Kiss News

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AllMusic: At the end of the DVD, you smash your guitar, which you've done for decades now. The first time you did it, was it spontaneous?

Stanley: I�m not quite sure when I started doing it, but I do know that I thought, �Wouldn�t it be cool to smash a guitar?� I grew up lucky enough to have seen the Who in �68, I saw Jimi Hendrix twice, and all these people, I saw them play for under 2,500 people, Zeppelin, Derek & the Dominos, Humble Pie, I saw all that. And beyond the music, the theatricality and drama of what some of them were doing was something that really appealed to me, and I wanted Kiss to have. The idea of almost ritualistically smashing a guitar is something so cool and touches a nerve in so many people that it seemed like a great way to put a period or to dot the I or cross the T at the end of a show, that this is finite, that this is over, it�s the climax. Once I did it, I did it the next night, and I believe it�s probably been a good 30 years now.

AllMusic: The DVD is from when the band was taking a bit of a victory lap after the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction. When you see items from rock history in a museum, do you get any kind of special thrill out of it?

Stanley: I believe that a lot of the clothing that we imagine to look a certain way is disappointing in person -- photos and distance make things appear much greater than they are. So I�ve found that for the most part, seeing a display with somebody�s clothes is a letdown, they either look small or they look cheesy, but that�s not the case with Kiss. I certainly find some magic in seeing instruments, in seeing guitars or drums, not because they look any different, but because they were the messenger, they were the conduit between an artist and an audience, so that is much more palpable to me than seeing a jacket or a pair of shoes.

AllMusic: When going through the Kiss catalog, obviously the band has a lot of sexual and suggestive lyrics, but you've never really been especially profane onstage or on record. Did you know from the start that you didn't want to be explicit in that way?

Stanley: I went through a very brief period of cursing onstage, and I found it ugly and I also thought it was a cheap way to get a response. My heroes didn�t do it, the bands I looked up to didn�t do it, and it�s kind of a juvenile way for somebody to get a thrill or a response of out of an audience, and I just found that it�s not part of your craft. I think that addressing and taking an audience along and being the emcee, the cheerleader, the preacher, whatever it is, is much more of a skill and a craft when you eliminate the profanity. Especially when I see people my age or of my generation up there cursing, I just think it�s ugly, and it�s usually disingenuous. When those people leave the stage, they don�t talk like that, they don�t curse. It makes me wince. In many factors in life, I do believe you lead by example, and I don�t want to be known for that kind of language, and I don�t want somebody else to do it because they saw me do it. I find it juvenile or offensive, and I don�t want to set an example for somebody that is not accurate.

AllMusic: How much fun has it been to introduce your kids to music as they've grown up?

Stanley: Having children is a second chance to have the childhood you didn�t have, I think you get a chance to heal and to experience things in a different way than you did, and to share things that were important to you. In the case of my oldest, we shared so much music together, and his taste is so varied and so much like mine that it�s a thrill that he knows everything from the Temptations to Robert Johnson to Blind Boy Fuller to Hendrix to the Beatles and Eric Andersen and Joni Mitchell, it�s a thrill to share that with him, and with my younger ones, the start is them seeing that dad does what he loves doing, and that not only am I happy, but the people who I do it for are happy. My kids were on tour with me until a few days ago, and to see the joy on their faces, when they experience not only the concert but the crowd, and to see that I�m doing something I love, once again, you lead by example. If I can do it, you can do it. It doesn�t mean you have to have the same passion as me, but you need to find your passion.

AllMusic: You've mentioned setting a good example a few times now. When did you realize that was a value you wanted to take to heart?

Stanley: As I got older, I realized that one of the most gratifying things in life is what you give others, and the impression you make on others and how you help others to be the best they can be. It�s interesting when you reach a point that you truly begin to realize that giving is the greatest gift, and watching what you can impact, so I get tremendous satisfaction and a tremendous sense of peace knowing that I�m always striving to be a better person, and I think that�s the best way we can lead by example. The world is changed by individuals, and by individuals who group together, but it has to start with each person. So that may sound a bit heady or a bit corny, but it�s what I believe and have always believed, and now I can verbalize it and utilize it better than before. From my experience, what we give others and how we see it impact them has a huge impact on us.

Visit AllMusic for new album reviews every week, in-depth bios and discographies of your favorite bands, and interviews with the people behind the music.

By J. Bennett / http://noisey.vice.com/

In November 2014, KISS played a nine-show residency at the Hard Rock Hotel in Las Vegas. Being KISS, they pulled out all the goddamn stops: Eye-singeing lights, catwalks, Gene Simmons flying through the air in a crotch harness�and pyro everywhere, all the fucking time. Still being KISS, they hired a film crew to capture all the action for KISS Rocks Vegas, a DVD/Blu-Ray/double CD/hardcover photo book now available for your conspicuous consumption. It�s a dazzling and occasionally bloated affirmation of the fact that, after 43 years, KISS still put on a better show than most rockers a third their age.

�The beauty of doing a residency is that we could create a show that didn�t have to be built with mobility in mind,� KISS vocalist and guitarist Paul Stanley tells us over the horn from Springfield, Illinois, where the band is currently on their �Freedom To Rock� tour. �In essence, we could create very close to a stadium show in a very small venue�not unlike when you see one of those bottles with a ship in it. How did it get in there? Piece by piece. You can�t take it out, but it�s really something to behold.�

In the interest of science, we asked Stanley about his experiences in Sin City over the years.

Noisey: Did you guys live in Vegas during the residency, or were you flying home after every show?
Paul Stanley: Both. For quite a bit, we were there. When there were double days down or whatever, I�d go home. I try to spend as much time home as possible. My family doesn�t really get to vote, so I have to vote for them. But their vote is always, �Dad should be home.� So I do my best to live up to that.

What else did you do while you were there? Did you go to Cirque du Soleil or anything like that?
I�ve seen so many of the shows in Vegas, so I pretty much laid low. Our show is very, very demanding and I think that the band and I have a lot to live up to. People come to the show with huge expectations. If they haven�t seen us, they�ve heard the legend, and it�s really up to us not only to live up to it but to surpass it. It�s interesting that on the tour we�re on right now, the reviews and the response from the fans is that this is the best the band�s been. So it�s very important for us to hit that stage and not live on the past but to justify who we are today. So on a down day, I like to take it easy. But Vegas has changed so dramatically from what it once was, whether it was the $1.99 all-you-can-eat buffet or seeing some washed-up comedian. It�s a tremendously vibrant place with a lot of great entertainment and great food, so I love being there.

Can you walk down the Strip incognito?
Sure, as long as I�m not dressed to do a show!

Are you a gambling man?
You know, I maintain that if those casinos were giving away money, they�d be in shacks. You only have to look at the hotel skyline to know who�s winning. [Laughs]

So you�ve never been tempted?
Oh, I would gamble. But my idea of gambling is to set aside a certain amount of money to be entertained, and that money is money that I expect to lose. If I�m lucky enough to recoup it, I put that in my pocket and gamble with what I�ve won. And if I lose that, well, that was the price of admission. People who walk away from Vegas celebrating what they�ve won have forgotten how much they�ve lost.

What�s your game of choice?
Let�s see� what would be my first choice?  It�s been so long since I�ve actually done it. Blackjack, I guess.

Do you remember the first time KISS played Vegas?
I do. I believe it was �74. And let me tell you, Vegas was a different place back then. The hookers didn�t wear Mouseketeer ears. It was a country unto itself and a law unto itself. I remember we played a hotel that will remain nameless, and at that point, we did two shows in a night. At the end of the second show, our then-tour manager went to collect the money. He went into the office and the guy counted us out some money. Our tour manager said, �Well, that wasn�t the deal.� And the guy said, �Take the money and get out.�

Welcome to Vegas�
Yeah. [Laughs] But I have to tell you, at that point Vegas was not only a gambling emporium�it seemed to attract a lot of people who were running from something. I met some very interesting women, and it was a colorful place with a lot of people who were trying to get lost. [Laughs] But it was terrific as long as you were on the right side.

Have you ever done anything in Vegas that needs to stay in Vegas?
It�s there and probably has cobwebs on it by now. [Laughs] But KISS Rocks Vegas is something that couldn�t stay in Vegas. We very much wanted to document this great show and immerse the listener or viewer in the experience. Anytime we do something that�s a live representation of the band, we try to make sure that you�re not viewing it from the outside. We want you to be in it. That�s what made KISS Alive such a great album and makes KISS Rocks Vegas so great. You�re not sitting on your sofa watching it. So that�s one thing we did in Vegas that we certainly made public. But I have other things I did in Vegas that are better left unsaid.

You mentioned KISS Alive, which is one of the top-selling KISS albums ever. There�s also been a lot of folklore about how many overdubs were done to enhance the recording. So how live is KISS Rocks Vegas?
KISS Rocks Vegas is live. I�ll be the first person to tell you that KISS Alive is an amped-up recreation of what people experienced. It needed to be enhanced to make the experience palpable. If you try to record a bomb going off, what happens is that the microphone shuts down, and what was once a bomb turns into a firecracker. So what did we do? We replaced the bombs with recordings of cannons. When we were recording what was onstage, you lose the audience. And again, what we wanted to do was immerse you in the audience, so we surrounded you with [recordings of] the audience.

The reason that album did so great is that it really captures the KISS experience. That�s not something that can be done without helping it, enhancing it, embellishing it. There always seems to be some sort of stigma against that, but who wants to hear a guitar drop? Who wants to hear a string break? Who wants to hear a wrong chord? That�s not what it�s about. At a show, people listen with their eyes. To give them something when they�re home, you have to make up for whatever imperfections there are. Reality can be harsh sometimes, and to hear a wrong chord for eternity every time you play a record would get pretty annoying.

No one wants that.
Yeah. So KISS Rocks Vegas is, for the most part, totally live. It was mixed with the best equipment and made as bombastic as and analogous [to] what we do live. I think you run into trouble when you hear something that�s suspicious. But we�re not trying to put out perfection. We�re trying to put out a representation that�s accurate of us. I don�t think anybody is going to listen to either Alive or KISS Rocks Vegas and go, �Those vocals are perfect.� But that�s not what it�s about. I don�t want to replace passion with perfection.

There�s a photo in the Rocks Vegas booklet of a sign in an elevator that says, �Please keep elevator use to a minimum while KISS is onstage.� What�s the story there?
I saw the sign, but I�m not quite sure why it was there. Maybe we were so ground shaking that you might get stuck in the elevator while we were playing. Maybe if you got stuck nobody would hear you. I really don�t know. It�s one of those KISS phenomenons.

You�re in great shape. If you didn�t have to go onstage night after night, would you be tempted to let yourself go a little bit?
I do let myself go a little bit. I�m not addicted to working out. It�s not something that�s a compulsion. It feels good to be healthy and be in shape. It affects your mind, and your alertness. Endorphins are arguably the strongest drug in the world, so to pump your body full of endorphins and feel fit, it�s really not an obsession. I do that for the same reason I don�t smoke: I wanna be healthy. And it has its benefits. Look, I have a five year old, a seven-year old and a nine-year old in addition to my 22-year old, and they don�t wanna go out with me and have someone go, �Oh, you brought grandpa with you.�

You guys have been back in full makeup and costumes for quite some time now. As I was watching the Rocks Vegas DVD, I couldn�t help but think how sweltering hot it must be to wear all that gear every night. Do you ever wish KISS was back in the no-makeup phase, if only to make the show less strenuous?
There�s glory in what we do. Every time we hit that stage is a victory lap, and anyone who wins the lottery shouldn�t complain about taxes. I�m thrilled to be up there. What we embody and what we look like is something that movies are made about. This is a story that wouldn�t seem possible unless it actually happened. Here�s a band that was doomed from the start�that was written off and scoffed at by critics who are either no longer alive or no longer critics. And we continue, four decades in. The show is phenomenal, and I�m proud to be up there. Wearing that uniform is a big flip of the bird to all of the people who in the beginning said it would never work. But it did because we believed in it. If it was purely a matter of makeup and costumes, there�d be a lot of other bands around doing it�but at this point those bands aren�t much more than a question in Trivial Pursuit. Quite honestly, any band with money can have a KISS show�and many do. But they�ll never be KISS.

Tonight's KISS hometown hero #roadiefortheday is TSgt Kathy Gregory!

Eagle Rock Entertainment unleashes KISS Rocks Vegas on DVD+CD ($21.98), Blu-ray+CD ($26.98), DVD+2LP ($39.98), and Deluxe Edition DVD+Blu-ray+2CD ($79.98) everywhere today!

Captured in the midst of their 40th Anniversary World Tour, the Rock and Roll Hall of Famers sonically shook Vegas during their residency at The Joint at Hard Rock Hotel and Casino in November 2014. This Sin City set sizzles with KISS classics from across their 44 album legacy: �Rock And Roll All Night,� �Detroit Rock City,� �Shout It Out Loud,� �Love Gun,� and more. As a bonus feature, Kiss Rocks Vegas includes a seven-song acoustic set. Punctuated with pyrotechnics galore, the film presents the fire, electricity, and one-of-a-kind rock experience that earned KISS over 100 million sales globally.

The Deluxe Edition of KISS Rocks Vegas is presented as a hardcover package with a 12X12 book, boasting photos from the show and an exclusive CD.

�We Rocked and Vegas Rolled ! This was Epic In Your Face KISS ! We got Up close and personal, I think Rock and Roll fans will really enjoy this spectacle that only KISS can deliver.� - Paul Stanley
 
�KaBOOM! We blew up the Joint at The Hard Rock in Vegas like never before. We are very proud of this and know that you will be blown away as well.� -Gene Simmons

TRACK LISTING:

1. DETROIT ROCK CITY
2. CREATURES OF THE NIGHT
3. PSYCHO CIRCUS
4. PARASITE
5. WAR MACHINE
6. TEARS ARE FALLING
7. DEUCE
8. LICK IT UP
9. I LOVE IT LOUD
10. HELL OR HALLELUJA & TOMMY SOLO
11. GOD OF THUNDER
12. DO YOU LOVE ME
13. LOVE GUN
14. BLACK DIAMOND
15. SHOUT IT OUT LOUD
16. ROCK AND ROLL ALL NIGHT

Acoustic Set:

1. Coming Home
2. Plaster Caster
3. Hard Luck Woman
4. Christine Sixteen
5. Goin' Blind
6. Love Her All I Can
7. Beth

For almost as long as Kiss has been making music, they've been appearing in comic books. From their debut in Marvel's Howard the Duck No. 12 in 1977 through series from Image Comics, Dark Horse Comics, IDW Publishing and even Archie Comics, the band has remained a surprising mainstay of the comic book medium for almost four decades.

With a new series � simply titled KISS � launching from Dynamite Entertainment this October, Heat Vision talked to Gene Simmons about what to expect from the new series and what makes his band so successful in the comic medium. According to him, the appeal is very simple: "Kiss has never been just a band."

Instead, he suggested, it's the fantasy element of the band that allows them to move from music to comics and back again with such ease. "I fly through the air at 8 feet per second. Yes, I spit fire. And yes, I wear bat wings and dragon boots," Simmons says, adding with mock scolding, "Don't be jealous."

That crossover between reality and the fantastic has been fueled by what Simmons calls his "fascination with literature that has a sense of wonder." As he put it, "When you think about it, superheroes are really modern day versions of the great Greek gods of mythology: Mercury had wings and could fly. Vulcan was the god of fire." Kiss, then, fits neatly into that spectrum with their Catman, Starchild, Spaceman and Demon personas.

The iconic, mythological approach is one reason why Simmons calls Amy Chu and Kewber Baal, the writer/artist team behind the new Dynamite series "a dream team" for chronicling the band's comic book adventures. "It's not just because they're both talented, but because they understand and respect the mythology of Kiss," he explains. "From the outset, we started the band with four separate and distinct personas, each with his own tone, each with their own cross to bear � not always getting along together, but connected in a way none of them realizes."

That idea � of a group dealing with ideas and forces they don't fully understand � is one that echoes the band's beginnings in the real world. "We were completely delusional and inexperienced and really had no idea what we were doing, except for one magical thought: Let's put together the band we never saw on stage," Simmons remembers.

"And then we were carried away by our own self-imposed mandate, which then led us to completely ignore all the other bands, fans, fashion and especially what critics for Rolling Stone thought. We have always marched to the beat of our own drummer, and here we are, over 42 years later, America's number one gold record award winning group of all time. In all categories, I might add."

The new comic book series, Simmons promises, will be a love letter to the fans who've stayed with the band for that time � as well as newcomers who've never read a Kiss comic before.

"The wonderful thing about the Dynamite team is that we are all of like minds," he says. Everyone involved wanted to take our personas and do a classic Kiss comic book, and to include deep fanboy references to [Music from] the Elder, our one and only concept album. With Amy Chu writing the books, this will be an adventure the fans will absolutely love. I've already seen the covers and artwork, and in the patois of the street, it rocks."

Asked about the continued success of the band's comic book alter egos, Simmons puts it down to simply recognizing when to let the professionals do their thing. "When we get a great writer and artist team, we know better than to micromanage," he says. "We stay out of the way. Our comic book history has been long and proud and has spanned decades, and now with Dynamite Entertainment, we intend to go even further. We can't wait."

KISS launches digitally and in comic book stores this October and is available for pre-order now.

By Robbie Edwards / www.register-news.com

Most people have great memories to go along with their first concert experiences.

Ten-year-old Harrison Shields of Mt.Vernon has a story of a lifetime to tell; she was given the VIP treatment by the world famous rock band KISS.

Harrison, her mother Ashli Banks and step father Sam Banks attended the KISS concert at the BMO Harris Bank Center in Rockford.

Sam Banks, a long-time KISS fan, said he was the one who converted his step daughter and wife to the KISS army.

The couple asked her daughter if she could go to any concert, which one would she choose.

Her answer was quick.

�KISS, because those guys are old and who knows how long they will tour," Harrison said.

The excitement built from the time the trip to the concert was planned.

�We always write the events we're going to on the calendar," Banks explained. "so we asked her to change the month, knowing that she would see 'KISS Concert' written on there."

Harrison changed the month page on the calendar, and asked why it said "KISS concert."

�I asked her, why do we write things on the calendar and she replied with, 'because we're going' and then I gave her the tickets,� Banks said.

Banks said they had fourth row seats and had just been seated when someone walked up to them and introduced himself as being with the band � specifically working with Gene Simmons.

�He asked us if we were aware that Paul Stanley picks a child to go on stage with him at every concert, and asked if Harrison would like to be that person,� Banks said.

Harrison excitedly told the man she would.

�He then gave us three wrist bands, and said he would be back in just a little bit to take us backstage and meet the band, and get our picture with them," Banks said. "He came back a little while later, and took us backstage."

Banks said the family got to walk by the makeup room, their private dressing rooms, their extra stage costumes and finally into a room with a massive KISS backdrop with camera set up inside.

Banks said their were already six or seven members of the military in attendance when they arrived, and were joined by Rick Nielsen, the guitarist from Cheap Trick and his family.

"KISS entered the room soon after that," Banks said. �Rick Nielsen and his family got their pictures with the band first, then the military members, and then us."

Banks said Paul Stanley asked Harrison where she got her shirt before taking a picture with her.

�It was a Japanese KISS shirt from a tour they did the year Harrison was born, in 2006," Banks said. "After getting our pictures taken, we went back up to our seats and waited for the show to start."

Harrison said she was excited to get to meet the band.

"It was neat but they were a little scary and very tall," Harrison said.

Banks said about four songs into the show, the same man who asked the family if Harrison wanted to meet the band, came back and got Harrison and Ashli and took them to the stage.

�KISS started playing the song 'I Love It Loud' and Paul walked over to the side of the stage and walked Harrison out by her hand," Banks said. �He then put the guitar over her and played the song.�

Harrison was on the stage for the majority of the song.

�Paul had her bow and curtsy,� Banks said. �When walking off stage Harrison was handed a handful of Paul Stanley guitar picks."

Banks said while walking back to her seat Harrison was getting fist bumps and high fives from a lot of the people in the crowd.

"After the show when we were leaving, Harrison was recognized by many people walking out as 'the little girl who was on stage with Paul Stanley' and many people stopped her to tell her that they hope she knows how special it was to be chosen."

Harrison said being on stage was amazing, but she did have one other favorite part of the night,

"I liked the last song 'Rock n' Roll All Nite' and all the confetti that was falling," Shields said.

CLICK HERE to order now!

By Stacy Vaughn, 445th Airlift Wing www.dobbins.afrc.af.mil

WRIGHT-PATTERSON AIR FORCE BASE, Ohio --

Military members past and present were among a crowd of more than 10,000 die-hard KISS fans as they rocked out during a KISS concert honoring military veterans August 22, 2016 at the Nutter Center in Fairborn, Ohio.

According to their website, KISS is regarded as one of the most influential rock and roll bands of all-time, selling more than 100 million albums worldwide in their 40 year career. The group is currently on a 40-city "Freedom To Rock" tour, honoring U.S. veterans across the nation and providing generous donations to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation�s Hiring Our Heroes program, which helps veterans, transitioning service members, and military spouses find meaningful employment opportunities. The program partnered with KISS and the Veteran Tickets Foundation to salute military heroes across the county.

�It means a great deal (to us) to support our troops,� said Paul Stanley, KISS singer and guitarist.

As a part of the band�s �Freedom To Rock� tour, KISS is hiring veterans or those currently serving in the National Guard or Reserve to be roadies for a day at their concert stops. The individual is selected by HOH. Master Sgt. Erica Vanderventer, Army National Guard, was the representative for the Dayton area. She helped with the set up and tear down of the stage.

At the end of the concert, Col. Adam Willis, 445th Airlift Wing commander, along with the Color Guard from the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 3438, West Carrollton, Ohio, and Vanderventer took the stage during a special presentation. Colonel Willis was given the microphone where he thanked the band for their continuous support of the troops, the veterans and the HOH program for their support in helping veterans in need. The band then presented a check in the amount of $150,000 for the HOH program.  

�On behalf of Team Wright-Patterson and all the armed forces of our Nation, I�d like to thank KISS and the Hiring Our Heroes organization for their enduring support of all our men and women in uniform,� Willis said. �I leave you with one parting remembrance of tonight, �Freedom rocks!��

Before the group left the stage, Stanley had a few more words to share about supporting the military.

�Patriotism is always cool. Loving your country is always cool. Standing up for your military is always cool,� Stanley said.

Closing out the evening after the presentation, the band played a rock �n� roll rendition of the �Star-Spangled Banner� and the hit, �Rock and Roll All Nite.�

Information about the HOH program can be found at https://www.uschamberfoundation.org/hiring-our-heroes.

KISS EXPO TOKYO 2016

- Gene Simmons to appear at the opening day!

For full details: Go to http://kissexpo2016.jp/

Photo by Keith Leroux