Kiss: All Hell's Breaking Loose

Play the damn show!

I like Kiss as well as anybody. I saw them in concert once way back in the old days…You know, when they did not wear makeup? I saw them on the Hot in the Shade tour with Danger Danger and Slaughter opening up. But, that doesn’t make me a diehard fan. I know several diehard fans that have been to MANY Kiss concerts, own every album, and have spent thousands of dollars on merchandise. I am not knocking them at all. I’ve spent thousands on Miami Dolphins merchandise, and have been to many of their games. There is no difference here, other than one being a football team, the other being a legendary rock band.

"old school" when they didn't wear makeup

Legendary, and there is now a legendary feud going on. You would think that their induction into the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame would be cause to celebrate right?  Kiss fans have been demanding the induction for decades, and now its happening. So, what is the feud about? Here it is in a nutshell:

The HOF is only honoring the original Kiss members, Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley, so that would require Gene and Paul doing a brief reunion with Ace and Peter if they were going to play at their induction. Gene and Paul don’t want to do that, so there will be no performance. This has started all sorts of bickering between the original members of the band. Ace and Peter want to do it, (who wouldn't) and Gene and Paul will not allow it.

Simmons, Carr, Stanley, Vincent

You would think that that they would do it for their fans if for no other reason at all. You know, the fans who have made them multi millionaires? But rather than to do that, Gene Simmons would rather exclude the original members from any ceremony, and are throwing childish insults back and forth. For example, Gene recently said that Ace and Peter are no longer worthy of wearing the makeup. (Using that logic, Thayer and Singer must NOT be worthy of having their own makeup and costumes like Vinnie Vincent and Eric Carr were.) He has also criticized Ace Frehley’s guitar playing, saying that it could have been much more. That’s funny, because speaking of Vinnie Vincent, he played very simple guitar riffs, and ultra basic solos while he was a member of Kiss…But after he left, he put together a band and 2 albums that established him as a guitar god, in every sense of the term. Things that make you go hmmmm…..

Eric Singer/ Tommy Thayer

Ace and Peter have fired back with comments and opinions, as well they should.  They are part of the lineup that founded Kiss, and are part of the lineup that is being inducted. Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer are not. And while the feud is getting Simmons and Stanley free advertising, and Ace and Peter back to the spotlight, the only people who are being hurt by this are the diehard fans…The Kiss Army who love this band so much.

Sadly, this whole feud is nothing more than a slap in the face to the fans, and also a lesson in ‘Be careful what you wish for…you just might get it.’ Finally, the HOF is allowing rock bands to be inducted, which is a relatively new concept for them, and you have one of the (if not THE) most iconic rock band in history bickering back and forth like school kids. Rather than to set aside their personal feelings and just play ONE damn show with the original lineup, they are proving to the world that they are spoiled brats, who want their fans money and loyalty, and in return…more crap for the fans to buy!!!

Needs to mobilize!

I have a message for Kiss…Either do the show, or kiss my ass! If I were a diehard fan, that’s exactly what I would be saying to them. They may be one of the most iconic bands in Rock, but they got there because of the fans. The Rock N Roll Hall of Fame is not just for the bands who are inducted. Its for the fans too, and Simmons/Stanley need to realize that. They may be the biggest band in the world, but they are NOT bigger than their amazing fans. If I were a diehard fan, I would refuse to spend one more dollar on them, unless they pull their heads out of their asses, and do the right thing. And, if they do, Ace and Peter need to  accept it, and do the show, and not make a spectacle of themselves.

Still, after saying all this, I can’t help but wonder whether this whole feud is nothing more than a publicity stunt that Simmons, Stanley, Frehley, and Criss are all in on.

Oh...In true Kiss fashion, let me take this opportunity to say that THIS IS MY 100'th BLOG POST!!! (actually, its about the 110'th. I lost 10 posts when the blog crashed last month) And, to do it on a post about Kiss? How fitting is that?