Through he’s long sported the makeup made famous by his predecessor, Eric Singer is careful to note that he and fellow late-comer Tommy Thayer aren’t trying to ignore what the departed Peter Criss and Ace Frehley built with Kiss. He says they’re simply trying to add to a legacy created along with remaining founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons.
“I think it’s pretty incredible what they built, what they created with those original guys,” Singer tells Nuvo. “And I’m thankful for that and I totally respect it. I think sometimes people think that somehow [we’re] trying to forget what started or what created it. And believe me, nobody is trying to forget that.”
Singer also notes that this current lineup, for all of its detractors, has been together longer than any other in the complicated history of Kiss. That period of peace, Singer adds, gives him a special perspective on what came before.
“Mind you, we know what started it; the original band started it all,” he says. “If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be drumming with them now and we wouldn’t be talking about Kiss. They created that special, unique thing that is Kiss. But sometimes, you just can’t survive the same way. It’s just like a marriage; it’s not going to always last. Sometimes people get divorced and they find another person, and they get remarried. And then they end up [with] happiness. And that’s kind of how it is for Kiss.”