Gene Simmons has drawn controversy over remarks he made to contestants on Dancing With the Stars while serving as a guest judge on the show’s hair metal episod

Episode 592. The family is here… Michael, Mark, Tommy and Izzy! We discuss the new KISS Destroyer vinyl box set that sells for nearly $1000! This leads to a discussion on the “return” of CDs and Vinyl and finally a look at how streaming services pay artists or don’t pay artists and record deals and why artists need to understand their record label deal and how the money flows.

The concert was during the original KISS guitarist’s Just For Fun Tour and the setlist featured tracks from his KISS days and also from his then most recent solo album, Trouble Walkin’.

The video of the show cuts out during the Dynasty cut “Hard Times”.

Full setlist:

“Rocket Ride”
“Lost In Limbo”
“Parasite”
“Breakout”
“Shot Full Of Rock”
“New York Groove”
“Strange Ways”
“Cold Gin”
“Shock Me”
“2 Young 2 Die”
“Rock Soldiers”
“Torpedo Girl” / “Speedin’ Back To My Baby” / “She” / “Wiped Out” / “Hard Times”
“Strutter”
“Rip It Out”
“Detroit Rock City”
“Deuce”

Bruce Kulick was a low-key Superstrat shredder with Kiss in the ’80s, but during his time with Grand Funk Railroad he kept things more traditional. But after leaving that band last year, he tells Guitar World, he wanted to return to “powerful instruments with the Floyd Rose – the opposite to what was appropriate for Grand Funk.”

He explains: “I jumped in the rabbit hole of discovery. I’m learning every step of the way. I want to know what made my Kiss guitars so great.”

Kulick found help from Johnny DiFatta, a California-based guitar maker whose AXN Guitars is based on small-batch quality. “I manufacture a few guitars a year,” DiFatta says. “AXN will continue to be concerned more about uniqueness and individuality instead of quantity and high production.”

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During a new interview with VRP Rocks, Bruce Kulick named his five favorite albums. Before going further with his favorite albums after naming KISS’ ‘Revenge’ as one of his favorites, the guitarist was asked about the importance of having a great producer.

“It’s extremely valuable and that’s why I always rave about Bob [Ezrin] and as much as he’s a mad professor and at times he tortured me, he was incredibly creative with the contributions,” the rocker explained. “Now other records where it was more produced by Gene and Paul at times, Paul or Gene would contribute ideas about the solos that everybody should have a voice in the studio and the songwriter clearly should be very vocal if he can.”

In Kulick’s words, Simmons and Stanley might look like they lack of direction in the band. However, this never meant they weren’t great musicians.

“Gene never wants to brag about how good he is on bass and what a tremendous musician he actually is. That’s part of his schtick, I believe. I don’t buy it for a second,” Kulick said of his former bandmate in a different interview.

Kulick continued to praise Paul Stanley, calling him “a tremendous rhythm player” and adding, “These guys are really, really talented musicians. The body of songs and the catalogue that they created, I’m just thrilled to be part of it.”

Kulick took place in the band’s ‘Revenge,’ playing almost all the guitar parts in most of the album.

KISS ended their multi-year ‘End of the Road’ Tour in New York in December 2023 and plan to launch a new era as ABBA-style avatars in 2027.

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Metal Hammer has issued a new feature on Danish metal icon, King Diamond, reflecting on a 2016 interview in which he looked back on supernatural encounters, near-death experiences, Metallica’s approval and run-ins with Gene Simmons.

In the following excerpt, King reflects on the time he was nearly sued by KISS:

It was also in 1988 that King was reportedly threatened with a lawsuit by KISS. At that time, KISS had been out of make-up for six years. But, KISS being KISS, had their image trademarked. On his 1988 album Them, King had his face painted in a design that bore a strong resemblance to that used by Gene Simmons.

“They might have wanted to sue me,” he says. “But lots of people used make-up before KISS, and they were not the ones that inspired me. It was Alice Cooper and Peter Gabriel. But I don’t hate KISS; I still listen to them.”

In the end the lawsuit never materialized. King believes he knows why. “I didn’t have much to be sued for,” he says, laughing.

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Last show ever with original four members!

Awesome looking Kiss Glow in the Dark TShirt. 100% licensed and made by Liquid Blue. LOOKS AMAZING! Model usually wears men’s large and is wearing men’s size large in photo.

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“Folie à Deux” is set two years later, after a TV movie about the Joker’s original killing spree, and Arthur is over the mass adoration of his hideously made-up Joker persona. Phoenix got his inspiration by imagining the real daily life of the ’70s rock band KISS.

“Did you ever think, how about Gene Simmons from KISS? Where 20-year-olds are painting their faces, putting on platform shoes, all rock ‘n’ roll,” Phoenix says, laughing. “But what happens when you’re in your 40s and like, ‘I don’t want to put the makeup on anymore’? I just started laughing about that. Todd and I were like, maybe that’s the beginning of something.”

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Gene Simmons is joining Dancing with the Stars for a theme night that hits close to home!

The rock legend is slated to be the guest judge alongside Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough on “Hair Metal” night of the dance competition show, PEOPLE can exclusively confirm. The Oct. 8 episode will see the 11 pairs return to the dance floor with routines to iconic rock ‘n’ roll anthems.

To begin the night, the pros will perform the opening dance to “Rock and Roll All Nite” by Simmons’ band KISS. The performance was choreographed by pro Pasha Pashkov and will feature guitarist Joel Hoekstra from Whitesnake.

Ahead of the exciting episode, judge and former pro Hough will coach the dancers on the ins and outs of lifts and tricks required in the genres of dances for the night.

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Legendary producer and engineer Eddie Kramer looked back on recording KISS‘ demo, and suggested that Ace Frehley had been the band’s “heart and soul.”

There are many very colorful feathers in the 82-year-old producer’s cap, most of which read like a list of who’s who of classic rock ‘n’ roll. In addition to his history-making collabs with Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones etc., Kramer also enjoyed a lengthy collaboration with KISS (which included masterminding “Alive!”, often quoted as a significant milestone in live rock albums).

That collaboration began shortly after Gene Simmons andPaul Stanley gave up on their original band Wicked Lester, whose unreleased album Kramer called a “disaster” during a recent interview on the “Jay Jay French Connection” podcast (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar):

“At Electric Lady, I would see Gene and Paul up and down the hallways, doing their thing. Ron Johnsen was their producer, and I think at that time he was also managing the Electric Lady studios. He called me up after the disaster of the Wicked Lester album, which went straight in the bloody toilet, and he says, ‘Listen, Gene and Paul, they got this idea. They want to do a rock ‘n’ roll band, would you do a demo for me?'”

Kramer, of course, agreed. Judging what he tells the Twisted Sister guitarist, watching the NYC band walk into a studio was one of those moments where you know you’re watching history unfold:

“So, on the appointed day, Gene, Paul, and Ace… just watching these guys go into the studio was just one of those moments. When Ace walked into the studio, he was so bloody skinny. He was driving a cab in the Bronx. And he was so thin, if he turned sideways, you wouldn’t even see him. But what a sweet… Ace, for me, he was the real heart and soul. A bloody good guitar player, much underrated, I think, by a lot of folks.”

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