By: Michael Drukarsh - Love ‘em or hate ‘em, Kiss is one of the most well known bands in the world and regardless of how you label them; pop, glam, heavy, hair, shock rock or even disco, there is no denying the influence the band has had on the musical and pop culture landscape.
Wrapping up a 50 year career back in 2023, Kiss is cemented in the Rock zeitgeist. A lot happened between 1973 and 2023 so for this edition of “WHAT IF” I’ll be looking at some of the more poignant points of Kiss.
1) Contrary to Kiss lore, Wicked Lester did not turn into Kiss. Formed in 1970 by Gene Klein (AKA Chaim Witz/Gene Simmons) and Stanley Eisen (AKA Paul Stanley) as Rainbow, the name change to Wicked Lester would occur in 1971 with Klein, Eisen, Stephen Coronel, and Joe Davidson. During their brief existence, the line up would change, a record deal would be signed with Epic Records and an album recorded. In early 1972, the deal fell through, the album was never officially released and the band broke up. Both Klien, now Gene Simmons and Eisen, now Paul Stanlety felt that the lack of focus and commitment lead to Wicked Lester’s demise and decided to start a brand new band bringing forth their vision of what a rock band and show should be. "What if" Wicked Lester’s album was released and became a success?
2) With the addition of Ace Frehly on lead guitar and Peter Criss on drums, the first (and in my opinion the best version) of Kiss was complete. It was now up to the band to create the personas and stage show that they always wanted to see. Gene Simmons, on the advice and encouragement of manager Bill Aucoin, decided to bring fire breathing to the stage on the 1973 New Years Eve show opening for Blue Oyster Cult. With a mouth full of keratin, Simmons spit a fireball into the air during the band's performance of “Firehouse”. Unfortunately, the feat did not go off as planned and Simmons’s long curly locks went up in a burst of flames. Thankfully a quick thinking roadie ran out on stage and extinguished the flames by throwing a wet towel over Simmon's head before any real tragedy struck. "What if" that roadie didn't act so quickly and Gene Simmons ended up with severe to life altering burns to his scalp and face?
3) By 1976, the band had created a show and stage presence, the likes of which had never been seen before. Each member took on a face painted, larger than life extension of themselves and had perfected the pyro that exploded on a nightly basis. Ace Frehley, Kiss’s out of this world lead guitarist had been mesmerizing fans with his incredible guitar solos and fireball shooting guitar but had never stepped up to the mic as a lead singer. On Dec 12, 1976, at a show in Lakeland Florida, Ace Frehley electrocuted himself descending a staircase on the stage. The set was not grounded correctly and he completed a circuit with his electric guitar in hand. Thankfully he was able to release his grip after a few seconds and survived the fall down the rest of the staircase. This incident led to Frehley writing and, for the first time in his career, stepping up in front of the mic to take lead vocals on the classic Kiss hit, “Shock Me”. "What if" Ace wasn’t able to release from the railing causing life altering injuries to his hands and body?
4) As the 70s came to an end and after much turmoil within the band, despite reaching the pinnacle of success, Peter Criss left Kiss followed by Ace Frehley two years later. In a bold move that no one would have predicted, Kiss announced that the makeup was coming off. Up to this point the identities of each member was one of the best kept secrets in rock and roll. On September 18, 1983, founding members Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, along with new members, drummer Eric Carr and guitarist Vinnie Vincent appeared without makeup on an MTV primetime special to prompt their upcoming release Lick It Up. "What if" Kiss decided to keep the makeup on and continue to use different personas (like they did for Carr the Fox and Vincent the Ankh) while trying to keep the band relevant and moving forward?
5) After an unsuccessful attempt to bring Kiss to the big screen with 1978’s 'Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park' (a worthy cult classic), Kiss shied away from the bright lights of tinsel town, that is until Gene Simmons caught the acting bug in the early 80s. Although Kiss had some success following the makeup removal and addition of new players, the direction of the band seemed to follow trends instead of setting them and Simmons became somewhat disengaged from the band. Grabbing an opportunity to spread his (bat) wings, Simmons took on the role of the evil programmer, Dr. Charles Luther in the 1984 Sci-fi film 'Runaway' playing opposite Hollywood heavyweight, Tom Selleck. Unfortunately 'Runaway' was released around the same time as other major sci-fi hits, most notably, 'The Terminator' and it did not meet box office expectations, getting poor returns and critically panned. While Simmons did continue taking on roles in film, most notably, 1986’s 'Never Too Young To Die' where he plays a murderous, psychopathic, transgender gang leader, Gene would never truly fulfill his Hollywood dream. "What if" 'Runaway' became a box office success and Gene was actually recognized by Hollywood's elite as a true silver screen star?
Kiss went through several iterations, including reunions with the original members, putting the makeup back on, and even delving into the world of grunge. Many of the core fan base, known as the Kiss Army abandoned Kiss early on in the 80s and deem the first six studio albums along with Alive and Alive 2 as the only true representative of the Hottest Band in the Land. Whether you agree with die hard fans or not, there is no denying the legacy Kiss has left on music and the pop culture world as a whole. But, with 50 years of "What Ifs", it is clear that history could have easily been rewritten many times with very different outcomes.
Kiss Online
Comments