Kiss
Created | Updated Sep 10, 2004
In the late sixties Gene Simmons (Chaim Witz, born 1949) teamed with Paul Stanley (Stanley Eisen, born 1951) in the band Wicked Lester. They played hard Jethro Tull kind of music, suggestive and with flutes and stuff. After one album the two guys felt this was not sufficient, and so they broke out of the band. They advertised in a magazine for a guitarist, and the ad was read by cabdriver Ace Frehley (Paul Frehley, born 1952). He took his cab and entererd the scene wearing a blue and a red shoe. Paul and Gene decided to go for him. They then needed a drummer and they spotted an ad in the Roliing Stone magazine, that said that a drummer, willing to do anything for success, was to be found. Gene phoned Peter Criss (Peter Crisscoula, born 1945) up and asked him if he was fat. A surprised Peter said "no" and Gene said "You've got a job". Kiss was formed.
They now delt with the issue of image. They wanted something new and theatrical, and they decided to wear make up and extreme clothing. The first makeup design was kind of a la New York Dolls, but after a while they totally covered their faces with make up. And so, on new years eve 72-73 they played in New York and a record producer approached them after the show with a deal. Half a year later the debut album "Kiss" was in the shops. Success was just around the corner. With the following albums Kiss took a grip on the rock world and soon they were overwhelmed with domestic fns, international fans, prixzes, awards and so on. In many polls they were voted awesomest band ever or something to that effect. On the hard rock theatre scene, one could say that they ruled the seventies.
By 1979 Peter was so fed up with it all, and so broken down by a nasty cocaine abuse, that he decided to leave the band. "Unmasked", released in 1980 was his last album with the band to which he contributed with no song, and he left to launch an unsuccessful solocareer. At the same time Ace Frehley had the alcoholdemons to wrestle. Due to his drunkardness he was injured in carcrash after carcrash and he was finally, in 1981, forced to leave the band. He went off and launched a somewhat more successful solocareer than the one Peter had.
Through the eighties the kiss star fell considerably. In 1983 they dropped the makeup and the world could finally see what they actually looked like. There was no interest in the new band members; Eric Carr on drums and Vinnie Vincent on guitar, all focus was on Gene and Paul. The hard sound of Kiss was reduced to the poodle sound of rockbands in the eighties, along with bands like Bon Jovi and such. Gene was involved in making films in Hollywood and couldn't put his soul in the music. He was also producing new bands, and had a hit in discovering and signing Van Halen in 1978 and punkdame Wendy O'Williams later on. Vinnie vincent was sacked and replaced by Mark st. John, who later caught rheumatism in his wrists and couldn't play guitar anymore. And in 1991 Eric Carr died from a brain tumour. What a mess.
And so, in 1995, Kiss, with the last line up made an unplugged concert for MTV. Special guest stars were Ace and Peter, the first time the original band played together since 1980. Things were discussed. Paul and Gene saw a hell of an opportunity to make a shitload of money, both Peter and Ace had come to terms with their drugabuse and needed money to start over again. Kiss was reunited. A world tour set off covering America and Europe, a new album was recorded. Rumours of fights among the lads are often heard, mostly blamed on Peter. All we fans know is that it all would be better off put to rest. They make great stageshows, but musically they are dead. We prefer to remember them as a band coming out with songs like Rock and roll all nite, Detroit Rock City, Love gun, Firehouse and so on. We didn't need the Psycho Circus crap. But there they are, still up and about. And, of course, they are gathering old fans and new fans where ever they play. I've seen fans from the age of five up to sixtyfive at concerts.
