Official KISS Thread Pt II

Young musicians are always coming up to me and asking how do you know when you've made it. When you can spell subpoena without thinking about it, that's when you know you've made it.- David Lee Roth

I actually have respect for a lot of the guys who are well known for taking care of the business end of things. Steve Harris & Lars Ulrich are two names that spring to mind, at least their bands will never end up like Sabbath at the end of the seventies or even RATT in the eighties, having sold a ton of records and not having made any real money due to getting seriously f**ked over.

My real problem with Gene isn't about that, I can see why he doesn't want to be in a band with Ace & Peter, they do seem like assholes. It's just that with the Hall of Fame thing coming up, it wouldn't kill him to take the high ground. He has after all already "won".

So I had to stop at Walgreens on the way home to pick up a scrip, and lo and behold, the new Rolling Stone with the KISS cover story was on the rack so I grabbed it. I think the last time I even *looked* at a Rolling Stone mag, Kurt Cobain was still alive
I haven't had time to read the article yet but it should be a good 'un.
Side note: I know it's been years since I picked up an issue of R.S., but I was shocked at how small - and thin! - it's become.

Fat Freddy wrote:

...and in other, less drama filled KISS related news, Ace Frehley just announced via Facebook that his new solo album, SPACE INVADER, will be released at the end of June.

Stoked!

Maybe Gene and Paul's shenigans don't bother me, because these guys never claimed to be puriest.

Like Shawn pointed out, there merch machine started going in the late 70's, bubblegum, dolls (wish I had bought them at the time) etc etc

What is funny is the very things KISS were damned for, are now common place. Doors alarm clocks, Jimmy Page action figure, Nirvana keychains, and list goes on and on.

As far as Rock N Roll Hall of Fame, not a single act I can think of, got a bump in sales or tours started selling blockbuster business for getting inducted into the Hall.

All this publicity will benefit KISS, which is just fine with them and hopefully some of that attention will spill over to Ace's new album

very good reading

http://m.rollingstone.com/music/news/how-kiss-reunion-almost-fell-apart-preview-paul-stanleys-memoir-20140331

Fat Freddy wrote:

...and in other, less drama filled KISS related news, Ace Frehley just announced via Facebook that his new solo album, SPACE INVADER, will be released at the end of June.

Including nine new tracks and a cover of Steve Miller's 'The Joker'. Some people call him Maurice (Woooo-woooo!!)

MetalGuy71 wrote:

Fat Freddy wrote:

...and in other, less drama filled KISS related news, Ace Frehley just announced via Facebook that his new solo album, SPACE INVADER, will be released at the end of June.

Including nine new tracks and a cover of Steve Miller's 'The Joker'. Some people call him Maurice (Woooo-woooo!!)

Some people call him The Ace!

I have no idea who this douche bag is but here is his opinion:

Frank Girardot of the Pasadena Star-News reports:

I can’t think of a more plain way to say this, so I just will: KISS does not belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Period. End of Story.

I will argue my case, but the facts speak for themselves: KISS does not belong in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Over Commericalized Garbage Hall of Fame? Sure.

One-hit Wonder Hall of Fame? Right up there with the best of ‘em.

Don’t tell me that Rock and Roll All Nite is the Rock and Roll national anthem. It isn’t. That’s like saying We’re the Monkees is one of the ‘60s enduring classics.

In short, there is nothing that qualifies KISS for entry into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

And yet, on Thursday, KISS along with the E Street Band, Nirvana, Linda Ronstadt, Peter Gabriel, Cat Stevens — aka Yusef Islam — and Daryl Hall and John Oates, will be inducted into the Cleveland shrine glorifying Rock and Roll.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m attacking KISS here, but I’m not sure Hall and Oates belong in it either. Unless a nomination is akin to a popularity contest.

Explain to me though how KISS beats out Deep Purple? You want an anthem? What the heck is Smoke on the Water?

Machine Head with Highway Star, Smoke on the Water, Lazy and Space Truckin is better than the entire KISS catalog.

For that matter how does KISS get into the winner’s circle ahead of Paul Butterfield? I mean the Butterfield Blues Band played at Monterey with Hendrix and at Woodstock with Hendrix and The Who. I think a better argument can be made for Butterfield as he opened the doors for Eric Clapton and Stevie Ray Vaughn and played alongside Muddy Waters and Albert King.

Name one artist even slightly influenced by KISS or a style of musicianship influenced by the high-heeled poseurs. You can’t.

So what other bands and artists should be honored before KISS?

I would definitely put The Cure, Chicago, Journey, Bon Jovi, The Cars, Barry White, Stevie Ray Vaughn, Jethro Tull, Los Lobos and Willie Nelson in ahead of the make-up boys. How do we really know who is up there playing anyway?

Even Devo and Soundgarden deserve spots in the Cleveland waterfront museum.

To make matters worse, KISS’ guitarist isn’t happy with the induction. But that’s because the HOF has some — albeit limited — standards. CEO Joel Peresman said Thursday’s ceremony will only honor the band’s original members: cat guy, dude with the long tongue, starface and silver eye make-up freak with shoulder pads.

“I don’t need the Hall Of Fame,” Starface told Rolling Stone Magazine. “And if there’s not reciprocity, I’m not interested. The Red Hot Chili Peppers, practically every member was inducted, and virtually all 175 members of the Grateful Dead. Rules need to apply to everybody.”

Probably embarrassed, Peresman nonetheless defended the limited selection.

“…There are certain acts that are nominated and brought in on their entire body of work, up until the day before the nominating committee meets,” Peresman told the Rolling Stone. “They are still evolving bands that are breaking new ground. With KISS, there wasn’t a single person we spoke to that didn’t feel the reason these guys were being inducted was because of the four original members.”

Sadly, even that’s a stretch. But as my friend Dion Lefler points out, “It ain’t the Rock N’ Roll Hall of Quality.”

source: pasadenastarnews.com

^^ Meh, whatever. There was a similar piece in this past Sunday's New York Daily News written by their resident elitist bag-of-douche music critic, Jim Farber.

http://www.nydailynews.com/entertainment/music-arts/kiss-rock-roll-hall-fame-world-ends-article-1.1743190

I love how he calls KISS a one hit wonder then cites that Devo (of all bands) deserves to be in the Hall Of Fame.

Paul Stanley will be signing his new book at a store in Jersey tomorrow (the same place where I went to Dave Mustaine's book signing a couple of years ago). I'd love to go but by the time I get outta work, drive down there, and find a parking place, the signing would probably be over.

Stupid rant. First of all, Kiss had more than one hit single over their 40+ years. Hits aren't a qualifier for influence in rock and roll regardless. Kiss has sold millions upon millions of albums without the help of radio hits on every album. And the comment about no one being influenced directly by Kiss is ludicrous and laughable. I've heard people site Kiss as influences from Anthrax to Garth Brooks to Usurper. I've read interviews with guitarists like Dimebag Darrell and David "Snake" Sabo who credit Ace with their reason for picking up a guitar.

Give me a break!

I saw this article yesterday and rolled my eyes so hard it hurt. It's strange about professional music critics vs those for cinema -- there are plenty of respectable film critics but music critics in general are just one big cesspool of arrogance and wasted breath. I have no idea who this guy is but he's so full of error that it's like a bad parody of elitist douchebags. Citing Rock & Roll All Night as their ONE HIT is beyond narrow-minded; it's dense f*cking ignorance. I can slightly understand the point about Deep Purple, but my understanding stops there. This guy needs to get a clue.

What a douche bag........ I never pay attention to critics anyway - they are paid to criticize. I'll take the opinion of friends any day of the week over a music (or film) critic!

Whoever wrote that article is a brain-dead moron, I could write a better article then that blind-folded!

Agree about critics for all forms of entertainment, I don't let them decide what music I listen to, what video games I play, what books I read, or which movies/TV shows I watch.

I completely agree with this:

Quote :

Machine Head with Highway Star, Smoke on the Water, Lazy and Space Truckin is better than the entire KISS catalog.

S.D. wrote:

I completely agree with this:

Quote :

Machine Head with Highway Star, Smoke on the Water, Lazy and Space Truckin is better than the entire KISS catalog.

Maybe true, but that does not mean that moron should dismiss KISS's entire career simply because he does not like them.

manny wrote:

Maybe true, but that does not mean that moron should dismiss KISS's entire career simply because he does not like them.  

Why? It's just his opinion. You ask 20 people whether they believe KISS deserves to be in the hall of fame and I'd bet you'll get a variety of different responses. A critic is just a person and every person has opinions, he's just sharing his opinion in writing.

The older I get the more I realize that arguing over music or any art form is really just a complete and total waste of time. Art is 100% subjective to the person experiencing it, one person will claim it's a masterpiece, another will say that it's the worst thing they've ever seen, others will be somewhere in middle.

Know how many of them are correct? Zero. There is no right or wrong, only opinion.

S.D. wrote:

I completely agree with this:

Quote :

Machine Head with Highway Star, Smoke on the Water, Lazy and Space Truckin is better than the entire KISS catalog.

  The writer is entitled to his opinion. No big deal.  Yet, with his apparent disregard for their musical aptitude. Why would he ever listen to their entire catalog ? If I despised a band as much as he despises KISS, you wouldn't catch me listening to more than an album or two at most.  Much less 20 studio albums.   It really takes any credibility away from anything he says. Much less it being honest.

   Myself, it would of read something along the lines as this.  "Being KISS record music I find myself not wanting to hear an entire catalog by, time would better be spent listening to Machine Head with songs like Highway Star, Smoke On The Water, Lazy, and Space Truckin. Which in my opinion are better songs than anything by KISS that I've heard."

James B. wrote:

S.D. wrote:

I completely agree with this:

Quote :

Machine Head with Highway Star, Smoke on the Water, Lazy and Space Truckin is better than the entire KISS catalog.

  The writer is entitled to his opinion. No big deal.  Yet, with his apparent disregard for their musical aptitude. Why would he ever listen to their entire catalog ? If I despised a band as much as he despises KISS, you wouldn't catch me listening to more than an album or two at most.  Much less 20 studio albums.   It really takes any credibility away from anything he says. Much less it being honest.

   Myself, it would of read something along the lines as this.  "Being KISS record music I find myself not wanting to hear an entire catalog by, time would better be spent listening to Machine Head with songs like Highway Star, Smoke On The Water, Lazy, and Space Truckin. Which in my opinion are better songs than anything by KISS that I've heard."

This. The author lacks tact and respect. Combined with erroneous, ignorant statements about the band's contextual impact on the musical landscape, the piece reads more like a smear campaign. Plus he's just coming across as annoying.

That's one thing I hate about the internet...tact and respect have gone completely out the window...just puke out whatever opinion you have in whatever half-cocked, smart-ass manner you wish...this dude is entitled to his opinions, as we all are...but having an opinion isn't license to be a dick about it.

This reviewer clearly comes across as a bit of a knob, but people like Frank Zappa have been talking crap about music journalists since the 60s, so I wouldn't go quite so far as to say the internet is what gave this particular knob license to attempt to join the ranks of the knob elite..

Quote :

people like Frank Zappa have been talking crap about music journalists since the 60s

I believe it was Frank who said "Writing about music is like dancing about architecture."

S.D. wrote:

manny wrote:

Maybe true, but that does not mean that moron should dismiss KISS's entire career simply because he does not like them.  

Why?  It's just his opinion.  You ask 20 people whether they believe KISS deserves to be in the hall of fame and I'd bet you'll get a variety of different responses.  A critic is just a person and every person has opinions, he's just sharing his opinion in writing.

The older I get the more I realize that arguing over music or any art form is really just a complete and total waste of time.  Art is 100% subjective to the person experiencing it, one person will claim it's a masterpiece, another will say that it's the worst thing they've ever seen, others will be somewhere in middle.

Know how many of them are correct?  Zero.  There is no right or wrong, only opinion.

Nothing wrong with an opinion, an informed opinion even better. I don't like the Eagles for example, but just because I think their music is the answer to ear cancer, does not mean that they do not deserve to be in the Hall of Fame, or influenced countless musicians. My personal taste is one thing, to deny the band influenced a group of artists because of my personal prejudice toward their music is another.