Ed Masley | azcentral.com
Bryan Bedder
Kiss drummer Peter Criss can now add New York Times Best Seller to a list of accomplishments that may have peaked with the writing and singing of “Beth,” the highest-charting Kiss song ever, in 1976.
And that’s a mighty happy ending for a guy who sets the tone for “Makeup to Breakup: My Life In and Out of Kiss” with “Have you ever tasted the barrel of a .357 Magnum that’s halfway down your throat?” — recounting the time he almost killed himself in 1994.
We caught up with Criss to talk about the memoirs he’ll be signing on Thursday, Dec. 6, at Changing Hands Bookstore in Tempe.
Question: What was it like reliving all these memories?
Answer: Thank God I made a lot of tapes through the years of things that happened because it’s a lot to remember (laughs). I’m 66. So there’s a lot. We have enough to do three more books. But it was an emotional roller coaster. A lot of restless nights. Should I write that? Shouldn’t I write that? What do I want to leave behind when I’m gone off this planet for my relatives and my daughter to read? Did I get enough of the honesty?
I talked about things I didn’t want to but my co-writer (Larry “Ratso” Sloman) convinced me. He said, “I think you’re a guy from the heart.” Which I am. I’m a Catholic kid. I don’t believe in lying. Never did. It gets you nowhere. And I pound myself in this book. I’m not easy on me at all. I’m right in your face about my addiction, my insanity, my two bad