KISSonline.com

To All Our Fans In Regards To The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame:

Out of respect, Ace and Peter’s recent statements demand a quick response to you, our fans.

Our intention was to celebrate the entire history of KISS and give credit to all members including long time present members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, and additionally Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr all who have made this band what it is, regardless of the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame’s point of view.

Although KISS has moved forward far longer without them, Ace and Peter are at the very foundation of what we have built and this would all be impossible had they not been a part of it in the beginning.

It is over 13 years since the original lineup has played together in make-up and we believe the memory of those times would not be enhanced. Contrary to claims made through the media we have never refused to play with Ace and Peter.

We have spent 40 years dedicated to building KISS without quitting or wavering as the band has moved forward with huge tours and platinum albums through different important lineups for forty years, to this day.

KISS has always been a band unlike any other. That is why we started KISS. That is why we continue KISS. Being unlike other bands also means making choices and decisions unlike other bands.

Continue reading →

Eddie Trunk

Bill Aucoin’s former partner, Roman Fernandez, has released the following statement regarding KISS and the Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Fame induction ceremony:

“I’m going on record.

I normally stand by the sidelines quietly watching the scrimmage in silence, but now, I feel I have to speak up.

My late partner, Bill Aucoin, bothered enough in 1973 to wager his entire career as a successful television producer and bet all the money he had, as well as money he didn’t have, on 4 kids from the streets of New York. He unfortunately can no longer speak for himself on the subject of KISS and the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Bill Aucoin gave KISS their start, as well as some of the best years of his life. KISS would, in fact, despite all his other successes, come to define Bill in the eyes of millions of fans and in the eyes of the industry. An industry that to a great degree didn’t give KISS the time of day when it mattered the most. No one did except for Bill, Sean Delaney and Neil (and Joyce) Bogart. All no longer with us except for Joyce. But, Bill and I spoke about this subject on several occasions before he passed. Bill Aucoin was not the type to reflect in regret, and he harbored no animosity. But he was convinced that due to politics within the board of the Hall of Fame, the day would never come that saw KISS inducted. I’m pretty certain he was OK with that.

But had Bill been alive to see the day it was announced that the group would indeed, despite every notion to the contrary, be inducted, might have been a nice parting gift for him. But it’s done. He’s gone. It could have just as easily been Paul, Gene, Peter or Ace. But they’re still here. And I’m pretty sure this is what Bill might have said in light of all this nonsense: ‘(….unintelligible noises) Look it, find a compromise, put everything aside for one night, be the larger than life rock stars you know you are, and then…. Onward and upward!’

Continue reading →

PeterCriss.net

To KISS fans,

It’s disappointing to have to say to you, the fans, that as of today, Ace and I have been denied a performance with Gene and Paul for our Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction.   Tickets go on sale on Monday, Feb. 24th,  and I wanted to make sure that fans understood that no original performance, in or out of makeup, has been offered to us before they purchased their tickets.  This is disgraceful and I feel bad for the fans who were looking forward to the four of us being inducted together.

God Bless,

Peter Criss – The Catman

Eddie Trunk

The Associated Press

KISS won’t rock and roll all night — or at any point during the day, either — when they are inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, the band said Sunday.

The band has had many replacement members over the years, and they all can’t seem to agree on which members should play during the April 10 induction ceremony in New York City.

Instead, the Toronto Sun reports, they’re opting to not perform at all.

The dispute concerns whether original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss would join Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley in a live performance, or whether the current lineup of Stanley, Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer would play instead.

In a message on its website, KISS said it won’t perform with any lineup, calling it “an emotional situation where there is no way to please everyone.”

“Our intention was to celebrate the entire history of KISS and give credit to all members, including longtime present members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, and additionally Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr all who have made this band what it is, regardless of the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame’s point of view,” the band wrote on its web site. “Although KISS has moved forward far longer without them, Ace and Peter are at the very foundation of what we have built and this would all be impossible had they not been a part of it in the beginning.”

Continue reading →

Sean Michaels | The Guardian

Kiss have announced that they will not perform at their induction to the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, blaming an ongoing “emotional situation” with two of their former members. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were apparently unable to reconcile with original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss, though they credited the two men with being “at the very foundation” of the band’s 40-year career.

“Kiss has always been a band unlike any other,” they wrote on theirwebsite yesterday. “Being unlike other bands also means making choices and decisions unlike other bands … To bring this [dispute] to a quick end, we have decided not to play [the concert] in any line-up and we will focus our attention on celebrating our induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

From the moment Kiss were announced as members of the Hall’s 2014 class, fans were asking questions about which previous band-members would appear at the ceremony on 10 April. Although Criss and Frehley were part of the group’s founding line-up, they haven’t performed with Stanley and Simmons in about ten years. “Both of these guys had three chances to be in the band and three times they fucked it up,” Simmons explained to Radio.com in October. “[And] when you have a cancer in your system, it’s best to cut it out as fast as you can.”

Continue reading →

Associated Press

Kiss won’t rock ’n’ roll all night — or at any point during the day, either — when it is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April, the band announced Sunday.

The 40-year-old group is unable to agree on which lineup should perform during the April 10 ceremony in New York City, and has decided not to plug in at all.

The dispute concerns whether original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss would join Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley in a live performance, or whether the current lineup of Stanley, Simmons, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer would play instead.

In a message on its Web site, Kiss said it won’t perform with any lineup, calling it “an emotional situation where there is no way to please everyone.”

“Our intention was to celebrate the entire history of Kiss and give credit to all members including longtime present members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, and additionally Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr all who have made this band what it is, regardless of the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame’s point of view,” the band wrote on its site.

Continue reading →