Steve Baltin | Forbes

“I’m a big fan of not only diversity in my life, but urging other people to open those floodgates cause there’s so much out there,” Kiss frontman Paul Stanley says. That is very apparent as he sits down with me for the latest installment of Who I Am.

Taking us from discovering Beethoven, Elvis Presley, Pablo Picasso and the Beatles as a child to opening up about therapy and becoming a dad, Stanley goes into great detail about the artists and moments that made him the voice of one of the most successful rock outfits of all time.

He also explains the artists that made him an accomplished painter (Stanley will be doing gallery shows September 14 and 15 at Wentworth Gallery’s Washington DC locations, Westfield Montgomery Mall in Bethesda on September 14 and Tysons Galleria on September 15).

From growing up in New York at age five to rock stardom and family man, this is Paul Stanley Who I Am.

Beethoven’s “Piano Concerto 5” (Age 5)

I was absolutely god smacked. To know that music could have that kind of power, although I was so young, the music had such heroic qualities to it and mammoth chords. To this day it’s some of the heaviest and most glorious melodies ever. So that really was my introduction to the gravitas that music could have and how emotive it could be. So at the core of music for me is Beethoven. I was very fortunate, my mom was born in Berlin and my dad was first generation here from Poland. In Europe the arts over there are part of your life and everyday living, so I grew up in a household  where music, fine art, theater were all parts of the food groups. I would have been malnourished without them.

Elvis Presley and Eddie Cochran (Age 6)

Opening a door always leads to another door. I think that’s the beauty of life is that when we find something we like it will lead us to something else we like. So Elvis and Eddie Cochran led to Dion And The Belmonts, the Elegants and all the doo-wop, which led obviously to the Beatles. The songs that sang about teenage romance and this amazing fantasy life was something I aspired to early on. All I wanted to be when I was a little kid was a teenager because life sounded so romantic and so dramatic. I would say being introduced and exposed to some of the early rock became a path that I never left. While other kids were out playing cowboys and Indians I was watching American Bandstand and listening to Alan Freed.  I think in life the idea of diversity, whether it’s in food or music or art, is key. The more you ingest the more you can use as tools to create. Music has always been at my core, as has art.

Pablo Picasso (Age 6)

Seeing, as a child, Picasso’s art that certainly I didn’t understand and had trouble figuring out why someone would put two eyes on one side of the head or put the nose on the side. But the passion was what I understood. And art should be made from passion and elicit passion. So going from some of those more abstract Picasso pieces, with these incredible vibrant colors, I found my way to the “Blue Period,” which was eloquent and tranquil, or the “Rose Period.” And again it opened a door for me to Matisse and Foldism, where you’re not necessarily painting with colors that emulate a reality, but that elicit a feeling. So even up through Peter Max, as commercial as he may be, there are pieces of his that are just glorious in their color. And if there’s anything I’ve been inspired by it’s these artists and their fearless use and celebratory use of color. I find myself somewhere between them and being a punk impressionist. Where I am today is clearly based on all those influences. So I would say Picasso has been, from the beginning and to this day, a standard and inspiration. He described himself as an artist without a style. I’ll never be delusional to ever breathe that rarified air that he did, that idea of being free to express myself and travel through different styles is what I do and want to do. I’ve always believed in living my life without boundaries. And certainly not the ones other people set.

Franco Corelli At Metropolitan Opera House (Age 10)

My dad brought home one of a series of albums. He subsequently brought the other ones. They were on Capitol Records and they were compilations of a Swedish tenor, Jussi Bjorling, and just a gorgeous voice. Perhaps not the most powerful that I would be introduced to later. But Jussi Bjorling “Nessun Dorma,” to hear a gorgeous melody against this beautiful accompaniment. Even at a young age it was clear that music is the language. That not knowing what is being said doesn’t keep you from understanding what is behind it. So that certainly led me to to being lucky enough to go to the original Metropolitan House and see Franco Corelli, who’s, to my mind, one of the greatest Italian tenors who ever lived. To see and hear him in Tosca. So that album my dad brought home was an introduction to another musical style and to Verdi and Puccini.

Michelangelo Pieta (Age 12)

I was in New York and it was on display at the World’s Fair in New York. I was stunned that someone could transform a solid object into something that appeared pliable and flowing. It seemed poignant and I was astonished at Mary’s hand under Jesus’ armpit and the way his arm was being lifted. It was crazy to think that was marble. It was insane. It was the magic of great art. Someone with the ability to take one material and transform into something else and, at the same time, elicit an emotional response.

The Beatles On Ed Sullivan (Age 12)

If I needed any confirmation of what I wanted to do and how I wanted to do it, it was seeing four guys on stage who appeared a unit and appeared happy and looked great and were celebrating life. I think that music should celebrate life even if it’s sad. It should be celebratory. So that music spoke to me and that’s what I aspired to. The first song I heard was “I Wanna Hold Your Hand” and it was a game changer because music at that time  was pretty much pap. At the same time as that you probably had Sue Thompson on the radio singing “Norman” or Diane Renay singing “Blue Navy Blue,” disposable. Then this music came out that seemed to just jump out of the radio and it was the Beatles.

Therapy At Mount Sinai Hospital (Age 15)

I’ve always been a survivor in the sense that I’ve always wanted to not only survive, but thrive. And I kind of realized at that point, almost like an epiphany, my parents were not the role models that I should be emulating. And if I followed that path I would be in serious trouble and not a very happy camper. So I knew I needed to reboot and perhaps discard a lot of what I knew. For whatever reason I seemed to understand the only way to do that was probably therapy. I didn’t know what therapy entailed and I certainly didn’t think it would take as long as it does. I was looking for an instant cure, but walking into Mount Sinai Hospital and saying I need help was a game changer. It really started me on the path that I will say made me who I am and I’m a huge, huge fan of therapy for those who are willing to do the work. It’s not easy, but the rewards are huge. Part of my responsibility, I think, is to let people know that I’m not very different than they are. That at the core of if we’re all the same. And although we may aspire to be like how we perceive someone else to be, at some point it’s important to know all of you’re seeing of somebody else is their edited highlight reel. And the truth of the matter is most of us have the same problems and there’s comfort for everybody in knowing we’re all in this together.

My First Gold Album Alive! (Age 23)

My career is one big moment. It’s been so amazing and just the idea of following my ambitions and following what my passions are regardless of people telling me what’s impossible. People who tell you what’s impossible are the ones who failed. So to have that validated by my first gold album. My first gold album meant more than to me than my first platinum album because when I was a kid platinum albums didn’t exist. So that gold album was such a milestone for me. That was the initial validation and vindication.

Birth Of My Children (Ages 42, 55, 57, 59)

I went through quite a bit of life wondering what life was about and it just seemed like perhaps at the end of the day it didn’t mean much because we go through our lives and then we’re gone. And what does it all mean. With each of my children, all of which I either helped to deliver or pulled out or did all kinds of participations, it became clear to me that we only die physically because we are the product of the generations before us and we live on in the generations after us. And the children we create ultimately are the voices of us in the future. We’re given these blank slates and we get to write whatever we want on them. So whatever time we put in and the effort we put in is what we get out. So that would be that.

Meeting My Wife Erin (Age 50)

To have a healthy relationship with somebody who is supportive and secure in themselves to give of themselves without fear of losing themselves. That’s a godsend. And I think the relationships we have are a reflection of how together or how well we are individually. So a healthy relationship is a pretty good indication of your own state of mind. We met at a restaurant. I believe in God, I believe in a higher power and I think that sometimes moments like that are God’s work. I saw her and was really compelled to talk to her. I wanted to speak to her. I was drawn to her. So it went far beyond anything momentary. It was deeper than that and over the years we built something.