Signed by Ace Frehley in January 2022 at a private signing in Jersey City, NJ. Signed by Anton Fig and Tod Howarth at Kruise Fest 2022. Signed by John Regan in a private signing in Poughkeepsie, NY in 2022. Includes our Certificate of Authenticity for each signature. Signed in black Sharpie pen.
During a new interview with VRP Rocks, Bruce Kulick named his five favorite albums. Before going further with his favorite albums after naming KISS’ ‘Revenge’ as one of his favorites, the guitarist was asked about the importance of having a great producer.
“It’s extremely valuable and that’s why I always rave about Bob [Ezrin] and as much as he’s a mad professor and at times he tortured me, he was incredibly creative with the contributions,” the rocker explained. “Now other records where it was more produced by Gene and Paul at times, Paul or Gene would contribute ideas about the solos that everybody should have a voice in the studio and the songwriter clearly should be very vocal if he can.”
In Kulick’s words, Simmons and Stanley might look like they lack of direction in the band. However, this never meant they weren’t great musicians.
“Gene never wants to brag about how good he is on bass and what a tremendous musician he actually is. That’s part of his schtick, I believe. I don’t buy it for a second,” Kulick said of his former bandmate in a different interview.
Kulick continued to praise Paul Stanley, calling him “a tremendous rhythm player” and adding, “These guys are really, really talented musicians. The body of songs and the catalogue that they created, I’m just thrilled to be part of it.”
Kulick took place in the band’s ‘Revenge,’ playing almost all the guitar parts in most of the album.
KISS ended their multi-year ‘End of the Road’ Tour in New York in December 2023 and plan to launch a new era as ABBA-style avatars in 2027.
Metal Hammer has issued a new feature on Danish metal icon, King Diamond, reflecting on a 2016 interview in which he looked back on supernatural encounters, near-death experiences, Metallica’s approval and run-ins with Gene Simmons.
In the following excerpt, King reflects on the time he was nearly sued by KISS:
It was also in 1988 that King was reportedly threatened with a lawsuit by KISS. At that time, KISS had been out of make-up for six years. But, KISS being KISS, had their image trademarked. On his 1988 album Them, King had his face painted in a design that bore a strong resemblance to that used by Gene Simmons.
“They might have wanted to sue me,” he says. “But lots of people used make-up before KISS, and they were not the ones that inspired me. It was Alice Cooper and Peter Gabriel. But I don’t hate KISS; I still listen to them.”
In the end the lawsuit never materialized. King believes he knows why. “I didn’t have much to be sued for,” he says, laughing.
Last show ever with original four members!
Awesome looking Kiss Glow in the Dark TShirt. 100% licensed and made by Liquid Blue. LOOKS AMAZING! Model usually wears men’s large and is wearing men’s size large in photo.
“Folie à Deux” is set two years later, after a TV movie about the Joker’s original killing spree, and Arthur is over the mass adoration of his hideously made-up Joker persona. Phoenix got his inspiration by imagining the real daily life of the ’70s rock band KISS.
“Did you ever think, how about Gene Simmons from KISS? Where 20-year-olds are painting their faces, putting on platform shoes, all rock ‘n’ roll,” Phoenix says, laughing. “But what happens when you’re in your 40s and like, ‘I don’t want to put the makeup on anymore’? I just started laughing about that. Todd and I were like, maybe that’s the beginning of something.”
Gene Simmons is joining Dancing with the Stars for a theme night that hits close to home!
The rock legend is slated to be the guest judge alongside Carrie Ann Inaba, Bruno Tonioli and Derek Hough on “Hair Metal” night of the dance competition show, PEOPLE can exclusively confirm. The Oct. 8 episode will see the 11 pairs return to the dance floor with routines to iconic rock ‘n’ roll anthems.
To begin the night, the pros will perform the opening dance to “Rock and Roll All Nite” by Simmons’ band KISS. The performance was choreographed by pro Pasha Pashkov and will feature guitarist Joel Hoekstra from Whitesnake.
Ahead of the exciting episode, judge and former pro Hough will coach the dancers on the ins and outs of lifts and tricks required in the genres of dances for the night.
Legendary producer and engineer Eddie Kramer looked back on recording KISS‘ demo, and suggested that Ace Frehley had been the band’s “heart and soul.”
There are many very colorful feathers in the 82-year-old producer’s cap, most of which read like a list of who’s who of classic rock ‘n’ roll. In addition to his history-making collabs with Jimi Hendrix, The Beatles, Eric Clapton, David Bowie, Led Zeppelin, The Rolling Stones etc., Kramer also enjoyed a lengthy collaboration with KISS (which included masterminding “Alive!”, often quoted as a significant milestone in live rock albums).
That collaboration began shortly after Gene Simmons andPaul Stanley gave up on their original band Wicked Lester, whose unreleased album Kramer called a “disaster” during a recent interview on the “Jay Jay French Connection” podcast (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar):
“At Electric Lady, I would see Gene and Paul up and down the hallways, doing their thing. Ron Johnsen was their producer, and I think at that time he was also managing the Electric Lady studios. He called me up after the disaster of the Wicked Lester album, which went straight in the bloody toilet, and he says, ‘Listen, Gene and Paul, they got this idea. They want to do a rock ‘n’ roll band, would you do a demo for me?'”
Kramer, of course, agreed. Judging what he tells the Twisted Sister guitarist, watching the NYC band walk into a studio was one of those moments where you know you’re watching history unfold:
“So, on the appointed day, Gene, Paul, and Ace… just watching these guys go into the studio was just one of those moments. When Ace walked into the studio, he was so bloody skinny. He was driving a cab in the Bronx. And he was so thin, if he turned sideways, you wouldn’t even see him. But what a sweet… Ace, for me, he was the real heart and soul. A bloody good guitar player, much underrated, I think, by a lot of folks.”
“I would say there are some, could be a large number, could not, who think I’m an a**hole. In fact, I named my second solo album ‘A**hole,’ which, I thought, was akin to black people taking possession of the ‘n’ word,” the bassist said in a chat with Really Famous With Kara Mayer Robinson.
“I’m okay with being labeled or thought of as an a**hole, because I know who I am. And there are other people who think, ‘You only do this for money.’ And my response is ‘of course,’” the rocker also added.
In the rest of the interview, Simmons said he asks why he isn’t seen as ‘salt of the earth.’ Many people work tough jobs just to support their families. He notes that these workers do hard tasks every day without getting rich.
He questions why making more money changes how people view him. He also says he gives to charity and thinks that’s personal. In the end, he talked about the importance of being comfortable with yourself.
During his conversation with Really Famous With Kara Mayer Robinson, Simmons also discussed Paul Stanley’s biggest career mistake. The bassist said, “Paul knew stuff I didn’t know. I knew stuff he didn’t know. He should have taken my advice and signed Van Halen. I found that band.”
Gene added, “I couldn’t convince Paul or the rest of the guys in the band or the management. They just said, ‘What are you talking about?’ I said, ‘In a year or two, this is going to be the biggest band.’”
It all started when Simmons saw Van Halen playing at a club in Los Angeles. He wanted to help them but couldn’t get the other members of KISS or their manager, Bill Aucoin, to sign the band.
Later, Stanley and Eddie Van Halen became friends. Van Halen then got noticed by producer Ted Templeman, who helped them get a deal with Warner Bros. Records soon after Simmons’s attempt.
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