An Interview with KISS Manager Doc McGhee
By Andrew Daily / vwmusicrocks.com
Having just shocked the world by allowing founding members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss to join the then-current lineup onstage during a performance on MTV’s Unplugged, KISS found itself a band at a crossroads.
In 1995, KISS was at both a creative and commercial fork in the road. Questions were looming, and ultimately, it came down to two choices: move forward without makeup, and continue the status quo, or invite Frehley and Criss back into the fold, put the makeup back on, and shock the world.
Enter Doc McGhee.
If KISS was going to pull off the improbable, they needed a formidable force at the helm, and while a few were considered for the job, after a fateful conversation with super-manager, Doc McGhee, for lynchpin members, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, the choice was clear, KISS was going to shock the world in ways fans could never imagine.
In the wake of hiring McGhee, and pushing forward with the reunion, no one could have envisioned the world-dominating success KISS would experience, as its four founding members rode a wave that rivaled their 70s heyday. Sadly, that wave of success came crashing ashore, seemingly dashing KISS’ hopes of kabuki-stained revival after only a few short years. With old demons afoot, and Frehley and Criss once again making a hasty exit, KISS seemed a band destined to meet its end.
Enter Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer.
As cliche as it sounds, KISS once again found itself a proverbial phoenix rising from the ashes as McGhee, Simmons, and Stanley made the shrewd, and downright ballsy decision to not only ingratiate Singer and Thayer into KISS, but to have them wear the iconic Spaceman and Catman makeup to boot. Thayer and Singer fearlessly clad themselves in clandestine warpaint, and headed into to battle, entering the unknown with no expectations, knowing that at the very least, the opportunity of a lifetime might lay ahead.
Twenty years, and two more exceptional records later, the four members of KISS as it stands today are still valiantly together. More so, the musical symbiosis shared between them has made for the band’s longest-running and most cohesive unit in KISS’ nearly fifty-year history.
To say that any of this couldn’t have happened without KISS’ intrepid manager Doc McGhee would be an understatement. McGhee’s in-depth understanding of what makes KISS great, and ability to push it to the max have allowed KISS undying success since 1996.
McGhee’s unflinching attitude, infinite persistence on quality, and showmanship make KISS second to none. His perpetual pursuit of king-of-the-mountain domination has unremittingly allowed KISS to remain The Hottest Band in the World. Nothing short. Nothing less.
From his hotel in Helsinki, McGhee recently chatted with me via phone regarding his quarter-century-long tenure as the unquestioned coach of KISS. Among other things, we touch on his early vision for the reunion era, the importance of Eric Singer, and Tommy Thayer, how he’ll most remember his time in KISS, and a whole lot more.
Andrew:
Doc, thank you for taking some time to go back through your KISStory. Walk me through the initial conversations with Paul and Gene in regards to managing KISS.
Doc:
It kicked off because I had seen the Unplugged show, but I wasn’t part of Unplugged in any way. They had done that, and I think that’s what kind of gave them the theory to go out and to try to put things back together again. So at that point, Paul and Gene started to look at people that they felt could do the job the right way. So, I was one of the few people that were talking to, and it came down to what I was saying, and what they were saying was just in line with each other. I felt it was stadiums, and I said, “Let’s blow this up.” There were some people at the time who were saying, “Let’s do theaters and all that stuff,” but they chose the stadium route, which is where we went, and where we’ve been.
Andrew:
At that point, KISS had been playing mostly theaters and arenas. So, coming in, what was your game plan to return KISS to stadiums?
Doc:
I don’t think that there was any preconceived notion or huge plan per se. I think it’s just more that it came down to if it’s worth doing, then with KISS, it’s worth overdoing. [Laughs]. You know, with KISS, we’re talking about a huge entity, and when they were huge back in the day, they were larger than life. So, anything that we could have done that was less than that, it just didn’t resonate with me. I didn’t feel like anybody else would buy into it either. So, the beginning of that approach was having the four of them come out at the Grammy’s, if you remember when they did that with Tupac. The idea was that this was going to be the first time you saw the four of them in makeup together again. We decided to do it, and I looked and them and said, “Okay, let’s go do this. But I don’t want you to say a word to anybody. I want you to walk in, go up, and give the award away. Then let’s go to the photo shoot, but don’t say a word to anybody. Just take the photos, and we’re out, so they don’t even know if it was really you.” We did that, and it worked out phenomenally. And then the next week, we announced that I had rented the Intrepid aircraft carrier in New York to do a press conference. We had Conan O’Brien host it, and the band did four songs on the deck for the fans. After that, we announced Tiger Stadium, and we sold that out in twenty minutes, and the rest is history.
Andrew:
As KISS’ manager, what concerns did you have about integrating Peter Criss and Ace Frehley back into the band at that time?
Doc:
Well, you know, at that point, we really couldn’t take the chance of not have them as a part of it. Regardless of hesitations, or not, this was either a reunion or it wasn’t. So when we started talking with Ace and Peter, getting them in shape, and getting ready to do, it all just fell into place. I mean, I don’t think we could have done it without those guys, not by any means. I don’t think anybody would have bought into it.
