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Interview with BRUCE KULICKFrom: DeansPlanet.com by Jeremy The Loner In 1984, BRUCE KULICK landed what many young musicians would have considered a dream job--a gig as the lead guitarist of KISS. He came into the fold at a transitional period for the band; the first non-makeup album, Lick It Up , had gone platinum the previous year, but KISS founders GENE SIMMONS and PAUL STANLEY found themselves constantly butting heads with their guitarist at that time, the talented (but self-destructive) VINNIE VINCENT. When it came time to record their next album, Animalize , KISS fired Vincent and brought a new guitarist on board, a guy named MARK ST. JOHN. The single Heaven's On Fire was a surprise hit, both on radio and MTV, and KISS wanted to hit the road. But just as the band was getting ready to head out on a European tour, St. John contracted a rare form of arthritis which hindered his guitar playing and left KISS (once again) without a lead guitarist. At that point, BRUCE KULICK was called in to "temporarily" fill St. John's shoes so the band could honor their touring commitments. But any fan of KISS knows that Bruce was far more than just one of many revolving guitarists - before all was said and done, Bruce spent 12 years in the band. That's longer than ACE FREHLEY. Longer than PETER CRISS. And had KISS not staged a reunion tour with the original band members in 1996, it's likely that BRUCE KULICK would still be playing with them to this very day. The funny thing is, although Kulick didn't officially join the band until 1984, he has ties to KISS that go back to the very beginning. At the dawn of the 70's, KISS was a trio of unknown musicians looking for a guitarist. They had recently acquired PETER CRISS from an ad the drummer had placed in The New York Times, which read "Drummer willing to do anything to make it." PAUL STANLEY also placed an ad in The Village Voice for a lead guitarist, and it said, simply, "Lead guitarist wanted with flash and balls." Of the 50 or so guys that showed up to audition, one of them was a talented played by the name of Bob Kulick - who just happened to be BRUCE KULICK's older brother. Paul and Gene were impressed with Bob, not only by his playing, but by his attitude as well. And if his image wasn't quite right - Bob's head was shaved bald - they definitely were interested enough to sit down and share the KISS philosophy with him. What happened next is the stuff legends are made of. As Gene and Paul were still talking to Bob Kulick, the door to their loft opened up, and in walked a lanky, spaced out guy wearing one red sneaker and one orange sneaker. Without saying a word to anyone, he walked over, plugged his guitar into an amp and just started playing. The other guys were a bit miffed at this flagrant act of rudeness, and almost threw the guy out of the audition. In the end, though, they decided to let him play - and it was good thing, because the man with the mismatched shoes was none other than Paul Frehley, who would later become known to the world by his nickname; Ace. Bob may have lost the gig of a lifetime to ACE FREHLEY, but he remained friendly with Paul and Gene, even doing session work for them now and then as the years passed. Meanwhile, BRUCE KULICK was also making a name for himself as a guitar virtuoso in his own right. During the 70's, he worked with people as diverse as Meat Loaf and Billy Squier. He even teamed with Michael Bolton during his "metal" years to form the band Blackjack. The partnership with Bolton didn't last, but it did come in handy years later - while KISS was recording Hot In The Shade in 1989, Bruce introduced PAUL STANLEY to Michael Bolton, and the two of them collaborated on a song. The song in question, Forever , became one of KISS' biggest radio hits EVER, including an outstanding Kulick guitar solo - and sure as shit, you've probably slow danced to that tune at a wedding or a senior prom. Except if you're like me, of course, who never dances without consuming gallons of alcohol beforehand. After ACE FREHLEY left KISS in 1981, the band went through myriad guitarists. (Which we've already gone over.) But they were having drummer issues as well - PETER CRISS was also out of the band at that point, either having quit or having been fired (depending on whom you ask). He was replaced by the late, great ERIC CARR, who donned the makeup of - The Fox - for his persona in the band. But all while KISS was playing musical chairs with group members, Bob Kulick kept telling Gene and Paul the exact same thing - "My brother should be in the band." So, that's what led to Bruce finally getting the call in 1984 to step up and try his luck. He meshed well with the KISS sound, he was able to tolerate Gene and Paul's relentless perfectionism, and he showed himself to be a great (albeit underrated) musician. He's done some stellar work with KISS, especially on standout albums like Asylum and Revenge . The latter album has a special fondness from me, as my close friend Marc and I played it continuously during the summer of 1992. Plus, we attended the Detroit show later that year, where part of Alive III was recorded. Good times, man, good times. I really miss those days. Unfortunately, BRUCE KULICK's time in KISS wasn't to last forever. As it goes, the band was booked for a show in 1995 - a successful, highly-regarded concert for MTV's Unplugged series. PETER CRISS was planning on attending, too, so ERIC SINGER (who replaced ERIC CARR after he died of cancer in 1991) innocently suggested that Peter get up and do a few numbers with the band. He was just being a nice guy, but it set into motion the events that would ultimately lead to him being out of a job. Peter agreed to do the show, and the next logical step was "Hey, why don't we ask Ace to join us?" We all know what happened next - KISS ended up going on tour with the four original members in makeup, and Bruce and Eric got shafted. It seems that 12 years of loyal service can't quite compare to the almighty dollar. But don't feel too bad for BRUCE KULICK. Since losing his plumb gig in KISS, he's managed to do quite well for himself. These days, he's touring with another great rock band, Michigan's own Grand Funk Railroad. (You can catch them this summer all over the USA.) He's also recorded a few albums with former Motley Crue singer John Corabi in the band they formed, Union. Kulick also attended Rock and Roll Fantasy Camp recently, where he got to jam onstage with the likes of Roger Daltrey of The Who. In addition to that, Bruce has instructional DVDs you can purchase in which he teaches guitar skills and techniques to budding rock gods. I caught up with Bruce recently, and he took some time to answer a few questions for Dean's Planet. Here's how it went down: Jeremy The Loner: Other than touring with Grand Funk Railroad, what other projects are you pimping at the moment? You seem like you keep yourself pretty busy. BRUCE KULICK: I finished an instructional DVD of KISS songs I am known for. Will be out later this year. The UNION DVD of course is getting great reviews, and I am writing now for my next solo CD, along with doing sessions and co-writing on a few projects that I will explain on my site soon. Jeremy The Loner: Are the Grand Funk guys easy to work with as opposed to, say, GENE SIMMONS? I'm a huge KISS fan, but I can't imagine Gene would be that fun to have as a boss. BRUCE KULICK: GFR is great and Gene can be fun, but I do laugh alot more with GFR. Jeremy The Loner: You toured with Meat Loaf during the legendary Bat Out Of Hell tour. Come on, Bruce, you've gotta give us one good Meat Loaf story. BRUCE KULICK: He ate A BOX OF OREOS and DENIED it! Till we showed him his teeth were black. HA HA Jeremy The Loner: You also did some stuff with Billy Squier, whose records my brother used to play CONSTANTLY. Why did you work with him so briefly? And does it bug you that he struck it big not long after you stopped working with him? BRUCE KULICK: I got a chance to play on one of his solo discs, and then I was to go play again with Blackjack. (Michael BOLTON's band with me on guitar.) Turned out good as I got to join KISS shortly after. Jeremy The Loner: VINNIE VINCENT used to complain about working in the studio with KISS, saying "all of my best stuff ended up on the cutting room floor." Did you experience a lot of that, or did your lengthy tenure in the band allow you more freedom to play what you wanted? BRUCE KULICK: It was tedious sometimes, but they got used to me and I did get more freedom in time working with them. So I don't have the same complaint as Vinnie. Jeremy The Loner: What was the best thing about being in a great band like KISS? BRUCE KULICK: Everyone knows KISS. Jeremy The Loner: And what was the worst? BRUCE KULICK: I guess the worst is the people who don't know the band that, well, ask me what makeup I wore!!! Jeremy The Loner: On the second Union album, you've got a great song called Dear Friend, which is dedicated to the late ERIC CARR. When you think about Eric now, what memories of him come to mind? I've never heard a negative word about him, not ever. BRUCE KULICK: Was a sad thing to happen, losing Eric. But I think of him as the funny, talented guy he was, and yes he was a terrific person. The good die too young I guess. Jeremy The Loner: I know you're not much of a shit talker, Bruce, but as a lifelong KISS fan I've got to ask... what are Gene and Paul REALLY like behind closed doors? I know they're great to their fans, but how are they as bandmates? BRUCE KULICK: You know, sometimes I felt like I really knew them etc, but they would always surprise me in good AND bad ways. We were and still are close, but like many people you meet, you only expect so much from your relationships, especially when you are in a band together. They are stars, and they are real people with all the fears and joys we all have. Jeremy The Loner: You've said before that your favorite KISS album was Revenge . For what it's worth, it's definitely my favorite record from the non-makeup era as well. But of all the KISS songs you played on, which is your absolute favorite? And which song was your LEAST favorite? If I were a betting man, I'd guess that it was something from Hot In The Shade. BRUCE KULICK: I didn't like some of the tracks on HITS. Correct. How about Cadillac Dreams. Not my cup of tea. I told Gene directly! (NOTE FROM JEREMY-- I guess Bruce didn't notice part one of that question, eh? ) Jeremy The Loner: I know you get asked this constantly, but what's going on with Union? Any chance of you and Corabi heading into the studio anytime soon? BRUCE KULICK: No recording plans but was are planning a trip to Europe later this year to promote the live DVD. John is terrific and a very underrated musician, singer, guitarist etc. Jeremy The Loner: I noticed that you sell instructional DVDs on how to play guitar. Can you tell us a little about those? I'd love to be able to play, but I absolutely suck and I have stubby fingers. Are people like me beyond hope, or can you teach us to be a Guitar God like yourself? BRUCE KULICK: The Hot Licks one is older and it is designed to teach you ASYLUM songs from KISS. The new one will teach 5 classic KISS songs I was involved in. You check it out and tell me if it helps you! Jeremy The Loner: So, what's coming up for you in the future? Anything we should be on the lookout for? BRUCE KULICK: I love being creative and my old band UNION, the solo discs, the ESP side project, and the various sessions have kept me busy of course. I will do the Rock n Roll Fantasy Camp event again next year, as that was amazing. Watch my site for everything! www.kulick.net THANKS! Bruce Jeremy The Loner: Thank you, Bruce, for the interview. It was kind of cool to interview a guy who played in the very first concert I ever saw, KISS, during their Hot In The Shade tour in the fall of 1990. If Gene and Paul ever come to their senses, take the makeup back off, and bring you along on tour again, consider me first in line. This whole "we're back in makeup FOREVER" mentality is getting ridiculous. As for the rest of you, make sure to check out Bruce as he tours with Grand Funk Railroad this summer. I'm sure there'll be no shortage of hot chicks at those shows... and, um, lots of guys with mullets. Rock on. -JTL |
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