Bruce Kulick spoke about the “problems” KISS had with Ace Frehley following the classic lineup’s reunion, noting how Tommy Thayer was better suited for the revamped makeup era than him.

After one failed audition, Bruce Kulick joined KISS in 1984 and became a mainstay — and a focal point — of the NYC hard rock trailblazers’ unmasked era. Kulick ended up parting ways with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley in 1996, as the famous MTV Unplugged show proved there was plenty of demand for seeing Ace Frehley and Peter Criss return to their Spaceman and Catman costumes.

“I was never fired the first time. It was simply, ‘Well, we’re making all this money. Now we’re selling out from arenas to stadiums in makeup.’ So my era ran its course”, he tells Loaded Radio in a new interview. Asked why he was never approached with an offer to rejoin after Frehley permanently left the band in 2001, the guitarist offered (transcription via Blabbermouth):

“That’s a great question. And not everyone’s aware of some of the backstory. I would hear things about them having problems with Ace and Ace was getting erratic or difficult. And [later KISS guitarist] Tommy Thayer was tour-managing with them; he was on the road with them.”

“Even during my era, he was involved with the band, helping with ‘Kisstory’ and doing things for the group. He wrote some songs with Gene and was always part of the inner circle, shall I say. So from what I understood, there were one or two things that KISS did — not a concert, even though once Ace was almost not gonna make it and they made Tommy get the outfit on. [He had a] similar build — tall and thin — and Ace made it to the show. But there were a couple of other things they needed to do.”

Kulick went on:

“I believe ‘That ’70s Show’, when they were taping, Ace didn’t show up. ‘Tommy, get the outfit on.’ And then I think there was a private gig, too, that no one would really know about — one of those things where you go to an island and play for some rich people. And Ace wouldn’t go. And KISS wasn’t gonna say, ‘All right, we’re not gonna take the gig.’ So if they ever had a thought of me, I think they would have known that that probably would have been a lot harder.”

“Tommy was younger, there already, if you know what I mean, working with them. And Tommy, not everybody knows that he was in a tribute band for fun at times called Cold Gin as Ace Frehley.”

“I lost the big gig for the right reasons”

In the end, Tommy Thayer proved to be just as reliable as Kulick was, and the older guitarist notes how Thayer’s playing style was also much closer to Frehley’s. Nevertheless, he admits he would have been tempted by the offer, had he ever received one:

“Had they gone to me, I can’t say I absolutely would have said ‘no.’ I miss being in KISS. I do realize it would have kind of pooped on my era because then I’d have to kind of play the role of the ‘Spaceman’ and shoot rockets and play more like Ace. I was never given that direction from Gene and Paul, where Tommy knew that it actually was more comfortable with his natural style of guitar playing. He wasn’t a Floyd Rose, play-some-flashy-riffs king of the mountain.”

Defending Tommy Thayer & Eric Singer’s work in KISS, Kulick added:

“I never felt like [Gene and Paul] made the wrong choice — ever. I always felt that was the right way to go ’cause then Tommy could assume the role of the Spaceman in the group. Eric sometimes gets some criticism, like Tommy has, but Eric being behind the drums and having five years in the band without the makeup, maybe he gets a little less.”

“Neither of them really deserves criticism because they’re talented players doing a great job. And it was Gene and Paul’s choice to say, ‘And now you’re the Catman,’ ‘And now you’re the Spaceman.’ It wasn’t [Thayer and Singer] saying, ‘Please, I wanna be the Spaceman.’ And to new generations, Tommy is the Spaceman. Even though Eric has a lot of credibility from ‘Revenge’ and ‘MTV Unplugged’ and ‘Carnival Of Souls’ and all the work that we did together for those five years.”

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• Creatures of the Night album (performed in its entirety)
• Dynasty & Unmasked albums (select songs from each album)
• KISS Solo albums (3 songs from each solo album)
• The Elder album (performed in its entirety)
• Non-Make Era (various songs performed by Chris Jerico’s band, Kuarantine)
• KISS & Hotter then Hell albums (50th anniversary of both albums featuring select songs)
• Alive II album (entire album performed)
• Frehley’s Comet (salute to the music hosted by Tod Howarth)
• Deep Cuts (a performance of classic songs that have rarely been played live)

Former Kiss guitarist and Vinnie Vincent Invasion guitarist Vinnie Vincent recently made a post on the Vinnie Vincent Invasion’s social media suggesting users should have to use their real names and show an ID in order to use social media.

Following the original post, Vincent would later clarify that the post was in reference to users using fake profiles, some with the photos and name of other musicians and recognizable notable people.

Vincent left the following comment on the above post:

This was intended for anyone using fake names and rock star photos as their ID. There’s a lot of fakes with multiple bogus IDs coming here from hate groups and I’m stopping it. I’m entitled to protect myself. That simple. ALSO THERE ARE MANY PEOPLE POSING AS ME TO TRICK PEOPLE. The disbelievers that questioned whether it’s the real me, should have departed. Real fan’s are far and few. The real action is in the hate propaganda groups where VV attracks huge audiences whose ritual is mockery and insult. FB and YouTube channels are “approval” based breeding grounds of left/right propaganda where brainwashed back-patting mobs control the narrative. It’s a bully platform to slander and discredit anyone for any reason. These mind controlled mobs attack everyone who disagrees, discouraging real fans to leave quickly. VVI FB was an experiment. It made no difference to me whether I did this or not. I don’t seek approval. My life, my rules. I make no money doing any of this. This was for your enjoyment and to see if there were many real fans left. I was happy to make you happy and I think many of you were. But as soon as I made a normal request, the haters who lurked here showed their fangs.

For those who think you can insult me or show disrespect, Access denied. I trusted no one to run my site. I did this to bring you music and chat and I was in the process of finally uploading good quality tracks for you to enjoy. So the timing to close happened on its own saving me the release of music. I treated everyone with respect and I gave you real answers to real questions. I would think you would enjoy experiencing a personal interaction with the real VINNIE VINCENT which I generally EXTEND TO NO ONE. Just so you don’t misunderstand I decided to close this over the venomous reaction of a good many here of my request for real ID. It no longer matters. It’s a big internet with tons of bands celebs and artists. This bar is closed.

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In a recent interview on SiriusXM‘s The Howard Stern Show, Pearl Jam and Soundgarden drummer Matt Cameron shared a surprising anecdote from his teenage years involving none other than rock giants Kiss. Cameron recounted how, nearly five decades ago, he and his bandmates in a neighborhood Kiss cover band faced legal action from the legendary rockers.

Cameron reminisced about the early days of his musical journey, recalling his teenage band’s humble beginnings playing local gigs and crafting makeshift stage props in a garage. The pivotal moment came when Cameron, accompanied by his bandmates, presented a photo album of their amateurish Kiss tribute to none other than Paul Stanley himself during a soundcheck for Kiss‘s ‘Alive!’ tour in 1975.

“I was in a neighborhood Kiss cover band when I was 13, 14 or something like that. We played our local high school’s keggers, and whatnot. And my dad was friends with the head of the stagehand union in San Diego. So, when Kiss was playing there — it was during the ‘Alive!’ tour, so that was ’75 — we got to go see Kiss do a soundcheck at the San Diego Sports Arena. So I brought the two guys that I was in the Kiss band with, Tim and Dave Mahoney, to the soundcheck, and we brought our photo album from our stupid Kiss cover band. My mom made my costume, and Tim’s mom made his costume. We built these rickety plywood platforms in Tim’s garage. We made flash pots out of coffee cans and a light socket with a little flash powder inside of it. It was janky, low rent, horrible. So anyways, we took this photo album to meet Kiss frontman Paul Stanley. We got a photo with him. And so, we were sort of, like, ‘Hey man, we’re in a Kiss cover band. Here’s our stupid little photo album.'”

However, the excitement soon turned to shock when, several months later, the young musicians received a cease-and-desist letter from Kiss‘s management company, Aucoin Management. The reason? The band’s audacious decision to name themselves ‘Kiss’ without considering the legal ramifications.

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Only a couple available!

Very cool poster on Metallic Paper. Hard to see in the photos but looks amazing in person. Ace signed a few of these for us in a private signing in Jersey City, NJ in July 2021. Measures 13 x 19 inches. Photo does not do this print justice. Includes our Certificate of Authenticity. Fun fact. When signing this Ace told the story that this was the night of his bachelor party.

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Remember the hair metal craze of the late 1980s? Well, there was a reason each of those bands almost invariably included an earnest ballad on their albums, usually with the intent of releasing it as a single. They’d seen the examples of so many of their hard-rocking predecessors, who often enjoyed their biggest commercial success when they slowed it down a bit.

For example, KISS, known for their crunching, unrelenting rock anthems, made their highest incursion into the pop charts with the tender “Beth” in 1976. Here’s how the song came to life and, almost against the band’s intent, turned into such a big smash.

A Rescued Ballad

Before he was a member of KISS, Peter Criss, the band’s drummer, was in a short-lived New York City group known as Chelsea. One of the other members, Mike Brand, had a wife named Becky. And Becky wasn’t all that crazy about the way that Chelsea practiced to all hours of the night.

It got to the point Criss and fellow Chelsea member Stan Penridge wrote a song mocking the calls this woman made to the studio in almost nonstop fashion. They never recorded the song with Chelsea. But years later, Criss, wanting to add something of his own creation to the KISS album Destroyer, brought the song to the band.

It’s at this point in the story we should inject the details behind the creation of “Beth” have been in dispute pretty much since the song became a hit. Penridge has maintained the version of the story told above, while Criss has claimed his loneliness about behind away from his then-wife Lydia inspired it. (Lydia has also claimed to have helped with some of the lines in the song.)

Meanwhile, both Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, who were generally in charge of the writing for the bulk of KISS’ material, have denied Criss had much at all to do with the writing, suggesting Penridge was largely the writer of the original version. Keep in mind that relations between Criss and that duo have long been strained, so it’s difficult to know where the truth exactly lies.

What is certain is that Bob Ezrin, who had gained fame working with Alice Cooper and produced Destroyer, also served as a catalyst for the song’s success, helping with the lyrics and devising the lush orchestral score that would back up Criss’ vocal performance. (Approximately 19 people have claimed credit for changing the song title from “Beck” to “Beth,” so it’s perhaps best we don’t get too far into that.)

“Beth” found its way onto Destroyer to give Criss a showcase, and the band snuck it on as the B-side to “Detroit Rock City,” the third single released from the album. But a funny thing happened: DJs locked onto “Beth” and started playing it in favor of the A-side. KISS realized the opportunity and flipped the two songs in a rerelease, and it led to “Beth” hitting No. 7 on the charts.

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500 PIECE JIGSAW PUZZLE: Enjoy piecing together this colorful 500 piece puzzle featuring KISS! This puzzle is detailed with your favorite characters from the iconic band. This unique puzzle measures 14 x 19 inches when fully assembled.

Order now at KISSArmyWarehouse.com!

Foo Fighters frontman Dave Grohl and guitarists Pat Smear and Chris Shiflett appeared in a new Premiere Guitar interview and chatted about their inspirations. The frontman named his dream rock star and revealed that he wanted to look like him when he was younger — it’s the former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley.

“I really liked Ace Frehley,” the rocker said when Shiflett asked who his guitar influence was. “I had a Beatles chord book and that’s where I was learning to play chords and stuff but I never saw footage of The Beatles playing when I was eight or nine or something like that.”

“But I had KISS posters and then I had seen KISS concert, stuff online. I just thought Ace was so f*cking cool-looking. I loved the way he stood and I loved his Les Paul. I thought he was kind of my first… If I could be a guitarist and look like him without all the f*cking heels and the makeups and sh*t, current day, which I think I do,” he added.

Grohl is known to be a showman on stage, and he credits that part of his guitar-playing style to not just Frehley, but all of KISS. It all happened when the rocker got a copy of KISS’ 1976 album ‘Destroyer’ when he was younger.

“With nuclear anticipation, I let the needle drop on that legendary intro to ‘Detroit Rock City,’ perhaps the greatest introduction to any rock ’n’ roll album ever recorded. It filled my speakers and my imagination. Thirty-four minutes and 27 seconds later, KISS had filled my soul. I was now a member of the infamous KISS army,” Grohl told the audience while presenting the band with the ASCAP Founders Award in 2015.

He added, “Before long, my room had become a fucking shrine. Posters of these four musical monsters lined my walls, action figures filled my shelves and KISS albums overtook my once AM-friendly record collection. I was converted.”

The influence of Ace Frehley’s guitar style can be heard in Foo Fighters tracks like ‘The Pretender’ and ‘Monkey Wrench.’

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In a recent interview with Michael Christopher of Daily Times, KISS frontman Paul Stanley expressed that he’s open to the idea of performing a one-off KISS show, whether it’s part of a Kiss Kruise or a reunion with his former bandmates for a few songs.

“Anything’s possible,” he said. “KISS is so far from over, though KISS as we know it is done. But having our hands and our ideas and our fingers in what KISS continues as makes all the sense in the world. So, I look forward to whatever comes next without knowing what comes next. But I’m open to it all.”

Stanley previously discussed the possibility of KISS performing a one-off show during a January 2023 interview with Yahoo! Entertainment music editor Lyndsey Parker. When asked whether the final concert of KISS‘s “End of the Road” tour would truly be the band’s last performance or if there might be opportunities for one-off shows or a Las Vegas residency in the future, Stanley responded: “I really can’t say. But it is the last of any kind of regular shows or touring.

“It’s just time. And in the same way, it’s time consuming. And physically, it’s grueling to do what we do. Hell, if I could go out on stage in my jeans and a t-shirt, give us another 10, 15 years easily. But what we do is a whole different sport. I mean, we’re athletes; we’re running around on stage with 30, 40, pounds of gear, and it’s not possible to do it that much longer. So we’re not like other bands.

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Amazing interview!

This is a full in bloom interview with producer, Shameless bassist Alexx Michael. Alexx talks about what it was like dealing with Vinnie Vincent, Vinnie’s wives, Vinnie’s arrest, traveling with him in Europe, Mark St. John, Bruce Kulick, and more.

One of the ideas behind all four of Kiss‘ original members issuing their own solo album on September 18, 1978, was to help rekindle and unite the band that was breaking off into different factions.

However, looking back on it today, it did the complete opposite: Peter Criss would exit the band two years later, while Ace Frehley would follow suit four years later.

And with ’78 being the first year in Kiss’ recording career up to that point that not a single studio album of original material was issued, we’ve assembled tracks from all four of the solo albums, resulting in what could have been a single kick-ass Kiss album.

SIDE ONE

Gene Simmons – Radioactive

Featuring one of the spookiest sounding openings of any Kiss-related tune, this Gene Simmons rocker also features a short but sweet guitar solo by none other than Aerosmith‘s Joe Perry.

Ace Frehley – Rip It Out

One of Ace Frehley’s hardest-rocking tunes would have served as the ultimate one-two punch if it had followed “Radioactive.” It features some great drumming from Anton Fig years before he became a member of Paul Shaffer and the World’s Most Dangerous Band and the house band for David Letterman‘s late-night TV shows.

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Great looking KISS Logo Christmas light set. 10 logos lights in each set. Limited Supply!

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