had thought of it first, you would have been the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I am one of the biggest Laura Nyro fans. I still listen to that stuff incessantly. Laura Nyro does not belong in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. Songwriter Hall Of Fame? Absolutely." He went on to plead his case, saying: "It's absurd for anybody to look around and hear the acts and artists who cite us as an inspiration, and then tell me that we're not in the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame. I would certainly accept on their (the fans) behalf because it seems to be a major sore spot for them, but I don't need the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame." KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons told Rolling Stone last year about being shut out of the Rock Hall: "It's become a joke. We've been thinking about it and the answer is simply, 'We'll just buy it and fire everybody.' In all seriousness for the fans, for something to be called Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame is such an insult to MADONNA, BLONDIE. . . Who the fuck knows what other disco act is in there? It's an insult to them because they don't get to be in the 'Dance Hall Of Fame', because that's what they do. They're legitimate dance, disco artists. They don't belong in rock and roll." Stanley added: "The Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame has reached a point where they're really scrounging and scratching to find someone left that they consider viable. With all due respect, when you get to Patti Smith, you're about two steps away from Pete Seeger." Gene Simmons told The Pulse Of Radio that awards hold little allure for him, since it's the fans that ultimately decide who stays around and who doesn't: "Our awards are under the 'K' section in record stores. Every time somebody goes out and plunks down their hard-earned money — either for a KISS ticket or for an album — that's the award, and reward."
03 min read

Video: Original KISS Members ACE FREHLEY And PETER CRISS Perform Together For First Time In 13 Years

Manos Spanos
Original KISS members Ace Frehley (guitar) and Peter Criss (drums) reunited on stage for the first time in 13 years last night (Wednesday, October 23) during the all-star jam at the 30th-anniversary party for VH1 Classic "That Metal Show" co-host Eddie Trunk's radio show at the Hard Rock Café in New York City. Drummer Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER) served as the musical director for the event, which featured additional performances by members of GUNS N' ROSES, ANTHRAX, ACCEPT, TNT, TWISTED SISTER and OVERKILL, among others. The setlist for Eddie Trunk's 30th-anniversary-party all-star jam was as follows: 01. Captain Nemo (MSG) * Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER) - Drums * Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, THE WINERY DOGS) - Bass * Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (GUNS N' ROSES) - Guitar 02. Diamonds And Rust (JUDAS PRIEST) * Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER) - Drums * Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, THE WINERY DOGS) - Bass * Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (GUNS N' ROSES) - Guitar * Tony Harnell (TNT) - Vocals 03. Burn (DEEP PURPLE) * Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER) - Drums * Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, THE WINERY DOGS) - Bass * Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (GUNS N' ROSES) - Guitar * Tony Harnell (TNT) - Vocals 04. Restless And Wild (ACCEPT) * Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM THEATER) - Drums * Billy Sheehan (MR. BIG, THE WINERY DOGS) - Bass * Ron "Bumblefoot" Thal (GUNS N' ROSES) - Guitar * Mark Tornillo (ACCEPT) - Vocals 05. On Fire (VAN HALEN) * Mike Portnoy (THE WINERY DOGS, DREAM
05 min read

GENE SIMMONS On KISS: ‘We Probably Have Another 5 To 10 Years At The Most’

Manos Spanos
KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons made an appearance at the Hard Rock Cafe in Stockholm, Sweden yesterday (Saturday, June 1) prior to the opening concert of the band's European tour. He also gave an interview to Expressen TV (see video below) in which he spoke about the day when it will finally be time for KISS to retire. "One day it will end," Simmons explained. "And I hope on the day that we end, we end on a high note instead of going down. You don't wanna stay one day longer than when it's great; you wanna be great 'till the end." Asked how long he gives the band before it will be time to call it quits for good, Simmons said: "We probably have another 5 to 10 years at the most." Back in June 2008, KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley issued a statement in order to "set the record straight" regarding the possibility ofKISS continuing with all-new members long after he and Simmons decide to take off the make-up for good. "If we were to do a 'KISS II,' and I don't rule that out, it would be in addition to, and never in place of, KISS," he said. "If we were to do it, I know it would be done in a groundbreaking way and would be tremendously entertaining. KISS has always defined itself by the rules we break, so what's the big surprise?"
02 min read

PAUL STANLEY Says ‘People Will Be Blown Away’ By KISS’ New Stage Show

Manos Spanos
On June 1, legendary rockers KISS will kick off the European leg of their"Monster" world tour in Stockholm, Sweden and they'll have a new stage show for the trek. VH1 Radio Network's Dave Basner caught up with the band's frontman, Paul Stanley, when he opened his new restaurant,Rock & Brews, in California on Wednesday and Paul spoke about what to expect from the jaunt. "It's really great," Stanley said. "You know, for so many years, we've talked about a new stage show and basically what we've been doing has been an extension of the old stage show. So people would sometimes come and, obviously, the band does a great show and it's great to be there, but some people would say, 'Gee, it doesn't look that different.' This is a completely different stage, it follows a really great theme, the lights are like nothing you've ever seen before." When pressed for more details, Paul said, "Um… I hate to give anything away but when you see first photos of this new tour, and we're headlining festivals all over Europe, I think people will be blown away by what we're doing onstage."
01 min read