Albums Unleashed Carnival of Souls w/Toby Wright Part 2 - Ep180

We're back this week to talk about the second half of a very polarizing album.

Chris and Aaron return this week with the second part of their discussion with producer Toby Wright for Albums Unleashed - Carnival of Souls. Covering the second half of this controversial KISS album, Toby shares his memories of the tracking and mixing of the songs including the Gene Simmons-sung 'In My Head,' which was written by Gene along with Scott Van Zen and Jaime St. James of Black n' Blue. In this section of the discussion, Wright remembers pushing Simmons and bandmate Paul Stanley to record harmony vocals in the vein of Alice in Chains members Jerry Cantrell and Layne Staley; and how the attempt would fall short by comparison.

Another track discussed in this hour-plus special is 'I Confess.' Wright reflects on a tense recording session involving a string section that was brought in to add a dark feel to the songs and how he had to get the classically-trained musicians to break convention to pull off the sound he was after.

Other tracks covered in this Albums Unleashed special include the psychadelic-tinged 'In the Mirror,' the Black Sabbath-inspired track 'It Never Goes Away,' and one of the most unusual tracks in the KISS catalog; the Middle-Eastern sounding 'Seduction of the Innocent,'

Most notably, however, is the discussion of the debut (and lone) KISS vocal of guitarist Bruce Kulick. This track had quite a history as Wright explains the numerous permutations it would take on during the tracking process (including a lead vocal take from Simmons). This track's autobiographical nature would play out as life would later imitate art in the form of the KISS reunion and guitarist Kulick and drummer Eric Singer would wind up unemployed.

Toby Wright goes into great detail in this discussion of how Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley called a meeting during the overdub sessions for Carnival of Souls to break the news that they had been solicited with a multi-million dollar offer to put on the greasepaint and reunite with original KISS drummer and guitarist Peter Criss and Ace Frehley; respectively.

The effect of the reunion announcement would have a catastrophic effect on the album; as it was immediately shelved by Mercury Records, leaked on the internet, and then, with very little fanfare, released by the record label in October of 1997.

The Decibel Geek Podcast wants to thank Toby Wright for giving so much time in discussing a controversion, yet bittersweet, album in his massively successful discography. We hope you enjoy this 2 part Albums Unleashed special on KISS' Carnival of Souls.

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Albums Unleashed - KISS Carnival of Souls Pt 1 w/Toby Wright

We wanted to get into something polarizing and divisive this week. Mission accomplised...

Famed producer Toby Wright sits down with Chris and Aaron this week for part 1 of a 2 part Albums Unleashed special covering KISS' 1997 release Carnival of Souls.

Shelved in early 1996 by Mercury Records due to KISS taking a left turn at Reunionville, Carnival of Souls leaked shortly thereafter and was bootlegged in large numbers necessitating an official release in October of 1997.

In this hour-plus part 1 episode, Toby Wright recounts his initial meetings with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley about the "new direction" in which the band was deciding to head, his impressions of the songs being written for the album, and the tracking of basic tracks. The track by track discussion in this episode includes Toby's memories of the creation of songs 'Hate,' 'Rain,' 'Master & Slave,' 'Childhoods End,' ' I Will Be There,' and 'Jungle.' Discussion of tension between Simmons & Stanley over arrangements is also included as well as Wright's memories of a tense mixing session with Simmons in regards to his bass part in one of the songs and how, due to the co-production credit on the album, politics and diplomacy had to be in delicate balance.

It's the first half of deep talk about one of KISS' most polarizing albums; with many members of the KISS Army either loving it or hating it. We hope you enjoy Albums Unleashed - Carnival of Souls with Toby Wright.

Toby Wright @Work

EDITOR NOTE: Much of the source material for questions presented in this 2 part special from Bruce Kulick's fantastic Carnival of Souls Retrospective. Click HERE to check it out!




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But I Don't Wanna Hear KISS ALIVE!

 

 

 

KISS just recently announced that for their upcoming KISS Kruise, the fifth of its kind, they will be performing their 1975 live album KISS Alive! in its entirety.  Proving once again... they can't get anything right.  How out of touch are these guys to think that their fans, the level of such that would plunk down a couple thousand dollars to float around the ocean with them, would look at this as good news.  Much less as a big announcement.

 

Are you fucking high?  What die hard fan hears that and gets excited?  I think the only record I’d want them to play less would be Double Platinum.  You want to give the fans something special?  Play the fucking Elder in its entirety.  Makes more sense.  It’s at least a fucking concept album.  Does it really matter if you play 100,000 Years right after Watchin’ You?   

 

Paul can get away with that bullshit excuse for why KISS NEVER plays any deep tracks during a tour with Def Leppard or some other past their prime hit machine added to the bill to sell a few tickets.  As weak as it is, an argument can be that many people at a show like that aren’t going to be too into KISS running a couple tracks off of Unmasked.  But  on the KK, the opposite is true.  To my point here’s the ships passenger manifest for the upcoming KISS Kruise.

 

Boat crew.

KISS.

People who know every KISS song who if they were being honest would admit they don’t need to hear Rock N Roll All Nite again.  Ever. 

 

The announcement that they are going to play a record filled with half of their setlist from the last 20 years is the band giving us a wedgie.  In a recent podcast with Chris Jericho, Paul complained that touring with Ace and Peter meant being held hostage to a limited number songs because those two can't play anything else.  Later in the same interview he defensively stated that just because someone like me might enjoy hearing a song like All The Way, NOBODY, (his words) nobody else would.  And he wonders why people think he comes off as bashing Ace and Peter.  They would play a more diverse set if Ace and Peter could play it.  And now that they aren't in the band to blame it's because nobody wants to hear it?  Well fuck that.  That's pretty convenient and frankly a lazy cop out and it’s time someone shoved Paul's head in a toilet. 

 

From the set list’s I’ve seen they’ve done a decent job of digging deeper in to their repertoire on the previous Kruises.  But still shoved Detroit Rock City, Cold Gin and of course, Rock N Roll All Nite into the buttholes of those attending.  I'm not suggesting those songs are bad songs.  I'm saying damn near everyone buying a ticket for the KISS Kruise has heard and can hear those songs anytime.  This is a very unique gathering of the diehard KISS fan and KISS.  Take this rare opportunity and give them performances they won't get anywhere else.  Deep tracks from some of your less celebrated records.  Rather than belabor a point that has zero chance of being taken seriously, I've compiled a list of Bakko approved songs KISS should choose from for this and any future KISS Kruises.  There is no reason to perform any song not on this list. 

 

Kissin’ Time

Love Theme From KISS

All The Way

Mainline

Strangeways

Room Service

Two Timer

Getaway

Ladies In Waiting

Lover Her All I Can

Anything For My Baby

Great Expectations

Flaming Youth

Sweet Pain

Do You Love Me

Take Me

Baby Driver

Love Em Leave Em

Mr. Speed

See You In Your Dreams

Got Love For Sale

Almost Human

Hooligan

Then She Kissed Me

Plaster Caster

Anything off of side 4 of ALIVE II

Anything from any of the solo albums

Dirty Livin

Charisma

Magic Touch

Xray Eyes

Save Your Love

Hard Times

Anything on Unmasked

Anything on the Elder

I’m A Legend Tonight

Down On Your Knees

Nowhere To Run

Partners In Crime

Danger

Rock N Roll Hell

Killer

Saint and Sinner

Keep Me Coming

Exciter

Not For The Innocent

Gimme More

All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose

A Million To One

Dance All Over Your Face

And On The Eight Day

I’ve Had Enough

Burn Bitch Burn

Get All You Can Take

Lonely Is The Hunter

While The City Sleeps

Murder In High Heels

King Of The Mountain

Anyway You Slice It

Trial By Fire

I’m Alive

Loves A Deadly Weapon

Secretly Cruel

Radar For Love

Uh! All Night

I’ll Fight Hell To Hold You

Hell Or Highwater

My Way

When Your Walls Come Down

Good Girl Gone Bad

Thief In The Night

Turn On The Night

Let's Put The X In Sex

(You Make Me) Rock Hard

Betrayed

Prisoner Of Love

Read My Body

Love’s A Slap In Face

Silver Spoon

Cadillac Dream

King Of Hearts

The Street Giveth

You Love Me To Hate You

Somewhere Between Heaven And Hell

Little Ceaser

Boomerang

Tough Love

Spit

Heart Of Chrome

Thou Shalt Not

Paralyzed

I Just Wanna

Anything off of Carnival Of Souls

I Pledge Allegiance To The State Of Rock N Roll

We Are One

Raise Your Glasses

I Finally Found My Way

Dreamin’

Journey Of 1,000 Years

 

 

I’m starting think it would’ve been easier to make a list of songs they shouldn't play.  Gene.  Paul.  Look at all that material you have ignored your entire career.  How can you have so many songs that aren’t worthy of you?  You wrote them.  Recorded them.  Released them.  Why not play them?  There’s a lot of great music there.  You should play it.  KISS fans won’t revolt.  Quite the opposite.  Think how cool it would be to dedicate Little Caesar to Eric Carr.  Imagine how blown away they’d be if you played one of the new tracks off of Killers for fucks sake.  You could even drop some Wicked Lester on their unsuspecting asses.  They would NEVER forget that.  And wouldn’t you as musicians like to mix it up?  Don’t you get sick of some of the songs you play?  The KISS Kruise is the perfect opportunity to play only obscure songs.

 

KISS shows are legendary.  It may be their biggest contribution to music.  From Lady Gaga, to Garth Brooks to U2.  Much of what constitutes a live show started with KISS.  I get why they might be protective of it.  But KISS isn’t just the show.  KISS isn’t just 20 songs.  One of the things that makes being a fan so enjoyable is their colorful history.  They would be well served by not looking at so much of it as mistakes and start embracing them as artistic decisions.  Paul made a compelling argument that the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame should recognize the groups entire history.  If so then KISS should do the same with the live performances.  And if by chance you are a KISS fan who only likes to hear them play the 20 - 25 songs they've been playing from since 1996, well go fuck yourself.  They play those songs all the time.  Give us this.

HATE MAIL 

KISS Love Gun Deluxe Edition

 

The definition of insanity:  Giving Gene Simmons money and expecting something different.

Say what you want about us KISS fans.  We have spending power and we like to buy KISS shit.  And shit is largely what they've given us for some time now.  The last two studio records sound like Asylum rejects.  The KISS Kruise is just an annual ritual of them lowering expectations while raising prices.  And when they manage to do something awesome like reissuing all the albums on vinyl in a road case they ask Vinnie Vincent what he thinks they should charge.

The point being when they do something cool they still find a way to underwhelm.  The KISSology DVD sets were well done packages of what KISS fans have wanted for years.  Complete with unique Easter eggs and content that merited the cost.  But of course they edited the Tom Snyder interview to make Gene look less douche-y and Ace less awesome.  And for each release there was the bonus discs.  A different bonus disc per retailer.  Meaning if you wanted them all you had to buy it 3 times.  

Lets talk about this Love Gun Deluxe edition.  Not counting the many used vinyl copies I've purchased, this will be the sixth time I bought this album.  I know.  Fool me once.  Shame on you.  Fool me six or more times... Look, I know to an outsider it looks like punching yourself in the face.  True KISS fans will understand.  But I'm not sure I get the timing.  Why Love Gun?  Why now?  Are there more coming?  Are they gonna cost 28 bucks?  Putting those questions aside what does 28 bucks get ya?

Well, for starters, the song Love Gun is on here four times.  One is of Paul Stanley explaining to a 1970's tape recorder how to play it.  He sounds like he was getting ready to do the Ambien challenge when he suddenly remembered he had to do this.  I can't imagine why was this ever recorded?  Then the demo of a previously unreleased Gene song called Reputation.  KISS demos of songs released and unreleased have been available via bootlegs of some form for decades so all an official KISS release has to offer is the best possible fidelity of a given track.  Including this track on this "Deluxe" edition is particularly offensive as they already released it a few months back on their double disc retrospective KISS 40.  Did they think we forgot?  This song eventually morphed into True Confessions and appeared on Gene's 78' solo album.  

I Know Who You Are is another song that would appear on his solo record in reworked fashion ala Lving In Sin.  In both cases it's cool to hear how these songs transformed into their end result.  The only other unreleased song is called Much Too Soon.  Another Gene track.  It's clear this has no business on a KISS album but I think, in the 70's especially, Gene had such a unique approach to writing.  This song is a little weird but for a fan it's a lot of fun to hear.  More please.  There are also demo's for Hooligan, Plaster Caster and an instrumental demo of Tomorrow and Tonight for the karaoke fans out there.  

The interview of Gene from 1977 is interesting to listen to as Gene hadn't quite developed his arsenal of bumper sticker ethos he spews in every interview nowadays.  Which leaves us with the "live" tracks.  The vocals were redone recently.  Like a few days ago recently.  They pulled this crap with the just in time for a tour release You Wanted The Best in 1996 which featured some "Lost" tracks from the Alive! recording.  Gene.  Paul.  We can tell.    This is unnecessary and frankly embarrassing.

At least it comes with a booklet chock full of cool pictures from the time with the self serving bio that accompanies releases like these.  And who do they get to write the liner notes?  Joe Elliot.  A man who never had a kind word to say about KISS prior to joining them on tour this year.  Whether it's Garth Brooks or Lady Gaga this is just another reminder how much KISS wants us to know that famous people like them.  The original album came with a paper gun.  This comes with a magnet of that gun.  Which is probably the coolest thing about this.  Is that enough?

This is KISS.  This is charging 1000 bucks for a meet and greet and saying "no pictures."  This is charging 40 bucks for Carnival of Souls on vinyl with a cover that was scanned from a CD copy.  This is promising all sorts of goodies with ALIVE III and then giving none of it.  This is playing the same 15 songs for a decade.  This is a box set with almost no unique content.  This is dumping Melvins from KISS My Ass for flavor of the month Dinosaur Jr.  This is the Rock n Roll HOF with no performance.  This is pretending Carr Jam wasn't a song on an Ace Frehley record called Breakout.  This... is KISS. 

The really sad thing is I know, as much as I just complained, I will buy the next underwhelming "new" release.  I'm my own worst enemy.  I am a completionist.  And there are a lot of me.  And KISS knows it.  They will continue to tease with snippets and charge premium price for a product you already own.  They will never intentionally make a performance unique and they will always try to control the story.  But here's the thing.  Why do they think they can only get our money if what they offer is underwhelming?  Why does their business model seem to be "If it's cool we won't make money."?  They put together this "Deluxe Edition" as if it were for the audience of the Super Bowl.     

There seems to be no rhyme or reason to how these are being handled.  There seems no effort to make it truly special.  And does it really need to cost so much?  Why not do a package like this for all of the records, one at a time and in order of release?  Starting with a proper release of Wicked Lester.  Aren't you old enough to not be embarrassed anymore.  You do know we've all heard it.

So I am offering my services, FREE OF CHARGE, (You like that don't ya Genie baby) to oversee all future Deluxe reissues of this wonderful back catalog.  I will need final say in all bonus material and there will be no re-recording of anything.  Demos and live performances shall be presented with existing warts.  It will be cool and you will make money.     

So Gene.  Paul.  You got a lot of my money.  Your gonna get more.  You can do better than 4 versions of Love Gun can't ya?  Search your feelings you know it to be true.  Anyway, let me know when you want me to start working on that Wicked Lester release as the fans and I are waiting. 

    


    

Paul Stanley Is Wrong, And He Know's It.

Paul Thinks Catman Is No. 1

At a certain point we all get to see behind the curtain and find what we thought was a mystical or divine entity is nothing but a little old man and a projector.  Much to the chagrin of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, we’ve all seen behind the curtain of KISS.  We’ve seen the cracks in the mirrored guitar and the wrinkles in the makeup.  As much as they have to be aware of this, Gene and Paul go forth as if we don’t know what they look like without makeup.

 

 

 

One of the more recent examples of outward delusion has been Paul’s insistence that if he could do it over he would’ve had Eric Carr wear Peter’s Criss’ makeup and Vinnie Vincent would’ve worn Ace Frehley’s.  Well that's just stupid.  And he knows it.  Yet he still says it.  Why?  Well he does this for one of two reasons. 

1)   Like many rock stars whose days of relevance is over a decade behind him, he truly is so immersed in the bullshit his hangers on feed him that he can’t see the reality that his days of being looked to for more than nostalgia are over.

 

2)   It helps justify the decision to do that with current Ace and Peter understudies Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer. 

 



I Think You Mean "Starchild" (KISS)

His basic argument is based on the premise that it’s working now and the opposite didn’t work then.  To that I say:  Post Hoc Ergo Proctor Hoc!  It's revisionist bullshit that fits the current storyline.  And he knows it.  KISS was a sinking ship in 1980.  And it wasn’t because Eric Carr was a Fox and not a Cat.  Dressing Eric as Peter would’ve only turned off even more fans.  And Paul knows it.  He knew it so much that I doubt it even crossed his mind at the time.  By 1979 KISS’ peak was behind them.  I doubt the teenagers who got stoned listening to KISS Alive! were enamored with KISS bed sheets and garbage cans.  Dynasty simultaneously sold well while also starting the decline of KISS.  Unmasked was pretty much ignored and to follow that up with a serious concept album by men in greasepaint?  Did they really think cutting their hair and switching from platform boots to standard high heels would make people respect them more? 

 

As much as their career seemed to be tanking, there was still reason to believe it could be turned around.  They weren’t even at the 8 year mark of being a band when the Elder came out.   They were replacing a member of the band not an actor in a play.  KISS’ popularity was waning because of many things.  Punk, disco, new wave were all hitting during this time.  The economy was in the tank.  I really doubt having Eric Carr in Peter’s cat makeup would’ve made Creatures sell better any more than pretending Ace was still in the band did.  And imagine the reaction the few fans they had left in 1982 would have reacted to Vinnie Vincent dressed in Ace’s costume and makeup.  It would’ve made an already dire time worse.  Again.  Paul knows it. 

Hey.  Who are those guys?

 

Paul also talks of how each character is internationally recognized.  While he is right, the bulk of the people he’s talking about can’t name a song and wouldn’t be able to pick the original 4 out of a picture of all six characters KISS has had.  In other words, the people who would know, would prefer Tommy and Eric had their own make up.  And the people who don’t know would have no idea they were new anyways.  While I doubt he’s lost much sleep thinking about my thoughts on the situation I can say I find it a bit offensive both he and Gene seem more concerned with what the Diane Sawyer's of the world think than what I think.

 

 

He can pretend it’s about 4 characters all he wants, but the truth is when they reunited in 1996 it wasn’t Demon and Starchild getting back together with Spaceman and Catman.  It was Gene, Peter, Ace and Paul.  There is plenty of evidence to back that up.  Again.  Paul knows it.  Unlike 1980, KISS is very much a nostalgia act now.  This next generation of fans they like to brag about are largely children of fans of the band who have grown up and insist that their kids see KISS.  And why wouldn’t a kid want to?  KISS is fun.  Make up and costumes and fire.  Fuck yeah.  But they will never have the same passion.  So while I don’t like what they are doing I do understand it and have come to accept it.  But it’s time Paul stopped talking like we’re all stupid.  He talks of a time when he and Gene are replaced.  Paul.  That time is now.  There are KISS tribute bands all over the world.  Some of them pretty advanced.  And none of them are selling out arena’s at 60 bucks a pop.  Paul knows it. 

 

 

They can dress up Eric and Tommy as Ace and Peter now and get away with it for one reason.  People don’t care as much as they once did.  I’m in the group that is against it.  But even I have to admit when I first heard they were doing, it didn’t register much more than an eye roll.  My reaction would’ve been much stronger when Eric Carr joined or when Vinnie Vincent suddenly appeared.  So if someone who actually gives a shit doesn’t care that much, there will be plenty of people afraid to let go that will drink the blood colored Kool-Aid you are serving when you make these stupid remarks.  That’s right.  Paul knows it.

 

 

He’s not an idiot.  He is very aware of what he’s doing.  Politicians call it spin.  I call it bullshit.  And I have a personal message for Paul.

 

Paul.  Baby.  It’s me.  Bakko.  We met in 1995 at the Bloomington KISS Konvention.  Well maybe you don’t remember but it was a pretty big deal to me.  But I digress.  By your own admission and volition you have been in therapy most of your life.  I don’t think it’s working.  You have gotten everything you’ve ever wanted.  You've achieved everything you ever dreamed of.  You pretty much run KISS.  You basically built your own cash machine.  You seem to have a wonderful family.  Your kids get to be the entitled pieces of shit you resented growing up.  You’re in the Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame man.  Yet you will minimize yourself just for the chance to kick Ace and Peter.  That’s fucking crazy man.  At the end of the day is it your intention to come off as petty and bitter?  Fuck sakes man, you’re in your 60’s.  Let it go.    

 

KISS has in many ways defined me for the last 37 years.  You don’t owe me anything.  I can honestly say my life is better because of KISS.  And the influence you personally have had on my life is immeasurable.  But I know what you’re doing and I know why.  And you should know that.    

 

Love, Bakko

 

Bakko and Paul St.. I mean, Starchild

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hate Mail

KISS Fans Unite! It's Gonna Be Alright

Members Past and Present



It’s hard to find a band more polarizing than KISS.  While there have been other bands who’ve had a similar affect on people, I contend there isn't another band that for so long in such a large scope has been able to make people on both sides blind to whats right in front of them.  One would think that even if you hate KISS you can still acknowledge that they deserve induction to the Rock n Roll Hall Of Fame.  And one would think that even though you have been a lifelong fan of the band, you can still think it’s wrong that the band is comprised of two people pretending to be Ace and Peter.  KISS has a way of backing you into a corner and compromising your ability to think rationally.  And that’s what we’re talking about. 

Anyone who has grown up a KISS fan knows that being a fan means being a target.  I get how someone in their teens may feel required to become defensive about something they feel is theirs.  But this ain’t 1982.  Now days we’re talking about someone in their mid 40’s who never got over the wedgie’s they were given in high school.  While forgiving a bully and thinking Tommy Thayer is good in KISS may not be the same thing, the reluctance to have an honest view of KISS is largely ingrained from all the crap we took for liking them in the first place.  We could talk about things like the KISS Coffin or the recent Hello Kitty line of KISS related products that should get even the biggest fan scratching his head, but I think we need to start with the biggest offense to their fans KISS is guilty of. 

Having two hired guns pretend to be Ace and Peter. 



Fake Peter and Fake Ace

Saying it any other way is just spin.  And believing that spin is a choice.  The reasons Gene and Paul don’t want to play with Ace and Peter are readily available.  And when you read between the lines of the comments made by all four of them on the topic, they seem like valid reasons.  But just because they don’t play nice together doesn’t mean you automatically accept them moving on with two guys dressed as Ace and Peter.  And thus a schism rocks the KISS Army.  An Army all too willing to take a side.  Gene and Paul or Ace and Peter?  Who do you choose.

That's where I shift the blame from the band to the fans.  Why do you feel the need to choose?  An objective person would see flaws in all of these guys.  Gene signs more autographs and takes more pictures with the fans than Ace, but Ace never had a reality show where his kids made fun of KISS fans.  Ace never wanted to replace every member of KISS with 4 winners of a game show.  Paul has gone to greater lengths to keep himself in proper condition to perform than Peter.  But Peter didn’t write Let’s Put The X In Sex or re-record Beth with Eric Carr singing it.  I understand why the people who love KISS hold on so tight.  There’s a pretty good chance it’s been in their life longer than anything else.  When we’re down in the dumps and we need something to bring us up, there was one thing that would always do it for us the way we want it.  No not Cold Gin.  KISS.  But much like a child to a parent, at a certain point we need to take control of our life.  Rise to it you might say.  Well lift up that chin little buddy.  It’s gonna be alright. 

I’ve noticed a difference between KISS fans who are musicians and KISS fans who are not.  The musicians tend to have no interest in the bands current music.  When they buy a KISS Doll or Pez dispenser they can’t wait to rip it out of its package and play with it.  When they speak about KISS they have a passion for the music, the aura and the show.  The non musician tends to be more about the collecting.  They are more likely to tuck their Hot In The Shade T-Shirt tightly into their pants.  And they want something you don’t have.  Whether it be knowledge or a collectible.  They want to tell you about meeting Gene and not to share an experience.  For whatever reason it is important to them that others know they did or got something you didn’t.  I have a friend who still lives with his mom and every Christmas can’t wait to brag about all the KISS stuff his mommy got him this year.  He’s 43. 

I generalize these fans as the line is pretty clear with these two specific groups.  The musician doesn’t like Gene and Paul flaunting such blatant disrespect for Peter and Ace while the non musicians largely have no sympathy for Ace and Pete.  Placing the blame solely on them.

I do have an opinion on this matter and its probably clear.  But before I conclude with that I think it’s important we ask why.   Why did Gene and Paul choose to dress two guys up as Ace and Peter?  Make no mistake.  It was a choice.  But was it the right one?  Was it a decision with you, the fan in mind, or were they just thinking about your wallet?  Let’s ask a few key questions. 

Not Fake Ace and Peter

Who is going to be easier to work with in the role of “Hired musician”?  Ace and Peter or Tommy and Eric.  In other words two guys who were there in the beginning and played a key role in defining the band’s sound and identity while also garnering themselves their own fan base. Or, two guys who would otherwise be looking for jobs that paid far less?  Good luck spinning that one.  Once the reunion was announced and the contracts were signed, Gene and Paul had to pretend that they gave a shit about Peter and Ace.  They insisted that they were all hi fiving each other in the studio when recording Psycho Circus when in reality Peter and Ace aren’t really on the record.  Every press event they talked about how unified they were but as time went on you found fewer and fewer of those quotes coming from Peter or Ace.  Gene and Paul were entitled to retain ownership of the band.  Treating Ace and Peter like shit was just for enjoyment.   

Is this what the fans want?  Be honest.  If Paul Stanley called you in 2003 and asked you if they should put Eric Singer in Peter Criss’ makeup what would you say?  Eric and Tommy (Fake Peter and Fake Ace) serve Gene and Paul’s bottom line.  Peter may not have been at the top of his game and Ace may have been unreliable but it was also becoming more and more difficult to convince them to go with the flow and take smaller salaries.  The same reason they don’t want to create new characters for Eric and Tommy is the same reason they shouldn’t have continued.  At this point in the game people aren’t interested in new anything from KISS.  And it’s not what the fans really want.

Gene and Paul continue to claim the band never sounded better.  Is that really true?  Make no mistake.  Gene and Paul have earned the right to do what they want at this point in their lives.  And this lineup probably makes fewer mistakes but it’s also super boring.   Going to a KISS concert used to be a big party.  Now it’s more like going to a combination of a KISS convention and an AA meeting.  If you went to any of the shows on the Crazy Nights tour you know what I’m talking about.  Uninspired.  But at least Bruce Kulick wasn’t boring you while pretending to be Ace.  One Bruce Kulick > Tommy as Ace.  Some may say this lineup is better but in reality it’s just slower.  And what about the other lineups? 

 

Haven’t KISS given us enough?  Did we really need Monster or Sonic Boom?  Look at it from this angle.  Remember the first time you heard KISS ALIVE?  How many times did you listen to that record over the next 15 years?  Is there any chance of those two records combined even approaching that number in the next 15 years?  While you may like it did you really need it?  Did you go see Paul on his solo tour?  Assuming you’ve already seen 10 or more KISS concerts in your life, wouldn’t you prefer to see another Paul tour.  How about Gene finally doing one?  Tickets cost less to see them in a smaller venue where you can actually see everything and the set list isn’t going to be the same old shit.  At this point wouldn’t you prefer to pay $35 to see Gene from 30 feet away sing Mr. Make Believe than pay $70 to see him from the upper deck sing Rock N Roll All Nite?  Is it at least possible it's time to let go of something that has given you more than any band has ever given?  At the very least insist on them removing the makeup or giving Eric and Tommy their own.  Doing so doesn’t demean how much you love the band.  If anything not doing so does.              

If it’s about no longer being up for the gig (Peter) or the ability to stay sober (Ace) then find a way to do it without being such dicks to them.  Their fans are your fans too.  You won.  You got what you wanted and Ace and Peter will probably go broke again while you continue to profit from their likeness.  The least you could do is not spit on them.  You didn’t win the lottery without them.  That goes for all of them.  They've all written books.  If they couldn't fit their cheap shots in the pages of their autobiographies well, just move on.    

As fans, we should feel no obligation to support every decision Paul and Gene make.  We’re all human.  Peter and Ace dug their own grave and Gene and Paul made sure they had a shovel and a map to the graveyard.  None of them are victims.  They need to drop the resentment.  At least publicly.  And fans.  It’s ok to be honest with yourself.  It’s ok to let go a little.  As someone who’s done it I can promise you it’ll be alright.  You don’t have to sell your collection because you think it was wrong for Gene to break his promise to Peter that they would never play Beth again.  You won’t be required to get that tattoo removed because you think it’s wrong for Tommy and Eric to dress and Ace and Peter.  You CAN still be a fan and embrace free will.  Take it from someone who's done it.  It's gonna be alright. 


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