Richard Marx + Paul Stanley – Social Distancing

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Blabbermouth

During an appearance on episode 19 of Richard Marx‘s “Social Distancing” talk show, KISS frontman Paul Stanley was asked how he is taking care of his voice on the “End Of The Road” tour, in light of the fact that many of the band’s songs are challenging to sing.

“Is my voice what it was 20 years ago, 30, 40 [years ago]? No,” Stanley replied (see video below). “A great athlete can’t replicate what they did in their early years. So I tend to think of myself in that way. Because vocals that I’ve done in the past almost were athletic in nature, and it’s not possible in the same way at this point.

“Somebody will come to me and say, ‘You don’t sound like you did on ‘Kiss Alive’.’ ‘Kiss Alive’ is what? Almost 50 years, or 45 years ago. And I said, ‘If you wanna hear me sound like that, put on the album.’ It’s not possible.”

He added: “What I found, interestingly, is that the singers that I know who do something similar to what I do, we all commiserate and we all talk to each other, and one of the first things we say when we meet up is, ‘Are you having a hard time hitting those notes?’ ‘Are you still singing in the original keys?’ And one of my friends said, ‘If I knew I would be singing this song in my 70s, I would have written it in a different key.'”

The KISS Room – April 2020

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Matt

KISS ARMY – during these extraordinary times, join us in THE KISS ROOM as we broadcast from all over the place!

Matt Porter is joined by members of THE KISS ROOM HOUSE BAND, and even his wife and daughter, for the April issue of THE KISS ROOM.

It’s a different kind of KISS ROOM, but still jam packed with KISS talk and KISS tunes.

THE KISS ROOM HOUSE BAND shares an amazing set of tunes that were recorded separately but together, showings their amazing talent and the fact that We Are One.

Originally broadcast via Montco Radio on Friday, April 10, 2020

 

Paul Stanley celebrates dad’s 100th birthday while practicing social distancing

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Newsner

The heartache so many families are living through at not being able to see their loved ones is a sad reality of the moment we are living in.

Social distancing rules amid the global pandemic means we have a duty to stay away from our elderly relatives who are more vulnerable to this potentially deadly virus.

So many elderly people are being forced to celebrate birthdays and special days alone while their families try to come up with inventive ways to celebrate from a safe distance.

For Kiss co-founder Paul Stanley, he took to Twitter to celebrate a significant milestone in his father’s life – his 100th birthday.

The New York rhythm guitarist and co-lead vocalist of rock band Kiss is responsible for many of the group’s hits during the 1980s.

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Gene Simmons: “Many guitarists call their instruments ‘axes’, but nobody trademarked it. Except this guy!”

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Guitar World

Gene Simmons’ activities outside the scope of music – his womanizing, his love of money, his reality TV shows and various minor controversies – has often overshadowed the fact that, first and foremost, he is a musician in one of the world’s biggest rock bands.

It might explain why Gene isn’t always given the bass props he deserves, despite being one of the exponent’s most famous players. His skill is certainly evident on Kiss’ recordings, particularly in the early days on tracks such as Goin’ Blind, Black Diamond or 100,000 Years.

His style is a little unconventional for some, playing solely with a pick, but, as drummer Eric Singer stated before the interview started, “Gene’s on the fucking money. I’ve played with the very best – and Gene is up there with all of them”.

Given Eric’s CV, that’s high praise indeed. Kiss are currently embarked on their final tour – not to be confused with their farewell tour of 2001 – and I find myself backstage at London’s O2 Arena, marveling at the sheer scale of the stage production being put into place by the crew, before finally being introduced to the man himself. The first thing to note is his presence.

Not just his size, he’s a big guy even without the platforms, but the way he effortlessly commands the room. He’s clearly a man comfortable being the centre of attention, teasing the various members of crew and attendant venue staff with a roguish charm.

He immediately makes fun of my posh accent, launching into a fairly mangled impersonation, before picking up a piece of bread and waving it at me, saying “I can’t touch this stuff, can you believe that? I have to stay away from the bad stuff… I can’t eat all the stuff I like any more.”

So, Gene, it’s your final show in London tonight.

“That’s not necessarily so. It’s our last show at the O2 Arena. Ever. This is a long tour. We’re going back to America and we’re playing for the final time at whatever venue we’re playing.”

On the Kiss website, the last show listed is in Japan.

“Nobody knows anything except for us. We are the be-all and end-all. It would be nice to come back to do Hyde Park, maybe a free concert? I don’t know. I’m 70 now, and I still look fantastic by the way, but there are bands who stay on stage far too long. That’s their cross to bear – I’m Jewish, see what I did there?

“The other thing is that we’re the hardest-working band out there. If you talk to any girl who wears high heels for two hours then she’ll tell you how her back feels. We’re on eight-inch platform heels, so imagine walking around with bowling balls connected to your legs. They’re heavy!

What’s your fondest memory of the UK?

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The Hidden Meaning Behind the Lyrics of KISS’ Most Maligned Song.

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By John Ricard, photographer and lifelong KISS fan. 
 
“Let’s Put the X in Sex” is widely regarded as one of the worst KISS songs ever.  The title is stupid, the song simplistic and the video is derivative of videos by groups like Winger, Warrant, Ratt and Poison.  It was released at a time when KISS were popular, but no longer ground breaking.  Paul Stanley has famously said, “A trend is your friend,” and it was during the mid to late 80’s that the band were most definitely following the glam rock trends of the day.  
 
On the surface, the song appears to be nothing more than a mild wordplay on the term “X”, as in X-Rated.   It’s as if Paul is saying, “Let’s put the X-Rating in sex.”  The song was released on the “Smashes, Thrashes and Hits” compilation alongside another new song titled, “Rock Hard”.  That song had some of the worst KISS lyrics ever -no easy feat from the band who gave you, “Don’t need no doctor, putting me to bed / Give me the nurse and I’ll make sure that she’s fed.”  But in “Rock Hard”, the band reaches an all time low when Paul sings, “You make me rock hard, baby all night / Love’s like a glove and it fits just right.”  So it isn’t surprising that no one looked for a deeper meaning in, “Let’s Put the X in Sex”.  
 
But let’s do just that.
 

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