Tommy Thayer talar om Kiss Monster Mini Golf invigningen på KOMP Las Vegas Radio:

Kiss Army Agentina intervjuvar Tommy Thayer:

Kiss Army Argentina Exclusive Interview with TommyThayer:

After three years will we definitely be ready to tour South America again

Don`t miss this first Kiss Army Argentina interview with Tommy Thayer of Kiss! The Spaceman talks about “Monster”, the new Kiss show and apossible return to South America!

First of all, Tommy, thanks a lot for your time; it is an honor and a pleasurefor us.

It’s my pleasure and honor.

We, the fans, are anxious about the release of the new album. What can youtell us about it?

We’ve been recording the new album on and off now for several months. It’s going to bean incredible album. It’s very, very good.

The time and in a way, the approach, taken to record the album is differentthan in “Sonic Boom”; there has been a recent short summer tour and now you have resumed therecording sessions for this new album. Does touring somehow help to shape the new album, interms of, probably, getting and thinking over new ideas?

Not really; although being on the road together gives us the opportunity to easily gettogether on off days to work on ideas.

Have you been involved in songwriting for the new album as much as youhad been involved for “Sonic Boom”?

Probably more on this one.

Please tell us about the equipment that you used for recording the new album?

Again, I borrowed Paul’s Gibson SG guitar that really sounds great. I’ve been using one of my Hughes & Kettner signature amps along with a variety of other amps to get a nice scorching sound!

How would you describe the material recorded for the new album?

The new songs are GREAT, probably even better as a whole than SB. And SB wasfantastic.

We know that on the album you will be, once again, doing lead vocals in asong, like you did in “Sonic Boom”; in this sense, many of us wonder why you have not sung“When Lightning Strikes” yet; what can you tell us about that? And what can you tell us about thisnew song that you will be singing?

It tough choosing song lists for a live set. When you have a brand new album out andpeople don’t know the songs as well yet, it’s hard to put more than two or three new songs in the set; morethan that and it kills the momentum of the show.

Is there an estimated release date for the album?

Sometime in 2012.

Some weeks ago Gene said that there will be new outfits and a new conceptfor the stage; is this true?

We’ve been talking about the show and stage a lot. There are some great ideas in theplanning stages right now.

Between the current projects there is the release of a DVD, “KISSology IV”,in which you have been actively involved; is there a release date already?

No specific release dates yet. I know it’s hard to wait!

You have been working with KISS for many years in different audiovisualprojects, from which we infer that you have access to a lot of unreleased material from differenteras. Among that material, we suppose that there are those famous Pro Shot files that Gene hadfrom the “Asylum” Tour; is this assumption correct? Because there is very little official materialfrom that era, and we the fans only have some bootlegs, and it would be great to have more officialstuff!

I will take note!

Talking about set lists, KISS has a huge amount of songs to choose.Knowing that there will soon be a new tour, are there any plans to renew the setlist? Because itwould be great to listen again to some songs, such as “Ladies Room”, “Take Me”, or “Mr. Speed”,to mention just a few of them, instead of some of the songs that have been consistently performedin the latest tours…

Tell me what you’d like to hear..

Which KISS song that has never been performed live would you like to play,if Gene and Paul gave you the opportunity to choose?

Maybe ”All Hell’s Breakin’ Loose.” I’ve always loved that song.

Is there an estimated date for the next tour already? And a question that wehave to ask: will you visit South America, and Argentina in particular?

Again, everyone will need to wait a little bit longer before we announce release dates, tour dates etc. After three years will we definitely be ready to tour South America again; some of the rowdiestfans in the world!

We know that apart from music, you have other interests; for instance, youare a very good golf player. Can you tell us how and when you became involved with this sport?

It’s a nice diversion from the rock & roll lifestyle.

Finally, could you please leave a message for KISS Army Argentina?

To KISS Army Argentina: WE LOVE YOU!!!

Interview: MARCELO GARCIA and DIEGO FERREYRA (KISS ARMY ARGENTINA)

January 2011 – www.kissarmyargentina.com

Decibel Geek Podcast bjuder på några opublicerade bilder med Vinnie Vincent:

Batch of Unpublished Vinnie Vincent Photos Surfaces

A former die-hard fan of Vinnie Vincent has supplied us with some amazing previously-unpublished photos that may have come from the former KISS guitarist’s personal collection.

Only wanting to be identified as ”vvjunkie”, this former fan claims to have fallen out of favor with the Ankh Warrior after she made comments on a message board that, despite being set up as a fan forum, is considered enemy ground by the guitarist with its open discussion of all things Vinnie Vincent. After receiving a ban from Vinnie’s official forum (and not wanting to shell out $500.00 for the new forum) she has decided to share these photos from his inner-sanctum.

Early Musical Years (1970′s)

For those that don’t know, Vinnie was known by his real name of Vincent Cusano back in the 1970’s when he worked/performed with such artists as Edgar Winter, Dan Hartman, Felix Cavaliere, and recent Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inductee Laura Nyro. This photo appears to be from around that time.

Creatures of the Night Era (1982/1983)

Finding new photos of Vinnie’s days in KISS makeup is quite difficult these days as his time in the Ankh Warrior makeup was so limited. This photo definitely appears to be from the guitarists personal collection and may even be a test shot used to help “get into character” for future photo shoots and performances.

Lick It Up/Invasion Era (1983-1986)

It’s debatable what era the 2 studio shots originate from. These 2 shots could be during the recordings of Creatures, Lick It Up, or even one of the Invasion albums. Anyone with specific knowledge of the date and location of these photos is encouraged to comment. The ”glamour” shot us unquestionably from the Invasion era. Much discussion of the Vinnie Vincent Invasion can be found on the Rik Fox segment of Part 1 of the 2-part Vinnie Vincent special that we premiered last July.

The 1990′s & Beyond

This final photo appears to be from Vinnie’s mid-90′s KISS Expo tour of Europe. You can hear the detailed account of one of the tour’s organizers, Alexx Michael of Shameless, in Part 2 of the 2-Part Vinnie Vincent Special that we premiered last July.

We’d like to now announce that there will be a Part 3 and possibly a Part 4 to the Vinnie Vincent Series that we started last year. We thought that we had tapped the well dry but have come to hearn many new things over recent months. We’ve had meaningful discussions with people from Vinnie’s early days all the way to new revelations of current activities of the former KISS guitarist that will surely surprise you (or maybe not depending on your perspective). Keep track of the show on this site as more information will be coming in the new year. Stay tuned!

dbgeekshow.blogspot.com

En artikel av A.V. Club om ”The Elder”:

MY WORLD OF FLOPS

On The Wings Of Pretension Case File #5:

Kiss’ Music From “The Elder”

By Nathan Rabin December 21, 2011

By the late ’70s, the warriors of Kiss had everything. The band didn’t just play cities; it conquered them. It didn’t entertain crowds; it slaughtered them. Kiss was bigger than rock. Kiss had its own army. It was an industry onto itself. There seemed to be no limit to how far these meatheads in ridiculous face paint could go. Kiss’ label, Casablanca Records, was giddy with the kind of superhuman confidence that comes from runaway success—the label had launched both Kiss and The Village People into the stratosphere and had come to dominate disco—and rampant, widespread, more or less company-mandated cocaine abuse.

Yes, Kiss had everything. But Kiss was an American rock ’n’ roll band, so everything was not enough. The group flirted with the idea of touring with a traveling amusement park called Kiss World before ultimately nixing the idea as prohibitively expensive. In a mark of hubris remarkable even for the era, Casablanca shipped 5 million total copies of the four solo albums the members of Kiss released on the same day. The idea was to launch four solo superstars simultaneously; instead the records were returned to Casablanca en masse. The world, it seems, had not been hankering to find out what Ace Frehley was capable of without the three other dudes holding him back.

The band embarked on a movie project that had been pitched to them as a cross between A Hard Day’s Night and Star Wars. The resulting made-for-television movie, Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park, did not quite live up to such grandiose billing, in the sense that it was an intense humiliation for everyone involved. Kiss may have started as a swaggering, ballsy hard-rock outfit, but by the late ’70s they had devolved into cuddly, family-friendly cartoons. Phantom Of The Park was even produced by Hanna-Barbera, the animation powerhouse that gave the world Hong Kong Phooey, Yogi Bear, and Tom and Jerry. Kiss made a mint in merchandising, but no one took the group seriously.

That shouldn’t have been a problem. Why should anyone take Kiss seriously? The members of Kiss were entertainers, not artists. They flaunted the vulgar artlessness of their music. Let the critics swoon over Elvis Costello and his geeky glasses; Kiss would rather have the money, the girls, and the power. Or so you might imagine. As the ’70s bled into the ’80s, Kiss leaders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley began hankering for one of the only things money and fame cannot buy: respectability. They wanted to show those sneering critics that they were just as capable of making a grand artistic statement as all those pencil-necked geeks and guitar-stroking folkies.

To aid them in their exquisitely misguided bid for respect, the duo recruited a pair of figures synonymous with art: Lou Reed, the frontman behind the quintessential art-rock band the Velvet Underground, and Bob Ezrin, the producer of Lou Reed’s Berlin and the co-producer of Pink Floyd’s The Wall. Ezrin in turn roped in the big guns over at American Symphony Orchestra and St. Robert’s Choir to help Kiss realize its lofty vision.

Kiss had a history with Ezrin. He helped engineer a big leap forward creatively through his aggressive production of the group’s 1976 album Destroyer. More importantly, he was a man who had cracked the concept-album code and recently delivered a masterpiece of the oft-derided, oft-acclaimed genre in The Wall. Ezrin was also, in 1981, a man in the grips of a debilitating cocaine addiction he now willingly concedes might have tainted his judgment just a little. Ezrin, Stanley, and Simmons had big plans for the album that would become Music From “The Elder.” As the impossibly clumsy title stumblingly sort-of-conveys, the album was supposed to accompany a motion picture called The Elder about a land in need of a hero and a young boy (known as “The Boy”) who embarks on an epic quest at the behest of a mysterious order known as The Council Of Elders to realize his destiny with the help of an aged mentor known as Morpheus.

The plot of The Elder was originally supposed to unfold in a series of spoken-word pieces, but after the album received a dismal, embarrassed, and confused response from Casablanca and Kiss’ management, the spoken-word pieces were removed, with the exception of a closing bit of banter that suggests gutting the album’s narrative glue might have been a good idea. Let other, lesser bands make movies, then record soundtrack albums later: Kiss was going to will a motion picture into existence through sheer force of will, though after the Phantoms Of The Park debacle, it’s not exactly clear why Kiss imagined its future lie in movies, television or otherwise.

Music From “The Elder” was recorded in secrecy; Ezrin wouldn’t let anyone other than Kiss even listen to the album, nor would he let anyone interfere with his creative process or compromise his vision. Music From “The Elder” was always an all-or-nothing proposition. Either this was the album that was going to change everything forever, or it was going to be a huge embarrassment. There was no real middle ground. As if to drive that point home, Kiss’ ill-fated foray into the world of concept albums begins, wondrously enough, with the polite jingle-jangle of wind chimes sounding airily in the far distance before medieval pipes deliver a strong, albeit secret message: If you have any respect for the Kiss of old, you will turn this ponce-y bullshit off and go listen to Alive again.

Music From “The Elder” opens with 81 seconds of pointlessly atmospheric scene-setting entitled “Fanfare.” Fucking “Fanfare!” Simmons and Stanley are throwing down the gauntlet. They’re announcing from the beginning that Music From “The Elder” will be every bit as pretentious as its name and cover (a hand knocking upon a heavy wooden door) suggest. Music From “The Elder” is distinguished by a singular combination of pretension and stupidity.

Concept albums ideally combine universal themes with specificity. The Wall is about a rock star whose life strongly resembles Roger Waters, but it’s also about all rock stars and alienation in general. Music From “The Elder,” however, combines the blandly general with a maddening lack of specificity. The following track, “Just A Boy” is unfortunately descriptive: The protagonist of Music From “The Elder” really is just a boy, a heroic blank for the audience to project its own fantasies and aspirations upon.

“Just A Boy” suggests that the deep thinkers of Kiss didn’t just begin by immersing themselves in the ideas of Joseph Campbell; they ended there as well. Music From “The Elder” offers a quintessential hero’s journey taking the protagonist from a place of doubt and insecurity (“Just A Boy”) to a realm of confidence and self-assurance (the album-closing “I”) with all the expected stops in between.

The track that follows “Just A Boy,” “Odyssey” is a black-light Frank Frazetta poster in musical form, a sci-fi fantasia featuring a comically foppish vocal from Stanley and some of the most ridiculous lyrics in the history of the recorded music. “Through the luminescent night/On beams of neon light/You and I in wing-ed flight” minces Stanley with all the gloriously misplaced conviction that makes Music From “The Elder” so fascinating. Sure, the narrative bits are gone, but otherwise Music From “The Elder” commits itself fully to its cracked vision. There are no half-measures. Kiss means this shit.

Lou Reed’s presence is felt most keenly on “Dark Light,” a song so sneeringly out of place it seems to mock the rest of the album. Ace Frehley, who sings “Dark Light” and shares writing credits for the track with Reed, Simmons, and future David Letterman drummer Anton Fig, was on the outs with Simmons, Ezrin, and Stanley throughout the making of Music From “The Elder.” You can sense the tension in the dramatic contrast between Stanley and Simmons’ larger-and-dumber-than-life fantasy and Frehley’s smartass, monotone attitude. Where Stanley’s delivery is breathlessly sincere, Frehley is filled with mocking, malevolent sarcasm. That’s the right attitude to hold where Music From “The Elder” is concerned.

Kiss used to stand for something. That something was nothing beyond its own glory, wealth, and gratification. Kiss shamefully abandoned its lack of principles on Music From “The Elder.” Trembling sincerity did not and does not suit the group, as evidenced by the album’s sole semi-hit, “A World Without Heroes.”

“A world without heroes is like a world without sun,” Simmons moans while Kiss plays what appears to be a cross between a funeral dirge and closing-time music at a Holiday Inn lounge. The author of the above line? That would be Mr. Reed, who may or may not also be responsible for many of the song’s other lumbering metaphors as well. Among other things, a world without heroes is like the following:

a never-ending race

a time without a place

a pointless thing devoid of grace

a state where you don’t know what you’re after, or if something’s after you

a bird without wings

a bell that never rings

a sad and useless thing

I like to imagine that Reed’s contributions to the songwriting process on “A World Without Heroes” were largely sarcastic, that he shot Simmons a big shit-eating grin and said, “Gee, Gene. You know what would be a swell lyric? ‘A world without heroes is like a world without sun.’ Deep, huh? That’s a real genius way for you to begin the centerpiece to your concept album; which is a great idea, incidentally. Who isn’t looking for a major artistic statement from you guys? And who better to sing a maudlin ballad about the need for heroes and dreams than a blood-and-flame-spewing 9-foot-tall asshole notorious for not giving a fuck about anything other than money and pussy? Who wouldn’t want to be lectured about responsibility by a man painted up to look a fearsome demon? Lumbering message songs always mean more when delivered by a grown man in Halloween make-up.”

The takeaway from “A World Without Heroes” is that the world needs both heroes and dreams. By the closing track, “I”, the protagonist has shaken off the insecurity and doubt that afflicted his younger years and fully embraced his destiny as a hero. “I” is a dumbass song of self, a breast-beating declaration that The Boy has learned his lessons well and is now ready to set out in search of glory.

“I” rocks moderately hard; it even ends by teasing a little “Rock And Roll All Night.” It’s a self-esteem anthem filled with Zig Ziglar-like aphorisms about believing in yourself and overcoming obstacles. Toward the end of “I,” Stanley abandons the frou-frou play-acting of the rest of the album and embraces his true identity as a balls-out rock star, though by then it’s much too late.

Then Music From “The Elder” ends as strangely and unsatisfactorily as it began, with a return of the fanfare and the following spoken-word exchange:

Representative of the Council Of Elders: Morpheus, you have been summoned here to offer your judgment of The Boy. Do you still deem him worthy of the fellowship?

Morpheus: (voice quaking with delight): I certainly do, my Lord. As a matter of fact, I think you’re going to like this one. He’s got the light in his eyes. And the look of a champion. A real champion!

The same, alas, could not be said of Music From “The Elder.” It’s one of the only Kiss studio albums never to go gold, plans to tour behind it were abandoned, and it was not turned into a movie. No, wait. That’s unnecessarily pessimistic of me. I will amend that last statement. The album has not been turned into a movie yet. Hope springs eternal. Let’s not give up on the guys and their idiotic dream just yet.

The Elder remains an enduring mark of shame for a group seemingly without shame, a Hail Mary pass for artistic and creative resonance that couldn’t have gone more astray. Music From “The Elder” won Kiss some of its best reviews, but that says more about the critical community’s raging contempt for Kiss’ earlier work than it does about the album itself. Music From “The Elder” remains one of pop music’s most tantalizing what-ifs. Think of it as an intriguing document from an alternate universe where Kiss really did give a damn, where it embraced its inner prog-rock geek and got all positive and uplifting and all that other fake, maudlin horseshit. Or think of Music From “The Elder” for what it really was: a dispiriting dead end disguised as a bold new beginning.

Failure, Fiasco or Secret Success: Fiasco

Fredagsmys från 1978. Läs mer om sången nedan:

When You Wish Upon A Star

When You Wish Upon A Star
Washington/Harline

This song was a sentimental tip of the hat to the Disney cartoons that helped Gene learn English soon after moving to America in 1958. According to Gene, “When I first heard that song I could barely speak English but I knew the words were true. Anybody can have what they want, the world and life can give its rewards to anyone” (Kerrang #160). Additionally, Gene’s belief in the subject matter of the song, that all things are possible, embody the American dream, something he has certainly attained: “The lyrics are the heaviest lyrics that have ever been written because they can apply to anybody. Anybody who’s got a dream can relate to them… But I think it’s universal at the same time. It can be personal to everybody. It doesn’t have anything to do with age or sex or anything” (Grooves, 1978).

The song was written by Ned Washington and Leigh Harline and was performed in the movie “Pinocchio” (first released in 1940) by Cliff Edwards, the voice of Jiminy Cricket. This song has also been covered by Louis Armstrong and Linda Rondstadt. When recording the song Gene was overcome with the emotion of the piece. According to producer Sean Delaney, “If you listen (to Gene’s version), you’ll hear his voice crack, because at that point he was crying. I wouldn’t let him re-record the vocal” (KISSaholics #16).

Källa www.kissfaq.com

Fredagsmys från 1985. Läs mer om sången nedan:

Uh! All Night

Uh! All Night
Stanley/Child/Beauvoir

It took Paul Stanley, Desmond Child and Jean Beauvoir to come up with this song which includes lyrics that go: “Well, we work all day / And we don’t know why / Well, there’s just one thing that money can’t buy / When your body’s been starved, feed your appetite / When you work all day, you gotta, Uh! all night.” Paul justifies the nature of the song, “Son of ‘Heaven’s On Fire’ meets ‘Tomorrow And Tonight’ in a dark alley. Not necessarily a bad song. Definitely the best I could do in this genre at that time. I’ve always wanted us to have anthems, songs that were singable for anybody, whether they could actually sing or not. So the choruses tended to be simple enough that they were somewhere between chanting and singing” (Box Set Liners).

Jean played bass on the recording and sang backing vocals. This song would be the second promotional video issued off the album and had filmed in England at the same time as “Who Wants To Be Lonely.” Released in December 1985, Paul recalled the filming of the video: “Literally about five days before the tour was about to start we flew back to London, and we shot, back to back, ‘Who Wants To Be Lonely’ and ‘Uh! All Nite.’ Again, it was just a gas” (Metal Hammer, 2/87). The following month the song was issued to radio stations in a promotional 12” format, though not domestically released in the United States unlike some other international markets which would get a proper single of the song.

Källa www.kissfaq.com

Kiss Army Argentina har intervjuvat Ken Kelly, konstnären till Destroyer och Love Gun. Han är aktuell med omslaget till jubileums utgåvan av Destroyer. Vi tackar Kiss Army Argentina för intervjun.

Kiss Army Argentina Exclusive Interview with Ken Kelly:

I’m working with Destroyer Deluxe Edition

Ken, thanks a lot for granting us this interview. It is an honor for KISS ArmyArgentina. As you can imagine our interest is focused on the works you did with KISS, but it isimpossible to leave aside your vast and long career as illustrator of fantastic scenes. You havebeen a student of none other than Frank Frazetta. Please tell us how this interest in illustrationcame about in you, and how was your experience like in Frazetta’s school.

I’ve always been interested in art as long as I can remember. It became more serious as Ibecame an adult. Frank Frazetta was part of my extended family and a working professional at that timeso it was very normal for me to ask questions.

In your long career you have done great illustrations of Conan and Tarzan, among other great works, but as we said before, we would like to focus in KISS. How did that first contact withKISS happen?

KISS’s agency sent their representative to scout out new talent working in the field at the time and Iwas one of those artists.

How did the initial idea for you to work in the legendary Destroyer cover come about? At themoment you joined the project, was the name of the album already defined? How did you startworking on that cover?

The art director hired by KISS to create the cover knew what he wanted on the cover which turned outto be the KISS BROWN cover. Yes, they called it “DESTROYER” from the very beginning.

As for your work with the cover of Destroyer, did you work on ideas different than the oneswe know and that you never made public?

I still have extensive preliminary pencil drawings from that era which were done to familiarize myself with the subject of KISS.

By now we can say that the final cover of Destroyer is almost as famous as the previous sketches and as the original illustration that you presented to Casablanca Records that wasrejected at that time. What can you tell us about that first cover that has never been used untilnow?

Casablanca records label rejected my first cover, the BROWN KISS, due to what they consideredvery close extensive violence directly behind the group members in that era.

What is the size of that original Destroyer cover? What technique did you use? Do you stillkeep that original design?

I can’t remember exactly but 25 inches by 40 inches sounds right. The painting was done in oil paint.The original was accidently destroyed.

Did you ever imagine that the Destroyer cover would someday become one of the biggestKISS icons?

I am delighted to know that the entire world still enjoys the KISS covers I did all those years ago.Absolutely fantastic!

How did that chance of working again with KISS for Love Gun occur?

I sincerely wish I knew how that decision was made but OOOHHH am I glad that it was!

As for the process of the Love Gun cover we know less than about the Destroyer cover.What can you tell us about it? What was the process for Love Gun like? Do you keep the originalof the Love Gun cover?

They asked me to do a rough oil comp painting and then we all discussed in what direction theywanted me to go in so I gave them another rough comp and they agreed with my second drawing. GeneSimmons owned the original oil painting and sold it at auction for $ 87,000.00.

In relation to our previous question, there was a rumor that you had not finished the artworkof the Love Gun cover when Casablanca Records urged you to hand it in, as they wanted torelease the album as soon as possible, and that therefore, you had to hand it in incomplete, is thisreally true?

This is correct, I had not finished Peter’s costume completely but it doesn’t seem to matter much now.

We know that for an artist his works are somehow like his ”children”. In this sense, and inrelation to KISS, what would you say your favorite cover is and why?

That is a very difficult question to answer since each one has its own qualities; one week I’ll swear Love Gun is my favorite, then I’ll switch to BROWN KISS. I’m still not sure but I do love all three.

In the time when Destroyer and Love Gun were released, how much involved was KISS in thedesign for the cover? What about Bill Aucoin, who was sort of the 5th KISS, and responsible in agreat extent of the image and ideas for the band?

It was always evident to me that their manager, Bill Aucoin, was in charge and made the finaldecisions, but Gene and Paul would give me suggestions that I always followed.

After your contributions to Destroyer and Love Gun, two iconic covers, was there ever another chance of working with the band again?

There are other projects associated with KISS that I have done; there was the KISS Nation cover for Marvel and the Norway KISS Army Tribute Album cover.

It seems the future cannot be brighter. KISS is planning to re release a deluxe edition of Destroyer, and it seems they will use the cover that you had originally designed and that had beenoriginally rejected. Is this correct? Are you currently working with KISS in this sense?

In a sense yes, although I’m working directly with Universal Music, who in turn communicates withPaul and Gene regarding what’s going on.

It will be like going back in time: KISS working again in Destroyer, Bob Ezrin contributingagain, plus your original cover. Sounds really exciting.

As exciting as it gets! I’m flooded with email with all the talk! Very exciting!

What are your current plans and what are your projects for the future?

I have a wonderful career and am currently working on a number of projects, Book Series, Calendars,Statues, Record album projects; too many to list here but please come visit my web site,www.kenkellyfantasyart.com.Thanks.

Finally, could you please leave a message for KISS army Argentina?

I want to first thank you all for your interest in me and my association with the band and thank youagain for your loyalty. May it continue for many more years!

Ken, it has been a pleasure and a true honor for us to hold this interview with you. Thanks alot!

It’s been a pleasure for me also; I’m delighted people so far away are still so nice and friendly. If I hadan opportunity to travel I would very much like to visit you and your country.Thank you very much.SincerelyKen Kelly

Interview: MARCELO GARCIA and DIEGO FERREYRA (Kiss Army Argentina)Translation: Mariana “MIA” Abello (Kiss Army Argentina) December 2011

www.kissarmyargentina.com

Fredagsmys, “Ladies In Waiting” från 1975. Läs mer om sången nedan:

Ladies In Waiting

Ladies In Waiting
Simmons

This Gene Simmons composition would certainly seem to be a somewhat cynical road song, though, like most of the material quickly written by the band for “Dressed To Kill,” it is hardly surprising that the members looked to their recent grueling year of touring for inspiration. However, Gene had noted this title for possible use during 1974. Typically “Gene” lyrically, the whole band worked on the arrangement of the song during the recording sessions.

According to Gene, “I had an original idea for a song about Ladies In Waiting, the double entendre of the old English phrase; ladies in waiting were high-classed women and sometimes used to describe prostitutes, but in either case, women of pleasure” (Box Set liners). While Gene’s conception of what an English “Lady In Waiting” (usually higher-class servants, to women of nobility, but servants, nonetheless) may be inaccurate, he wrote the lyrics to the song while the band was rehearsing the music. The recording of this song also features Gene playing guitar.

Källa www.kissfaq.com

Turnékrönika Destroyer och Rock and Roll Over

Vi tar oss tillbaka till våren 1976 för att sätta igång denna krönika och för att räta ut eventuella frågetecken om när Destroyerturnén verkligen började. Många tänker scenshowen med ruinerna och de nya dräkterna, men den började faktiskt tidigare.

LP:n ”Destroyer” släpptes den 15 mars och Kiss var fortfarande ute på sin Alive!-turné som avslutades den 28 mars i Springfield, Massachusetts. Man räknade inte dessa spelningar som en del av Destroyerturnén, även om låtar som ”Shout It Out Loud” och ”Flaming Youth” letat sig in i setlisten. Konserten i Springfield marknadsfördes även som den sista på Alive!-turnén i annonserna, så det råder inga tvivel på denna punkt.

Efter spelningen åker man hem till New York och fotograferas med de nya dräkterna samt håller en stor presskonferens den 9 april. Det klassiska foto vi har som omslag till detta nummer fotograferas under denna period och den svenska tidningen Poster hinner få med dessa bilder i majtidningen.

Det jobbas frenetiskt bakom kulisserna med nya affärsmanagers, ny turnépersonal och så vidare, inför sommarturnén. Det är dock inget man bekymrar bandet med. Deras jobb är att komma ut på vägarna och leverera den bästa tänkbara showen.

Den 11 april inleds Destroyerturnén i Fort Wayne, Indiana. Kiss avverkar ytterligare tre utsålda spelningar i USA innan Kanada står på tur.

Egentligen skiljer sig dessa spelningar inte något från Kiss på Alive!-turnén mer än att man officiellt säger att det är den första delen av Destroyerturnén. Dräkterna, scenen och crewet är det samma som under Alive!-turnén. Setlisten har inte ändrats nämnvärt, mer än att ”Shout It Out Loud” och ”Flaming Youth” får sällskap av ”God of Thunder” någon gång under Kanadaturnén.

Åtta spelningar i Kanada följde mellan den 18-28 april med början i Moncton och avslutning i Winnipeg. Efter spelningen i Winnipeg så flög bandet tillbaka till New York eftersom Ace Frehley skulle gifta sig med Jeanette den 1 maj. Crewet var för dyrt att flyga in, så nästan alla körde hela vägen från Winnipeg till New York för att vara med på bröllopet.

Vigseln ägde rum i Westchester, New York och sedan hölls middagen och festen på The Americana Hotel på Manhattan under kvällen. Bröllopet höll låg profil och inget hade läckt ut till pressen. Familj och vänner kunde fira i lugn och ro.

Bandet som spelade på bröllopet hette St. James, men efter någon timme ville de fyra medlemmarna i Kiss också testa instrumenten. ”Rock and Roll All Nite” och ”Shout It Out Loud” finns ju med på ”Kissology”. Det sägs att Ace svärfar uppmanade Kiss att sluta spela och att låta det andra bandet fortsätta. Tyckte han inte om sin svärsons musik?

Någon smekmånad var det inte tal om för Ace utan det var tillbaka till turnén som gällde och den 4 maj stod Kiss på scen på River Trails Middle School Gymnasium i en förort till Chicago och spelade för 350 stycken 12- och 13-åringar!

Nu kan man ju undra vad detta var för något spektakel? Jo, alla känner vi till Mars, chokladen alltså. Tillverkaren hade under våren 1976 haft en stor tävling bland skolor i USA om vilken vem som kunde samla in flest omslagspapper. Vinsten var att man skulle få en privat konsert med Kiss på sin skola. Snacka om att man hade ätit Mars om man hade varit med i den tävlingen! Hur som helst så vann denna skola och det sägs att endast två elever på skolan inte fanns på plats, annars var alla närvarande.

Efter denna chokladkonsert var det bara att åka tillbaka till New York City och ladda batterierna inför sin första Europaturné. Denna turné i Europa var på gång redan hösten 1975 men sköts upp av olika anledningar, antagligen för att intresset för ”Alive!” tog fart i hemlandet på allvar. Efter ett par dagars packande var alla åter samlade ute på flygplatsen JFK på Long Island den 10 maj. Detta för att äntra planet till England och starta sin första invasion av Europa!

Kiss landar tidigt på morgonen den 11 maj och repetitionerna startar direkt på eftermiddagen i Shepperton Studios i Middlesex som man har hyrt i två dagar. Fyra konserter i England står på dagordningen, en i Manchester, en i Birmingham och två på Hammersmith Odeon i London.

Kiss skivbolag EMI (i Europa) hade spenderat stora summor, drygt 60 000 dollar, bara på promotion för de fyra spelningarna i England och det gav givetvis resultat. Alla spelningarna blev utsålda. Förband i England var Stray.

Väl i London plåtades också ett antal klassiska bilder, exempelvis den vid London Bridge, vid slottet, på tvåvåningsbussen och så vidare. Kiss hade fullt upp med all media som var bokad. På en av spelningarna på Hammersmith stod en djupt imponerad Angus Young i publiken och såg Kiss köra över publiken i London.

TV-programmet So It Goes gjorde en intervju backstage i Manchester och filmade konserten som man sedan visade delar av i inslaget. Scenen och dräkterna var fortfarande ”Alive!” och vi som vill och lägger märke till nästan allt som rör Kiss noterar en blond slinga i Pauls hår, överkurs eller?

Som ni ser i setlisten nedan så har Kiss tre låtar från den senaste plattan i setet och denna repertoar håller sig intakt genom nästan hela Europaturnén: Deuce/Strutter/Flaming Youth/ Hotter than Hell/Firehouse/She/Ace solo/Nothin’ to Lose/Shout It Out Loud/Gene solo/100 000 Years/Peter solo/Black Diamond/Detroit Rock City/Rock and Roll All Nite/Let Me Go, Rock and Roll.

Tre konserter i Tyskland och en vardera i Holland och Frankrike följde efter spelningarna i England. I Tyskland hade man uppmärksammat Kisslogo och kopplat den till nazisterna och Kiss fick ständigt frågor om de var nynazister och så vidare. Även om frågorna var tråkiga kring detta så var man helt på det klara över vilken ”bra” PR-grej det var, syns man så hörs man och då säljer man plattor och konsertbiljetter vilket var Kiss sak att göra.

Man höll en stor presskonferens i Düsseldorf, Tyskland den 20 maj innan man flög vidare till Paris. I Paris spelade man på Olympia, men problemet där var att Jerry Lee Lewis abonnerade denna teater varje kväll till sin show, så det var bara för Kiss att spela på eftermiddagen och sedan se till att plocka ihop sina prylar innan Jerry skulle gå på scen på kvällen. Utsålt var det i alla fall med 1 900 personer i lokalen.

För alla er som inte har lyssnat på inspelningen från denna konsert så rekommenderar jag bootlegen ”Stoned in Paris” som är helgrym. En annan spelning som också finns ute i bra kvalitet är bootlegen ”Blitz London” från en av spelningarna på Hammersmith. Konserten i Amsterdam spelades in av en radiostation men inspelningen skall ha blivit så dålig att den inte gick att använda, tyvärr kan vi bara säga i dag.

Förband på de tre spelningarna i Tyskland var det nya, unga bandet Scorpions. Den 25 maj landar Kiss i Sverige och Göteborg, se separat artikel om spelningarna i Skandinavien.

Efter att man nu lagt Sverige och Danmark bakom sig så var det fyra spelningar till att averka innan man äntligen skulle hem till USA igen. Att Kiss inte trivdes i Europa skall vi inte sticka under stolen med, det var lite som att börja om från början igen, spelställena var mycket mindre än de stora arenor man nu var vana vid att spela på hemma i USA, olika språk i olika länder vilket gjorde att man inte alltid kunde göra sig förstådd, inte många TV-kanaler och så vidare. Kiss hade kanske börjat bli lite bekväma av sig.

Hur som helst så var spelningarna grymma och fansen älskade sina nya idoler på ett sätt som man kanske ändå inte gjorde hemma i USA. Utanför USA är fansen totalt sett mycket mera hängivna och galna. Denna turné var dock säkert väldigt bra för killarna och man fick se att världen var annorlunda och allt är inte som hemma. Det sägs också att Bill Aucoin höll hårt i Peter Criss pass för att denne inte skulle ta första bästa flyg hem innan turnén var över.

Kiss avverkade en spelning Zürich, Schweiz och två i Tyskland (München och Furth). I München spelade ett lokalt TV-program, Szene 76 in en intervju samt delar av konserten. Endast ”Detroit Rock City” visades senare. Återigen var det Scorpions som öppnade för Kiss.

Europaturnén avslutades den 6 juni i Harelbeke i Belgien inför endast 600 personer, cirka en timmes bilfärd utanför Bryssel. Allt kring denna sista konsert skall ha varit ett stort kaos så killarna var nog mer än lättade när man satte sig på planet hem dagen efter.

Turnén skulle givetvis visa sig vara mer än nyttig för Kiss och även all bevakning från media, även om 99 % inte var till bandets fördel. Bandet hade gått hem hos publiken och nya fans hade fått upp ögonen, vilket skulle märkas fyra år senare när bandet återvände till vår del av världen. Vad som skrevs om Kiss var oväsentligt egentligen, huvudsaken var att det skrevs och att bandet exponerades.

Under tiden Kiss befunnits sig i Europa hade man jobbat på mer än högvarv hemma i USA med lanseringen av den nya plattan och den kommande sommarturnén för ”Destroyer” i USA. Mycket i Kiss organisation hade förändrats då man nu skulle ta steget från ett vanligt rock and roll-band till att bli ett av de största.

Bill Aucoin hade delat upp sitt företag i flera olika företag som hade hand om olika saker och man hade även anlitat nya business managers i form av Glickman/Marks Management. Kiss Army som fanclub hade också växt och man hade börjat tjäna ordentliga pengar på något som man aldrig räknade med att få något tillbaka på, utan som endast skulle kosta bandet en del pengar att ha. Ett helt nytt crew inför turnén hade satts ihop, många av dem hade jobbat med Glickman/Marks tidigare så de gamla crewmedlemmarna försvann relativt snabbt. Man tyckte inte det var lika roligt och jordnära som det hade varit sedan starten.

Efter succén med ”Alive!” så hade man enorma förhoppningar på ”Destroyer” och var då relativt besvikna att plattan inte sålde så som man trodde, man hade heller inte fått till någon hit med ”Shout It Out Loud” som man trott. ”Flaming Youth” blev singel nummer två och inte heller den lyckades bli något.

Att marknadsföra Kiss och se till att de fanns med i varje musiktidningen som fanns i USA var man desto bättre på och reklamkampanjen för turnén var enorm med helsidesannonser i tidningar, reklam i radio och displayer i affärer. Den slogan man använde sig av var ”The Spirit of ’76” även om man sedan kallade turnén kort och gott för Destroyerturnén.

Samtidigt som man jobbade för högtryck med turnén så satte Casablanca ihop en samling med de tre första studioplattorna som man ville få igång försäljningen av. ”The Originals” fanns ute i USA och Kanada i juli månad, på så sätt var ju Kiss alltid skivaktuella!

Produktionen för denna turné skulle bli gigantisk (1976 var den det!) och man byggde upp en scen som såg ut som en stad i ruiner som skulle återspegla omslaget på den senaste plattan ”Destroyer”.

Trumpodiet blev stort med trappor upp på varje sida om det där medlemmarna kunde ta sig upp på ruinerna. Två gigantiska pantrar ställdes upp på sidorna framför trummorna vars ögon kunde lysa. Precis som genom alla åren så kunde podiet lyfta upp ett antal meter i luften i slutet av showen och en gigantiska panter dekorerade scenen. Bakom trummorna hade en ny logo skapats, denna logo användes sedan på alla turnéer fram till Asylumturnén hösten 1985 och är helt klart den logo som fansen genom åren har tyckt mest om, den är klassisk.

PA-systemet (högtalarna framme vid varje sida av scenen) var också täckta så att de skulle se ut som ruiner och killarna kunde gå upp på dessa under showen. På Genes sida såg det ut som en gammal slottsruin. Ett stort träd fanns placerat på Genes sida av scenen, antagligen för att ge lite mer effekt till hela synen av scenbygget.

En gammal åskmaskin från filmen Frankenstein från 1931 hämtades in och var tänkt att bli en ordentlig effekt till låten ”God of Thunder”, men det hela lades ner. Scengolvet såg ut som en stor krater uppifrån. Ett par blixtar fanns uppsatta i taket och kunde blinka en effekt som var ganska ordinär om man får säga det själv. Ljusriggen var inte som en vanlig klassisk ljusrigg, utan det var tre stora torn som bar upp ljuset, vilket gjorde att allt ljus kom från sidorna eller bakifrån på bandet och inget framifrån, vilket måste ha varit en lite mardröm för en ljustekniker som vill göra sitt jobb till 100 %.

Kiss Army-flaggor (typ de man har i dag) i gigantisk storlek hade tillverkats och användes bakom scenen i slutet av konserterna. Sist men inte minst så skulle man äntligen få använda sina nya dräkter som hade legat och väntat på bandet ett par månader.

Den 21 juni samlas bandet och crewet, som nu består av nästan 40 personer, i Newburgh, New York där repetitionerna inför turnén äger rum i Hangar E på International Airport. Det är som sagt mycket som skall tränas in och all ny personal skall lära känna varandra innan turnén drar igång.

Kiss testar större delen av låtarna från ”Destroyer” för att kolla vilka som skall kunna fungera. Bandet repar lite mer än en vecka innan det är dags att lasta in hela produktionen i lastbilar och förflytta ner den till Norfolk i Virginia där premiären av turnén skall ske.

Kiss är mer än laddade när man äntrar scenen på The Scope i Norfolk den 3 juli som också många ser som starten på Destroyerturnén. Visst kan man säga det, om man inte vill räkna in Europaturnén och spelningarna i USA och Kanada under våren.

Det enda som antagligen störde lite i Kisslägret var att man endast sålt lite över 70 % av biljetterna denna kväll och det skulle faktiskt bli sämre på en del håll. Man var inställda på ett segertåg och nu såg detta ut att bli lite annat än vad man tänkt sig.

Setlisten var helt klart underbar denna kväll, om än lite konstig, se själva: Detroit Rock City/King of the Night Time World/Let Me Go, Rock n’ Roll/Gene Simmons solo/God of Thunder/Sweet Pain/Ace Frehley solo/Shout It Out Loud/Strutter/Nothin’ to Lose/Watchin’ You/Peter Criss solo/Do You Love Me/Flaming Youth/Deuce/Firehouse/Black Diamond/Rock and Roll All Nite.

Först måste man säga att det var riktigt tufft att hela sju låtar från ”Destroyer” fanns med denna kväll, tyvärr så överlevde inte ”Sweet Pain” och ströks inför nästa spelning. Detta sägs vara den enda gång bandet har framfört denna låt live. Att vi hittar Genes solo redan efter den tredje låten är också anmärkningsvärt och att ”Deuce” och ”Firehouse” finns med i slutet av konserten.

Turnén fortsätter med spelningar i Columbia och Richmond den 6 juli respektive den 8 juli och här har man endast lyckats sälja 50 % av biljetterna och frågan är, är man på väg mot ett publikfiasko?

Kiss har för första gången också valt ut ett förband som man vill ha med sig på hela turnén. Bob Seger & Silver Bullet Band kommer att medverka på 28 av sommarens 35 konserter i Nordamerika.

Kiss når redan den 10 juli Jersey City och detta är sommarens enda konsert för Kiss i New York-området. Jersey City ligger mitt över Hudson River från Manhattan, dock i New Jersey. Roosevelt Stadium, den gamla stadion som byggdes 1937, är platsen som arrangören har valt för konserten och iskallt räknat med att sälja ut de 30 000 biljetterna. Intresset var dock riktigt svalt och med knappt 14 000 biljetter sålda så blev Kiss hemkomst ett ordentligt bakslag.

Man hade rört om ordentligt i setet och ”Cold Gin” och ”Hotter than Hell” hade hittat tillbaka. Många av de andra låtarna hade placerats om och man tycks hitta en liten struktur i setet. Efter spelningen är det stort fyrverkeri och en av pjäserna är specialbeställd. När den smäller i luften så kommer Kisslogon fram i olika färger. Backstage fanns familjer, vänner och en massa branschfolk som minglade runt bland all gratis dricka och mat det bjöds på efter spelningen.

Spelningar följde hela juli månad och blandade relativt välfyllda arenor till fullsatta, dock kändes det som om man var på rätt väg och bakom skrivborden i New York arbetades det hårt för att detta inte skulle bli ett fiasko och visst skulle allt vända ordentligt inom kort!

Någon gång här under veckorna i juli så stryks även ”Flaming Youth” från setlisten och hittar sedan aldrig tillbaka in igen. Augusti månad började bra med många utsålda eller näst intill utsålda konserter, så nu ville man ha igång skivförsäljningen av ”Destroyer” också som förvisso hade sålt guld redan i april, men man ville att den skulle sälja mer och ”Detroit Rock City” släpptes som singel den 5 augusti. Singeln floppade men B-sidan av den kommer att ge Kiss den hit man önskar, läs separat reportage om det.

Direkt dagen efter spelningen den 13 augusti i Houston så sätter Kiss sig på flyget till Atlanta för att göra en stor skivsignering i affären Peaches vilket blir en succé. Kiss passar även på att göra en massa lokal reklam för konserten den 29 augusti på Braves Stadium i Atlanta.

Kiss anländer till Los Angeles någon dag innan den stora konserten på Anaheim Stadium den 20 augusti och förväntningarna är enorma. Arrangören David Forest har gjort ett enormt jobb och lyckats sälja nästan

43 000 biljetter till denna konsert, vilket är Kiss största egna spelning någonsin hittills, den kommer även vara den största i Nordamerika för Kiss del fram till 2009.

Två extra förband har man kryddat denna kväll med och det är Ted Nugent och Montrose som också finns med i uppställningen. Enorma TV-skärmar finns på vardera sidan av scenen så att alla skall kunna se riktigt bra. Detta var unikt 1976, men är i dag standard vid stora konserter. Spelningen blir även lite speciell då man har byggt upp en ljusmodell av New Yorks skyline som hissas upp ovanför scenen i slutet av ”Black Diamond” och hela spelningen avslutas med ett gigantiskt fyrverkeri.

Efter spelningen var det en stor efterfest på Anaheim Club som ligger i anslutning till stadion och som vanligt fanns alla band, skivbolagsfolk och en hel massa Hollywoodstjärnor på plats. Gästlistorna brukar vara enorma när artister uppträder i Los Angeles och Kiss var inget undantag. Skivbolaget Casablanca hade också sitt näst största kontor i staden.

Detta är väl den konsert som både Kiss själva och fans alltid pratar om när Destroyerturnén kommer på tal. Detta var en enorm milstolpe i deras karriär, helt klart.

Två spelningar följer innan det är dags att köra över de nästan 35 000 fans som samlats på Braves Stadium i Atlanta. Torontokonserten den 6 september blir den enda spelningen i Kanada denna sommar, men det av förståliga skäl då man endast ett par månader innan gjorde åtta konserter där. Den 12 september avslutas turnén i Springfield, Massachusetts och dagen efter är det avfärd hem till New York och dags att börja jobba på nästa platta.

Turnén i USA blev helt klart lyckad till slut, men Kiss och alla runt bandet hade nog räknat med en större succé än vad det faktiskt blev. Ironiskt nog så skulle Destroyerplattan få sin största framgång efter turnén då ”Beth” helt oväntat blir deras största hit i USA genom tiderna, så framtiden såg mer än bra ut för bandet.

Här hemma i Sverige fick vi en duktigt skev bild av hur turnén egentligen gick. Tidningen Poster skrev om att Kiss spelade på stora stadions och med en publik på 40 000 personer per kväll och så vidare, vilket vi i dag vet var helt fel. Visst, det var säkert inte Posters fel utan man kan ju lätt tänka sig att Kiss management gick ut med det bästa i sina pressmeddelanden och på den tiden, utan nätet och den media vi har i dag, var det lätt att det inte alltid blev som verkligheten egentligen var.

Från turnén hittar vi en hel del inspelningar samt några filmer som Houston, Anaheim, Jersey City och St. Louis. Från Sverigespelningarna finns det en del Super 8-filmer och då från Gröna Lund i Stockholm och Olympen i Lund. Klippen finns på YouTube.

Inspelningarna av ”Rock and Roll Over” startade som sagt direkt efter turnén i Star Theatre, Nanuet i New York med Eddie Kramer bakom spakarna. Inspelningarna varade inte speciellt många veckor och redan i början av oktober var killarna klara med sitt jobb i studion. I ett tidigt stadium hade man planer på att spela på Madison Square Garden i New York den 29 oktober men detta blev aldrig av.

Kiss får en förfrågan om att medverka vid The Paul Lynde Halloween Special vilket bandet absolut vill. Bill Aucoin gillar inte förslaget, men killarna får som de vill och finns på plats i Los Angeles den 19-20 oktober för inspelningen av programmet. Kiss spelar tre låtar playback, ”Detroit Rock City”, ”King of the Night Time World” och den stora succén ”Beth”. Att medverka i denna familjeshow kommer visa sig vara ett genialt drag och deras karriär får en ordentlig skjuts framåt då det sänds den 29 oktober.

Efter inspelningarna av denna show åker Peter och Lydia till Mexiko ett par dagar och Paul sticker iväg till Hawaii på semester. Bandet samlas åter i SIR Studios på Manhattan i New York den 8 november och repeterar fram till den 12 november innan det är dags att flytta upp till Reading, Massachusetts som ligger cirka två timmar norr om Manhattan för ytterligare repetitioner.

I Reading har man hyrt in sig på en militärförläggning och håller full repetition med scen och dräkter mellan den 15-21 november. Det är även under denna tid man spelar in ”I Want You”, ”Hard Luck Woman” och ”Love ’em and Leave ’em” för Don Kirshners Rock Concert som dock inte kommer att visas i TV förrän den 28 maj 1977. Dessa tre låtar använder även Kiss som promovideos och dessa skickas till skivbolag och TV-stationer världen över.

Scenen är i stort sett den samma, man har gjort en del ändringar då man vill bli av med lite av ruinerna, man vill ha in mer svart och silver i scenbygget. Peters trumpodie ändras lite och det där trädet på scenen har försvunnit. Det kanske blev bra ved till någons kamin där hemma! Ljusriggen är nu också ny, borta är dessa ”torn” och in har kommit en ordentlig ljusrigg att jobba med! Dräkterna är heller inte förändrade, endast Paul har gjort en del förändringar i sin utstyrsel.

Man kan ju säga att den kommande turnén är en fortsättning på Destroyerturnén men dock med en ny platta i bagaget. Succén med ”Beth” och Paul Lynde har gett utslag på kommande turné som snart skall börja. Bill Aucoin annonserar stolt innan turnén drar igång att de 22 första spelningarna på redan är slutsålda, vilket faktiskt inte riktigt stämde då en inte var det. Dock var det den enda av de 52 första konserterna som inte var utsåld. Endast fyra konserter av 60 på kommande turné i USA kommer inte att sälja ut, så Kiss står inför sin bästa turné någonsin och än i dag har ingen turné med Kiss kunnat matcha denna då mer är 98 % av biljetterna var sålda.

Savannah i Georgia var platsen för Kiss premiär på denna turné. ”Beth” framfördes för första gången någonsin med endast Peter sittandes framme på scenkanten sjungandes till förinspelad musik. Setlistor från den första månaden på turnén är sällsynta, men Kiss hade lagt in en hel del nya låtar som ”I Want You”, ”Makin’ Love”, ”Take Me”, ”Ladies Room” och ”Hard Luck Woman”. ”Hard Luck Woman” ströks redan efter ett par spelningar vilket är riktigt synd. Ute bland samlare finns inspelningen från Memphis den 4 december och där finns ”Hard Luck Woman” med.

Under repetitionerna inför turnén fanns även ”Love ’em and Leave ’em” med och spelades sannolikt också live i början av turnén innan den fick ett annat öde. Just i Memphis fick även konserten avbrytas efter tre låtar då det var total kaos i arenan på grund av alla fans som ville komma så nära scenen som möjligt. I Huntsville, Alabama den 7 december har man sålt över 1 000 biljetter mer än vad arenan tar, men även om arenan är mer än överfull så rapporteras inget kaos som i Memphis.

I Lakeland den 12 december kunde Kiss karriär varit över. När bandet drar igång ”Detroit Rock City” och är på väg nerför trapporna till scenen kommer Ace till metallräcket och får sig en stöt så att konserten måste avbrytas och Kiss lämnar scenen i 30 minuter. Ace har en ordentlig tur då han faktiskt kunnat dö denna kväll, så kraftig var spänningen.

Som om detta inte var nog så fattar Genes hår eld under ”Firehouse”. Detta löser sig och konserten behöver inte avbrytas fler gånger. Gene måste ha varit i dålig form med sitt eldslukningsnummer eftersom detta är den andra gången på sju dagar som hans hår fattar eld.

Ace skrev som ni alla vet låten ”Shock Me” om sin händelse denna kväll. Kiss tar kontakt med företaget Vega som håller på med att utveckla trådlösa sändare för gitarrer, man vill inte att detta skall hända fler gånger. Kiss använder gitarrer med tråd turnén ut och på nästkommande turné blir man det första bandet någonsin att använda trådlösa sändare till sina gitarrer.

Sista spelningen innan en veckas juluppehåll sker i Philadelphia och Kiss har bett fansen att ta med leksaker och julklappar som man skall skänka till ett barnsjukhus i staden.

Under Rock and Roll Over-turnén så hade Kiss inte ett specifikt förband som under sommarturnén utan man använde sig av en hel del olika band. Uriah Heep fanns dock med från den 8 december och två månader framåt.

I Abilene i Texas slog man Lawrence gamla publikrekord i hallen där man spelade och över 600 personer fick vända hem utan biljetter. I Duluth den 18 januari inträffar en mer än egendomligt incident, på eftermiddagen rånas biljettkassan på arenan, men rånarna vill inte ha pengar utan kräver endast ett par biljetter till kvällens konsert med Kiss som var utsåld!

I Des Moines slog Kiss The Whos gamla publikrekord med mer än 1 000 fler sålda biljetter. Man kan lugnt säga att Kiss var på toppen av sin karriär nu. Det såldes i många städer fler biljetter än vad kapaciteten var i arenorna.

Setlisten hade man nu fått stabil och den såg till 99 % ut så här varje kväll: Detroit Rock City/Take Me/Let Me Go, Rock n’ Roll/Ladies Room/Firehouse/Makin’ Love/I Want You/Cold Gin/Ace Frehley solo/Do You Love Me/Nothin’ to Lose/Gene Simmons solo/God of Thunder/Peter Criss solo/Rock and Roll All Nite/Shout It Out Loud/Beth/Black Diamond.

Hela nio av de femton låtarna man spelade var hämtade från de senaste två plattorna. I kontraktet med arrangörerna var det inskrivet att man spelade minst 75 minuter och konserterna på denna turné varade ungefär 75-80 minuter. Turnén når Detroit för tre utsålda spelningar på Cobo Hall den 27-29 januari där över 33 000 fans ser de tre konserterna.

Den 28 januari får även Kiss reda på att låten ”Beth” har vunnit People’s Choice Award som den populäraste låten bland människorna i USA och man skall få sin utmärkelse för detta vid en ceremoni den 10 februari i Los Angeles. Kiss inser snabbt att man inte kan medverka på denna prisutdelning och man bestämmer sig för att Lydia Criss ska få representera bandet. Man skickar över inspelningen av ”Beth” från kvällens konsert på film som man också kan använda vid utdelningen.

De tre konserterna i Detroit spelas ändå in och visas på den stora jumbotronen i taket på arenan under spelningen, så det är ju bara att använda denna inspelning. Något händer med Pauls dräkt i början av februari som gör att han blir tvungen att använda sin gamla Alive!-dräkt på de sex spelningarna mellan den 6-16 februari.

Kiss ser den 10 januari när Lydia mottager priset på Third Annual People’s Choice Awards på TV i Waterloo där man befinner sig för kvällens konsert.

Den 18 februari går samtligas stora dröm i uppfyllelse, att äntligen få spela på Madison Square Garden på Manhattan. Detta har alltid varit en pojkdröm för alla fyra och här har de själva sett sina stora idoler och nu skall man själva gå upp på denna magiska scen inför nästa 20 000 fans och det har varit utsålt sedan länge.

Hela dagen sägs ha varit kaosartad då bland annat Ace var så full att han inte kunde genomföra soundchecken. Man testade på denna soundcheck Vegas trådlösa system som man skulle börja använda senare samma år. Ace kompis Bobby McAdams gjorde soundchecken med övriga medlemmar. Allas föräldrar och familjer fanns på plats för att bevittna denna historiska kväll och innan spelningen togs de klassiska fotona där alla medlemmarna står tillsammans med sina föräldrar och Bill Aucoin.

Man hade försökt att sätta upp en andra kväll på Madison Square Garden då trycket efter biljetter var så stort, men då inga lediga datum fanns att tillgå så blev det i stället en spelning ute på Nassau Coliseum på Long Island som ligger 45 minuters bilfärd från Manhattan den 21 februari. Efter spelningen återstår endast sju konserter i USA fram till den 7 mars då den amerikanska delen av turnén avslutas i Hampton, Virginia.

Efter att man har klarat av USA så står en ny kontinent på schemat för killarna att erövra och det är Japan. Då vi faktiskt redan har skrivit en hel krönika om Japanturnén 1977 som är den sista delen av Rock and Roll Over-turnén i nummer 12 så kommer jag inte att gå in mycket på den. Men för att knyta ihop Destroyer- och Rock and Roll Over-turnén så avslutar vi med lite kring Japanspelningarna ändå.

Kiss flyger till Tokyo där man landar den 19 mars och man har ett par dagar på sig innan man skall inleda turnén i Osaka den 24 mars. Man hinner med en hel del intervjuer, fotosessions samt en stor presskonferens under tiden samt att man hinner med att repetera inför premiären. Det unika är att man har en helt ny scen konstruerad för denna turné med sig, vilken man även kommer att använda på Love Gun-turnén senare samma år. Dräkterna är de samma som tidigare och setlisten har man inte heller förändrat.

Samtliga tio konserter är utsålda och kapaciteten i arenorna är allt från 2 000-11 000 personer. Med sig som förband har man det japanska bandet Bow Wow. Man avslutar turnén med fyra konserter i Tokyo på klassiska Budokan Hall där man slår Beatles gamla publikrekord. Det var säkert var en skön känsla att ha med sig hem efter denna succéturné.

Från Rock and Roll Over-turnén hittar vi hela tre konserter som är filmade och ute på marknaden. Det är en av kvällarna i Detroit, konserten i Madison Square Garden samt en av kvällarna i Tokyo. Alla finns att tillgå i riktigt bra kvalitet.

Att Kiss stod på toppen av sin karriär kan ingen ha undgått då bandet fanns med precis över allt och mer skulle det bli…

Destroyer 25
Niklas Olsson / Ordförande / Kiss Army Sweden

En kort recension av No Regrets av Ace Frehley:

Ace Frehley’s Wild Rocket Ride

By Bob Ruggiero

Even by standards of ’70s hard rock excess, original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was out of this world. In this breezy, buzzy, and debauched memoir, The Spaceman takes readers on a rocket ride through his ups and downs with his bandmates, musical career, private life, and booze-and-drug binges that would make the guys in Mötley Crüe beg for a day to recover.

Born Paul Frehley — the nickname ”Ace” stemmed from his success in finding girls for he and his buddies — the teen was the classic stereotype of the long-haired, drinking-and-drugging-and-fucking musical aspirant, and flitted through a series of bands while attending as many shows — and sometimes sneaking backstage — as he could.

But when he answered a 1972 ad for an ax man with ”flash and ability” (not, as KISS legend has it, ”flash and balls”) and auditioned for future bandmates Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Peter Criss — a gig to which his mom had to drive him — even the overly ambitious Simmons couldn’t predict how huge KISS would become. And with releasing their first four records in just 18 months, the ride to the top was a fast one, aided by manager Bill Aucoin and Casablanca Record head Neil Bogart’s flair for publicity and pushing the envelope already shoved along by the New York Dolls and Alice Cooper.

​And while the makeup, smoking guitars, fire and blood were all part of the show from the git-go, Frehley claims he was uncomfortable when the emphasis became selling products and commerce over music. And he points the finger on Simmons for his insatiable drive for both a buck and pussy.

”I guess I could be diplomatic and say he was wise beyond his years, or some bullshit like that,” Frehley writes of the Demon. ”But mainly, I just felt like he had a stick up his ass. He was a fifty-year-old accountant in the body of a twenty-three year old kid.”

Still, Frehley doesn’t blame Simmons and Stanley for being fed up with his out of control behavior, and even credits the current reality-TV star with saving his life from drowning during binges — twice.

”There were so many close calls, so many disasters averted. I have no idea how or why I’m still around,” Frehley sums up. And indeed, No Regrets sometimes reads like an endless recitation of Frehley’s drug-and-booze binges, near-death dalliances, and interactions with law enforcement officers. A little more about the music of KISS and recording dates would have been welcome. (Though a certain beloved octogenarian actress might be amused to know that her name was the code word for cocaine, as in ”Will Betty White be at the party?”)

”Alcohol and drugs were my constant companion, my best friend — and worst enemy. Sometimes, they were a deterrent to my career and personal life,” he writes in the Classic Rock Understatement of the Year. ”Overall, I guess, you’d have to argue they were mainly a bad thing insomuch as they nearly killed me.”

The four original members of KISS did reunite the mid-’90s for several hugely successful tours and another studio album, but again, Frehley’s demons and his own ambivalence led to his departure. A solo career resumed — with his last record in 2009 — and he notes at the book’s end that he’s now been completely sober for five years.

And his opinion of KISS today, especially with former guitar tech Tommy Thayer (who Frehley says he once punched out for insulting a girlfriend) suiting up every night in Ace’s Spaceman costume and trademark makeup?

”I think they’re just a bunch of dirty rotten whores.”

No regrets — and no punches pulled — indeed.

En intervju med Ace Frehley av Sarah Rodman, The Boston Globe:

Ace Frehley’s KISS memories leave him with ‘No Regrets’

By Sarah Rodman | NOVEMBER 19, 2011

WHO: Ace Frehley

WHAT: As the original lead guitarist for KISS, Ace Frehley galvanized the KISS army with his riffs and solos on hits such as “Rock and Roll All Nite’’ and “Shout It Out Loud’’ and his “Spaceman’’ persona and makeup. Frehley left KISS in 1982 but returned for several tours – including a “farewell’’ jaunt – before quitting permanently in 2001. The guitarist chronicles his “KISStory’’ as well as his gritty childhood in the Bronx, his solo career, and his years-long struggle with substance abuse in his new memoir, “No Regrets’’ (Gallery Books), which is out now.

Whose idea was it to write “No Regrets’’?

People have been after me for years to write a book. Everybody kept saying [KISS bassist-singer Gene Simmons has] put out book after book, and we’re only hearing one side of the story. Once I got sober and my memory started clearing up, I figured it was about time I let everybody hear the other side of the story.

You actually say in the book that memory is a funny thing. There are certain times you remember very clearly and others where you felt you had to confer with other people. Were you surprised at how much you remembered?

I’m surprised every day. Almost every day I wake up and during the course of that day a memory crosses my mind that I haven’t thought of in 20 or 30 years. It’s a great feeling because my brain is healing from all the years of abuse.

Have you gotten feedback from the rest of KISS about the book?

I haven’t. I had lunch with Gene [recently] at the Beverly Hills Hotel and I gave him part of the book and the cover. We talked about the part where he saved my life.

Right, twice from drowning!

Yeah, helluva guy! Who knew Gene Simmons was a lifeguard? His secret identity! (Laughs.)

Like many rock bands, you guys had your highs and lows, and it seems like you have a torturous relationship with them, especially Gene.

On all levels I love Gene. Outside looking in, people think we’re having this love-hate relationship, but it’s really mostly love. I don’t think Gene ever got over the fact that I quit the band in ’82, and I think a lot of his lashing out stemmed from him losing his bestest buddy. (Laughs.) Gene will always have a soft spot in his heart for me. I mean, we used to be roommates for years when we toured with KISS.

Looking back now in sobriety, are you amazed that you never seriously injured yourself or someone else?

It’s really a miracle, and I thank God every day. I don’t know that I’d be able to live with that. I injured a lot of egos over the years, but no physical damage.

You admit in the book that producer Bob Ezrin wrote the solo on “Detroit Rock City’’ and that you weren’t totally sold on “New York Groove’’ but took the advice of those around you to record it, and then it ended up being your biggest solo hit.

You know, the biggest fault a celebrity can make is to try to take credit where credit isn’t due. It was [producer] Eddie Kramer’s assistant who came up with the idea to do “New York Groove.’’ A lot of people think I wrote that song, but it was written by Russ Ballard from Argent. But it put me on the map as far as a hit single; it was a great song.

As a young music fan bluffing your way backstage, you managed to have encounters with some heavy hitters, including Jerry Garcia and Jimi Hendrix’s drummer, Mitch Mitchell.

Yeah, don’t you think it’d make a great film?

It’s just so funny because you popped up in all these places like Forrest Gump.

Well, you know in those days I was a legend in my own ZIP code. (Laughs.)

The band’s decision to have current KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer wear your signature makeup is probably good from a brand standpoint, but it doesn’t sit well with you, right?

They do downplay the fact that it’s not even me. Not as much as they did initially. But the upside is I still get checks. So life isn’t all bad.

SARAH RODMAN

www.bostonglobe.com

Braveword intervjuvar Bruce Kulick:

Bruce Remembers Eric Carr

By Mitch Lafon

Twenty years after his sad and tragic passing, Eric Carr’s family have put together a commemorative CD called Unfinished Business. The album features unreleased tracks that Eric had worked up for KISS and tracks that were newly completed using Eric performances from his days in the band. Members of TWISTED SISTER, SEETHER along with Ted Poley (DANGER DANGER) and Bruce Kulick (former KISS guitarist; GRAND FUNK RAILROAD) lent a helping help to the Carr family to make the CD come alive. Kulick sat down with Bravewords.com to remember his friend.

How did you get involved with the Eric Carr Unfinished Business album and why did you want to be involved?

“I have to be honest with everyone. I wasn’t aware that there was much more of anything music wise regarding Eric available anywhere, but Loretta (Eric Carr’s sister) kept digging for things. When I did Rockology, I thought that was pretty much it and I wasn’t too clear about what to do with the song Dial L For Love (which is why it didn’t get used). Through the years she found things and she created some new things too. She took some of the tracks and had people sing over them. I had no problem with that and I actually enjoy the results. Even though, I’m talking about the record, I should be clear with everyone – I didn’t have my hand in putting it together. It was actually a pleasant surprise to me and, of course, I love talking about Eric because I felt very close to him and I want his memory to be celebrated as much as possible.”

The biggest surprise for me is that they took his vocal from his KISS audition tape and created a ‘new version’ of Shandi. Was that a big surprise for you as well?

“Absolutely and the result is very cool. They had a young girl (Marcia Juell) sing on it with him. The whole thing was really interesting – especially how creative and aggressive Loretta was to make some new things that people can enjoy. I’m very happy that she spent the time.”

The song ‘No One’s Messin’ With You’ is the second demo version of the Hot In The Shade classic track, ‘Little Caesar’ to be released. The first demo appears as ‘Ain’t That Peculiar’ on the KISS box set.

“To me, they are all the same song. I was always really proud to be jammin’ on it, but I wasn’t a co-writer on that song. I think it was Adam (Mitchell) and Gene (Simmons) got involved in the later version. It might have been his idea to give it the title ‘Little Caesar’ – like a character since Eric was the Italian of the band. I was always happy to play along with that track. The Hot In The Shade version was actually taken from a demo done in the studio. So, it’s fun to hear it, but as you are aware they are other versions too.”

‘Troubles Inside You’ is a track that Eric did with Mitch Weissman. Mitch, of course, is probably best known for playing the part of PAUL MCCARTNEY in the original cast of BEATLEMANIA. Have you worked with Mitch at any time?

“I knew Mitch from New York and I’ll always be grateful to him because (even though my brother Bob always told Gene and Paul that ‘Bruce would be good in the band’) – it was really Mitch Weissman, who was close enough to Paul to get in his head, that when Mark (St.John) was having either… Paul wasn’t happy with what he was doing in the studio or he was starting to have his health problems – Mitch told him to call ‘Bruce’. Obviously, having it come from someone outside of my brother put a little more weight on it. I don’t really remember Mitch and I (and I know him very well from the New York days) – working on songs for KISS or anything like that. Adam Mitchell would be the one from the past that I have a very close working and personal relationship with.”

You’re doing a couple of Unplugged & United shows with John Corabi later this year (Madrid, Spain on November 25th and Helsinki, Finland on November 26th). Will you be performing any of the Unfinished Business songs as a tribute to Eric?

“We don’t have anything planned yet. The best thing would be if I did an acoustic version of the Union song, ‘Dear Friend’. Since most of these events include a Q&A and since they fall very close to the 20th anniversary of Eric’s passing – I’ll be very happy to talk about Eric. I don’t necessarily have to do a musical tribute.”

Speaking of John (Corabi) – do you think you’ll ever record a full album together again (and I don’t mean necessarily as UNION)?

“It’s interesting that you mention it. John is completing (or has completed) an acoustic record and I did contribute a couple of songs and solos. As you know, he appeared on both BK3 and Transformer (Bruce Kulick solo records) and there is a certain chemistry that John and I have together that I am very proud of. So, in a way I’m part of it (his new album), but it’s his record and we’ll obviously be doing stuff from that when we perform. I’ve been listening to some of the old Union stuff lately and the more I listen the more I’m really proud of what we created and what I was involved in. Hopefully, it’ll stand the test of time. The stuff sounds great and John (like myself) are unsung heroes of our craft. I’m hoping John’s acoustic album brings him a lot of success.”

You’ve been touring with Grand Funk Railroad, but at some point will there be an extended Bruce Kulick solo tour (where you play some KISS songs)?

“When I travel internationally, that’s what I usually do. Sometimes, like in Australia and South America, I pick up bands – people that I really connect well with to do my solo stuff and KISS. The KISS songs that I do are not your typical Reunion tour type of KISS songs – it makes more sense to feature my era which in many ways has been neglected by the band. So, it makes it more special when I do them. The news with Grand Funk is – it’s been a great band for eleven years now. I’ve been touring with them and we really gel on stage. Everyone gets along and you can tell we’re having a good time. The music is great and they don’t seem to want to tour internationally, so that gives me a lot of opportunity… Let’s be honest being a member of KISS is a big passport to overseas. Plus, Grand Funk was never really big outside of America. There were some countries that really liked them, but it’s their call much like when KISS goes to Japan. Gene and Paul are willing to go and sometimes they get offers for things and they’re like ‘nah, I don’t want to go’. So, it’s really up to Don (Brewer) and Mel (Schacher) as to where they’re going to go. It does look like Don will be touring with BOB SEGER, so that’ll take me a little off ‘the leash’ (shall I say) to look for things to do.”

Unfinished Business has songs that were intended for KISS, but never used. They are three KISS albums (that you played on) that have never been remastered. They are Hot In The Shade, Revenge and Carnival Of Souls. Are there any tracks lying around that haven’t been used and would you like to see those albums remastered or made into deluxe editions?

“The only thing I remember from Revenge which I was hoping they would have put on the box set was the song that Paul wrote with Snake (Dave Sabo – SKID ROW). That was a really cool track. Nobody sang it, but it was a really cool track. Except for that, I don’t think there was anything ‘extra’ from Revenge. That’s the one record I don’t think needs a remastering. I’d love Carnival Of Souls to be remastered to be honest with you and Hot In The Shade could stand for a remastering (that wouldn’t be a bad thing).”

Next year is the 20th anniversary of the classic KISS album, Revenge. What did that album mean to you and to the band?

“I have to say that Revenge was my (real) favorite KISS album. There were highlights all through my career with every KISS album, but Revenge is my favorite. That record was so important for us to kick some ass and do the best job we could. (Bob) Ezrin was very strict about things. We spent the time, the effort and the money to make it great. I’m a very critical person when it comes to excellence in all and when I walked out of the mixing sessions I was 99.9% happy. Just leaving a little bit for error, but I have to say it still stands the test of time. There’s no doubt that it’s a terrific record.”

That was your only time working with Bob Ezrin…

“Yeah. We had done a trial thing with ‘God Gave Rock N’ Roll To You II’ (Bill & Ted’s Bogus Journey soundtrack).”

How was it working with him? Is he really a studio dictator?

“He can be, but he’s really more like a ‘mad-professor’ in the studio. His creative approach is very unique as to how he gets you to do what he’s demanding (which is always something great). I have a lot of respect for Bob and as you probably know I’m a big fan of the new ALICE COOPER record (Welcome 2 My Nightmare). It’s no surprise that it was done by Bob Ezrin.”

Did you learn anything from working with Bob?

“From each of the KISS albums that had a producer, of course, I learned. (Ron) Nevison (Crazy Nights album producer) was a different approach, but knowing that Ezrin was the guy that worked on (PINK FLOYD’s) The Wall, Peter Gabriel and other early KISS stuff… I watched him like a hawk and learned quite a bit. It’s part of why I like working with Jeremy Rubolino who did BK3. He’s related to Bob and he was involved in the new Alice record too. He did all the string charts and ‘The Underture’ (song). Jeremy has something about his approach to music that is the way Bob thinks. It’s very hard to describe and you have to experience it, but there is a certain creative process that’s very unique. It really makes you come up with something great and he went about it in an ‘un-obvious’ way.”

Is there a new solo record coming soon?

“I’ve only been talking with Jeremy about what to do next, but I will by the end of the year have a concept of where I’m headed and what it’s going to be about.”

Solo or band record?

“I’d like to do another solo record. I’m always looking to play with other people, but if I wanted to do another band record – I’d try to resurrect Union to be honest. So, I’m fine with a solo record.”

That’s great news. BK3 was really well done and it was part of a winning KISS (related) trifecta when it came out (along with KISS’ Sonic Boom and Ace’s album).

“Right, I know.”

We should, of course, plug Kulick.net.

“Thank you.”

Källa www.bravewords.com

En intervju av ”USA Today Travel” inför The KIss Kruise:

Gene Simmons Tells why KISS is Going to Cruising

By WALLACE IMMEN

In an exclusive interview with AvidCruiser.com, Gene Simmons tells why the legendary band KISS will become the Kings of the Night Time World on a cruise of the Carnival Destiny that starts Oct. 13 from Miami and returns Oct. 17. The Rock and Roll Party for four nights, includes two full concerts by KISS and performances by other top rock bands including Skid Row, The Envy, Bad City and Craig Gass. And there will be Room Service after you Rock and Roll All Nite and party every day on Half Moon Cay and Nassau in the Bahamas.

We’ve all got Great Expectations, Gene, what made you decide to take KISS to sea?

The KISS Kruise is a chance for all of us — the band and the fans — to have a ball. Just let your hair down and not worry about it at all. Kiss has always been about breaking the rules. We’ve never liked that moat — the stage — separating the band from the fans. So whenever we do a show, we try to take the action right to your face. A cruise will let the fans get up close. We try to take it inside you, we want you to smell it and taste it and feel it.

Is this the first time you’ve ever been to sea?

No, not technically. For our TV show we went as guests of the United States Navy and we landed on the aircraft carrier USS Nimitz. We had a lot of security there. The Navy even had some nuclear powered missiles underneath us.

Are the fans going to get to interact with you on the cruise?

We’re going to have a deck up top to ourselves and we will certainly want to bring up fans. It may to a little difficult to get down to the lower levels and hang out a lot, because you’ve got 3,000 people on board, who are basically going to shred you to pieces. It’s all appreciated of course, and I say all this with tongue in cheek — I don’t mean my tongue in your cheek, but you know what I mean. The real idea of this cruise is to have fun. Everything about Kiss is over the top. Everything about it is meant to really make every day we have above ground a fun day.

Will you be bringing the family?

That’s still not clear. We’re going to have some fun shows that will be interactive with the fans, to make them feel like family. We are going to have our own deck and fans are going to be able to come up by invitation. We’ll be doing an Unplugged show for the fans to make requests and we’ll also be doing a Kiss production show in full war paint. There will be limits. We like a lot of pyrotechnic effects and with limited space, you can’t blow lots of things up on the ship. But we’ll do the best we can. We’ll cram the act full of everything we can.

What’s going to be new?

At the same time we’re on the cruise, we’ll be recording our new album of new studio material. It’s only band written, no outside writers. Paul (Stanley) is producing again and we’re calling it Monster.

So are we going to get a preview of your new album on the cruise?

That could happen. We try not to make too many rigid plans. It’s like we’re invited to a party and we don’t want to make plans. We just want to let the party happen on this cruise and just take requests from the fans. We’ll just try to have a lot of fun and not plan it out too much. I don’t know anyone who brings a list of 10 things they’re going to do at a party and what time they’re going to be doing them, do you? That’s not the kind of party I want to go to. Of course, the one show is a full production number and that we have to have pretty planned out. But the other will be Unplugged, which is forget about it all and let it happen.

Are any new songs going to be inspired by the trip?

Maybe. We’re going to be doing obscure stuff and we’ll make some of it up as we go along. We tend to let the words and the riffs come naturally when we’re inspired by something. And sometimes you just write songs because the words sound cool and you don’t worry about the story. I have no idea what’s going to come out of the experience and to me, that’s exciting. There will certainly be songs that we don’t do on tour. In our catalog we’ve released 45 — or is it 48 albums — about 30 of them studio records. That’s certainly enough material to make it a lot of fun.

Are you guaranteeing calm seas and sunny weather?

That’s a good question. I am the God of Thunder after all. We certainly hope we’ll have great weather. We’re going to be in the Bahamas which is usually calm. We don’t want one of those hurricanes, but I’m told the Bahamas is usually calm and comfortable sailing. I am guaranteeing everyone will have a great time. I’d love to talk more, but I’m getting the sign that I’ve got a film crew ready to follow me. Every day is like that. I gotta go.

Thank you so much. Good luck.

Fredagsmys, “Heaven’s On Fire” från 1984. Läs mer om sången nedan:

Heaven’s On Fire

Heaven's On Fire
Stanley/Child

During the 1980s KISS, notably Paul Stanley, was searching for the simple anthem to compete with the rest of the music scene. According to Paul, “I was going for simplicity and sometimes that can be the hardest thing to do because your sense, as with ‘Lick It Up,’ is that maybe there’s not enough there” (Box Set Liners). Paul has also commented that he played all of the guitars on the track and is unclear whether Gene played bass. The song was written by Paul and Desmond Child and the video became popular on MTV. The track improved on the US singles charts reaching #49, and doing better on the Mainstream Rock Tracks hitting #11.

This song actually did more for another band than it did KISS. As a result of hearing this song, Jon Bon Jovi got in touch with Desmond Child to co-write with him for the band’s new album, which became “Slippery When Wet.” According to Desmond, “They liked ‘Heaven’s On Fire’ which I co-wrote with Paul Stanley so much that they copied it with their ‘In And Out Of Love.’ I really felt honored even because they never denied the robbery” (Desmond-Child.com).

In essence, this song had been ”in the can” since the middle of May, with a rough mix of the song dating from 5/16/84. However, the arrangement was tightened up with the removal of a second solo. On this earlier mix Mark’s basic first solo is followed by a return to the basic chorus, “Whoa-oh, Heaven’s on fire / Whoa-oh.” This is in turn followed by a second solo section similar to the first. This mix runs 3:31. A second rough mix dates from 5/25/84 and sees the song reach the 3:17 arrangement that would be included on the album.

Källa www.kissfaq.com

Mark Steines från ”Entertainment Tonight” prata med Gene Simmons och Shannon Tweed om sitt beslut att äntligen slå sig till ro och gifta sig med ShannonTweed.

Gene och Shannon ska giftermålet ska äga rum till helgen i Beverly Hills.

En intervju med Michael Brandvold gjord av Kiss Army Argentina, läs om början till Kiss hemsida.

Kiss Army Argentina Exclusive Interview With MichaelBrandvold:

They cared more about their website thananyone else

MICHAEL BRANDVOLD WAS THE CREATOR OF “KISS OTAKU”, ONE OF THE BEST KISSSITES EVER AND WAS THE CREATOR AND WEBMASTER OF “KISSONLINE”. HESHARES WITH US HIS EXPERIENCES WITH THE HOTTEST BAND IN THE WORLD.

Michael, it is truly an honor that you granted us this interview. You may not be the most recognizable person for many KISS fans, but you surely have great stuff to talk about! You have not only been a KISS fan for years by now, but you have also workedclosely with them, the Hottest Band in the World. Let’s start from the beginning: since when areyou a KISS fan? Why do you admire them?

I have been a fan since 1976 when my mom bought me my first KISS album. Why do Iadmire them? I think that answer has changed over the years, but I think the biggest thing I admire is their attitude about doing it their way and not caring what anybody else says is right or wrong. Anything ispossible!

The world seems to be quite a small place sometimes… After you graduatedin the Mankato State University you joined DKP Productions, a managing company for artists, andfrom there you managed The Ultraviolet, a band that Gene Simmons Records wanted to sign with.How and when did this happen?

This would have been around 1989. I had submitted the demo tape for The Ultravioletto Simmons Records and was surprised one day when Gene himself called and said he liked the musicand is interested in signing the band. We talked for about 10 minutes where he went over the deal pointsof the offer. At this point everything was turned over to a lawyer to work on. That year when KISS came toChicago for the Hot In The Shade tour Gene invited the band and myself to the show, and even asked theband’s lead singer to come to his hotel room to write some songs. Unfortunately, shortly after all of thisSimmons Records ceased operating and nothing more happened.

Let’s move to 1995, the year in which “KISS Otaku”, your first KISS website,was born. You learned html language and you surprised many people with that great site…

I really only wanted to learn how to program html and decided if I was going to build awebsite while learning how to program html then a KISS website would be fun. I built KISS Otaku to be awebsite that I as a fan would love to find. A site that would have everything that I loved as fan.

And then Gene Simmons contacted you to manage the official KISS website,“KISSonline”; how did this happen?

August of 1998 I came home from work to a message on my answering machine fromGene. He basically said he had a business proposition to discuss with me and would I call him. Of course Icalled him back; he asked me what I was doing for a job and if I would be interested in creating the KISSwebsite they would be launching in a couple months. As Gene said, he can’t promise what will happen,but he can open a door for me, but I would have to decide if I wanted to walk through that door and it wasup to me to make the most of the opportunity.

As you probably imagine, “KISSonline” is somehow a source of inspirationfor us. You worked for about seven years to make the official KISS website a portal that receivesmore than 500,000 visitors a month. That is truly awesome! Please tell us, how was that experienceas webmaster of “KISSonline”?

It was a dream job, I was paid to be a fan. I was overnight given access to my favoriteband and told to build a website that KISS fans would love. So I always kept that in mind when I didsomething on the site… would the fans like this?

Who took more responsibilities for that website, you or KISS?

For the first couple years I pretty much ran the site without band involvement. Around2001 they became more interested and started to have more involvement. Until 2005 when I left whenboth Gene and Paul were deeply involved.

We know that “KISSonline” has not been your only experience with websitesfor artists. You have also managed the websites of many different artists, such as Madonna, U2,Mötley Crüe, Ozzy Osbourne, Meat Loaf, Fleetwood Mac and Rod Stewar, to mention just a few of them. How was your experience in “KISSonline” different from the rest? Would you say that so far it has been your best work?

KISS were the most involved of any artist. They cared more about their website thananyone else. They were personally involved in many aspects of the site where other artists had zeroinvolvement. Yes, KISSonline was the best website and fan community I built.

Your work in “KISSonline” has not been easy, though… You have personallyundertaken the task of promoting online very different aspects of the band, such as the movie“Detroit Rock City”, the release of “Psycho Circus”, the Box Set and “KISS Symphony Alive IV”, aswell as other products with the KISS brand, such as the Visa KISS card. Can you please tell usabout a typical day of work for the KISS site?

Typical day, wow! That would be different every single day. I might spend a couplehours updating or building web pages. This was years before things like Joomla or WordPress so for a fewyears every page in the site was hand coded. I might be working on new ideas or sections for the site.New graphics and designs for the site. Always updating content.

We guess that there is one day in particular that you remember with prideand emotion: the day you received the RIAA (Recording Industry Association of America) certification as an acknowledgement for your participation in promoting “Psycho Circus”, the BoxSet and “KISS Symphony Alive IV”; if we add that to the fact that you were a fan of the band, aswell as an employee… well, that is quit huge, isn’t it?

These are things I truly only dreamed of when I was a fan, I am extremely proud of theRIAA awards I have received. They are probably my most cherished collectibles.

Another relatively unknown fact for many fans is that you have beenresponsible for the development of the VIP packages of the KISS World Domination Tour in 2003,that included exclusive access to the band, preferential tickets, photos with the band members,exclusive merchandise and other great stuff as well; those packages that you managed became amilestone for the subsequent VIP packages that the band implemented later on. You have left KISSa great business. Please tell us more about it.

McGhee Entertainment called me prior to the tour asking if I wanted them to hold anytickets for the tour to sell. I said yes, not knowing what I was going to do with them just knowing I wantedto sell them. I knew these would be great seats. I then thought about what would every KISS fan want?Easy, meet the band and get a photo. I knew fans were paying $500 or more to just buy scalped tickets inthe first couple rows. So if I could add a meet and greet to a ticket up front fans would definitely buy them.I had no idea if the band would do a meet and greet at each show, but I presented the idea to Doc whoimmediately said yes, the band will do it in makeup. I knew the fans would love this and that even at$1000 a ticket it would be worth every penny. And it was! The band makes every fan backstage feelspecial and important. They did it better than any other artist I did VIP packages with, again KISS reallymade the fans feel important.

Yours is an amazing story… You started as a KISS fan and then becameinvolved and worked closely with them, thus generating great business opportunities. But sincesome time ago, you decided to be “just a KISS fan”. Why did you leave the rest?

Being a paid fan is great, but I ended up at a new job that paid me better. Andultimately led to me being able to open my own marketing company, Michael Brandvold Marketing. I willalways want to have my own business and just enjoy my memories of KISS.

Being a KISS fan and having had the opportunity of being close to them (adream for any fan), would you say that there is one memory in particular regarding them that for any reason, it is stuck on you forever?

Probably when Paul invited me to his 50th birthday party in Hollywood. I told him I wassurprised to get the invite and he said of course you would get a invite you are part of the family.

During your time with KISS you have witnessed many different moments of the band; which is your favorite one and why?

Hmm, tough one. Maybe when KISS played God of Thunder at WCW Wrestling. Igrew up as a huge wrestling fan, so in one night meeting all the wrestling legends I grew up with at a KISSevent was really amazing.

You also had the chance of joining them in some of their tours; which wasyour favorite?

The Farewell Tour of Australia. Australia is an amazing country. So beautiful. Thepeople were amazing. The shows were also incredible, possibly the best lineup of the band… Gene, Paul, Ace and Eric Singer.

Kiss Army Argentina: When we look at your Facebook profile we see that you are not only a fanbut also a collector, and in that sense, being close to the band meant the possibility of havingaccess to their vast merchandise catalogue; is there any item in particular that you were trulysurprised at when you first saw it?

I think the KISS Koffin really had my head shaking, lol.

What are you currently up to?

I own my own marketing company Michael Brandvold Marketing http://www.michaelbrandvold.com/ that provides marketing services to many clients, including those inthe entertainment field.

Can you please tell us about your site “MyKisslife”, created in 2009?

It was just a way for me to tell my KISS story as fans were always asking about what itwas like.

Do you currently keep in touch with any former or current member of KISS?

Not on any regular basis.

Can you please tell us an anecdote or story that you lived with the band?

During the Farewell Tour in Reno, NV I arrived at the venue around 4pm and waswalking down the loading ramp into the backstage area. There were always all sorts of KISS road caseslined up and it was not uncommon to see a roadie laying on a case, getting some rest while things werequiet. As I walk down the ramp I see someone laying on a case, as I get closer I noticed it didn’t look like aroadie. Turns out it is Ace… he was laying down resting on the cases. I just had to laugh at seeing that.Ace is rock n roll.

How much has “KISSonline” changed since its creation up to now? What isyour opinion on the site today?

Completely different people are running the site now. They have removed much of thecontent, show reviews, album reviews, photos, scans and videos, I had posted on the site. Much of thesite features are no longer live on the site. I think it is a shame they removed all of this, it was somethingthat showed you that time in the band’s history. It feels like a news site now and much less a site wherefans can interact with each other and contribute content to the site. I really lost the feel of a site thatprovides you a history of the band and deeply involves the fans.

Finally, Michael, could you please leave a message for the Argentine KISSfans?

Thank you to all the KISS Army members in Argentina you all rock… everyone whostarted visiting KISS Otaku and then KISSonline!

Michael once again, thank you! for your kindness and the time you devoted to us.

Thank you!!Visit: www.michaelbrandvold.com

Källa Interview: MARCELO GARCIA and DIEGO FERREYRA (Kiss Army Argentina) September 2011Translation: MARIANA ABELLO (Kiss Army Argentina)

Rockpages intervjuar Carrie Stevens:

Carrie Stevens

Rockpages.gr, Interview: Sakis Nikas

Carrie Stevens is a world famous model, actress and her resume includes studies in journalism at Memphis State University. Her name is familiar to all the KISS fans from her relationship to the late drummer Eric Carr. Turning back the hands of time, we attempt to examine the importance of music in her career and try to see how crucial was the music industry in the shaping of her professional (and not only) route in life.

Carrie, first of all, let me tell you that it feels like I’ve known you for more than 20 years. The first time that I read about you was in 1988 in a KISS magazine and since then every then and now your name always found a way in the music press…That’s very nice to hear…thank you.

Let’s start from the early years…how would you describe your childhood? Did you have a normal upbringing?

A normal upbringing…let’s see…I grew up in a place where there were always cows and chickens around me. It was pretty quiet but I really enjoyed that time. My parents were divorced…I made a lot of friends and I kept in touch with most of them along the way.

As a teenager, what kind of music have you been listening to?

Well, definitely KISS, Van Halen…that was my second concert ever back in 1984. My first one was Journey…What else…Tesla, Bon Jovi, Cinderella, Queensryche, Dokken, Motley Crue…you get the picture.

Excellent taste!

Well, if you think about it, the 80s gave birth to all the great bands of hard rock music. Surely, there have been lots of groups from the 70s but their style changed with the new decade and fitted perfectly with the new sound.

I’ve read in your site that you studied journalism at the Memphis University. Was there ever any thought of following a professional career as a journalist?

No, not really. I never went so far although my dream at the time was to become a journalist and write for Rolling Stone or Metal Edge.

Let’s go to the KISS chapter…I know how you met Eric and I have read through the years many of your interviews regarding Eric’s importance in your life. Did you feel at the time that this would be a really special relationship for you?

I was very young at the time and everything’s was new to me…I was only 18-19 and Eric was 37-38. But, I was so in love with him and it was obvious right from the beginning that this was a really special relationship.

Were you intimidated by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons? I mean, you were only 19 years old and you get to hang out with an established act like KISS…

Oh yeah! Definitely…especially Gene can be really intimidating at the beginning but when you get to know him better, you see that he is not as evil as he tends to show (laughs)!

I remember reading somewhere about an incident where Paul Stanley tried to make a pass on you…

Right! It was very funny (laughs)…I was actually sitting backstage…it was during the Hot In The Shade Tour and he saw me sitting on a couch…Eric was somewhere, I think he was grabbing something to eat…anyway, Paul wasn’t aware that I was with Eric as it was pretty early in our relationship and he suggested to take me at my hotel with his limo…I said that I was with a friend of mine and we will return by our car. It was very uncomfortable, I’ll tell you this…Paul was insisting and I finally said to him: “Ok, I’ll meet you at your hotel room”. I never showed up but I still remember the hotel room…it was 220! Paul never said a word to Eric about it.

So, you entered the KISS world and what comes with it…good and bad. Apart from Christina (ex-wife of Bruce Kulick), did you make any good friends along the way and have you kept touch with any member of KISS?

Uhh, JW (John Walsh) was Eric’s roadie, his drum tech…we are still in touch, and we send e-mail and stuff. For many years, I was in touch with Shannon (Tweed) but I lost touch with her…I am still very close with Gary Corbett who was the off-stage keyboard player for KISS. That’s about it…you know, it’s funny you should ask because there is a company that manages lots of bands…a friend of mine Paul Geary who used to be the drummer of Extreme is now there…we go to concerts together and stuff. One of the guys who work at the management office could not remember where he knew me from and one day he came to me and said: “Oh, I just figured it out where I know you from…you used to be Eric Carr’s girlfriend. I was the band’s touring manager in 1990”. Small world!

Tell me a few things about the candid interview that you did with Gene Simmons for his Tongue Magazine back in 2002…you made some pretty honest comments there…

I respect Gene for printing these things. Gene’s always asking you very personal questions you don’t want to answer. Gene is always very nice to me but I told him straight up…I guess I was still angry at the back of my head when I agreed to do this interview…so I just said to him point blank that I used to hate him. He said: “Why? Tell me everything; I want to know all the details…”. That was very cool and made me have more respect for him. He really wanted to hear my point of view; my feelings about what went on then…

How did you decide to become a model and how did you get to be a Playboy cover girl?

Since I was a little girl, I wanted to become a model…when I got to L.A. I got into acting…I studied acting and actually that was my priority at the time. In L.A., I met a lot of Playboy girls…playmates., like Jenny McCarthy, Pamela Anderson, Carmen Electra…of course, Shannon Tweed who was a big influence. So, I just decided to give it a try while I was still young to do it. You know, I am proud of my accomplishment in that field. I am still acting and modeling but the truth is that I don’t have the same drive or passion for it…to become more successful and stuff. I don’t care about it as much as I used to but I had a great time doing that in the past!

You were also part of “Rock Star”, a film that centered around the life of an unknown singer that becomes famous…another music-oriented chapter in your life…

Oh yes! You know, it ended up being quite different that I thought it would be. I believed at the time that my big break would come by starring at the movie, even though I had only a small part on the film; the fact was that it was a big budget movie with big stars on it. I thought that it would be my life-changing movie…it would change my career. It definitely changed my life –although, not my career (laughs)- as I ended up having a relationship with the film’s director and then a child with him. I am sure that you have read all about my audition with Eric’s leather jacket from the “Hot In The Shade Tour”…there were only four out there and Eric gave that one to me. Those jackets were made for the band but Eric always thought that it looked better on me. So, I wore the jacket to the audition and it turned out that the guys were looking for people who had actually lived that era one way or another. They wanted to hear about my experiences of being the girlfriend of a rock musician. Let me tell you a funny story about Zakk Wylde…I was at an airport…it was 1989 or 1990…back in the day, anyone could walk anyone at the gate as the regulations were not so strict. So, I met Zakk Wylde and we were at the same flight…he was flying to see his then wife Barbara and I was flying to see my then boyfriend Eric. Zakk was on the first class but he came back, sat next to me and we got completely bombed! We have been drinking during the whole flight…I want to make clear that he wasn’t make a pass on me or anything…we were just talking. The next thing I remember is that he was giving me a shoulder massage and after a while I passed out. Next thing I know is that I woke up and I was the only one on the plane. I got off and I saw Eric waiting for me…when he saw me his first words were: “Guess what? You were at the same flight as Zakk Wylde. He just walked out of the gate”! I said: “Oh, really?” (laughs)

I guess who wouldn’t be too thrilled if he knew about that shoulder massage…

No, you’re right…he wouldn’t be too thrilled about it (laughs)! So, when I saw Zakk after all these years for the Rock Star film, I go over where he was sitting and I said to him” Hey, remember me from that flight?” That was very funny…Zakk is a great guy!

Do you know that Gus G, his new guitar player, is actually Greek?

He is…? I didn’t know that! I just saw Ozzy live on stage and this guy (Gus G) is a fantastic performer.

Now that we talk about all these things, would you say that music in general and the music industry in particular played a significant role in the shaping of the things to come in your life?

Absolutely! From the time I was growing up in Massachusetts…I remember being the only one there reading Metal Edge. When I saw Van Halen in concert…that was it! I was completely hooked and I was never the same since then. I kept listening to music 15-16 hours a day…I was a huge fan of rock music and it made me happy. I went straight from high school on the road with KISS…think about it! It became a huge part of my world and after Eric’s death, I couldn’t go to a rock concert…it was too much for me because it reminded me constantly of Eric! I couldn’t even go to a restaurant and see a jazz band perform. I was so traumatized that I couldn’t even see a set of drums. It took me many years to be able to be around that rock scene again. It’s only…I’d say…4 or 5 years that I went back to that kind of thing; going to concerts and enjoying the show. It was a full circle for me…I first listened to Van Halen, became an actor; a model; a mom…and now I am stuck to Van Halen again (laughs)! I just saw them live and they were absolutely on fire! I felt like a teenager again. Music is in my blood…it’s what makes me happy! Also, I like the mentality of rock people…I just feel better with them. They are just like me.

You have traveled all around the world. Have you ever been to Greece?

No, I haven’t and I want to come to Greece so bad! I’ve always wanted to come to Greece and sail around the Greek islands. That’s one of my dreams. Someday when I am rich, I am gonna charter a boat and sail all around the Greek islands (laughs).

Rockpages.gr: My last question: if you were about to write your autobiography, which title would you give to it?

Oh, my God…that’s a difficult one…let’s see…maybe “Carried Away”…because Carrie is my name and I got carried away far from my original goal in life and I never regretted it!

All Photos Taken By The Official Website of Carrie Stevens (www.carriestevens.net)

Källa www.rockpages.gr

Fredagsmys, “All The Way” från 1974. Läs mer om sången nedan:

All The Way

All The Way
Simmons

This Gene Simmons song was at least partially written prior to the album recording sessions and it appeared on a very early list of prospective songs. One of Gene’s early lyric books included the first two verses for the song, though without any title. The original demo for this song was recorded in late-July 1974 at Minot Sound Studios in White Plains, NY (Suhs – KISS Magazine “Inside The Vault).

Källa www.kissfaq.com

Turnékrönika – Creatures of the night 1982/83

Djävulens avkomma

Vi skall denna gång beta av en turné som skulle få monumental betydelse i Kiss historia. På felaktiga grunder i de flesta fall, men ändå. För att förståelsen skall bli fullständig måste jag dock göra en kort sammanfattning av händelserna som ledde till turnén.

1980 avslutas Unmaskedturnén på Nya Zeeland. En ny skiva är på gång som enligt Ace skall bli en tung hårdrocksskiva. Under våren och sommaren 1981 står det klart att det inte kommer att bli så och när ”The Elder” släpps på hösten är katastrofen ett faktum. En temaskiva av episk storhet är inte vad fansen vill ha efter utsvävningarna på ”Dynasty” och framför allt ”Unmasked”.

De fans som stannade kvar efter ”Unmasked” börjar nu se sig om efter nya idoler och New Wave of British Heavy Metal slår igenom med sin tunga och kompromisslösa hårdrock med anor i punkens jävlar anamma-attityd. Mitt i detta står vårt Kiss med en skiva som är helt fel i tiden vilket gör att Kiss nu verkligen blöder.

Det går så långt att den europeiska marknaden vill släppa en samlingsskiva för att skapa lite intresse igen och beställer av Kiss att de skall spela in fyra nya låtar till denna skiva, dessutom fyra hårdrockslåtar och inget annat. Skivan släpps tidigt 1982 och bär namnet ”Killers”. ”Killers” släpps dock inte i USA varför förhoppningen om någon ny Kissvåg i hemlandet grusas. Inte för att ”Killers” blev en succé någon annanstans, men i USA fick den inte ens chansen.

Nu är goda råd riktigt, riktigt dyra. Kiss måste spela hårdrock igen för att kunna konkurrera med de nya hungriga banden, annars kommer det att gå käpprätt åt Saltsjö-Boo. Därför påbörjas inspelningen av en liten kuplett som heter ”Creatures of the Night” på sommaren 1982. Tyvärr så har Kiss ett problem att tampas med mitt i allt elände, ett ganska stort problem, nämligen Ace Frehley.

Ace var sedan Peter Criss avsked riktigt trött på att bli utröstad i alla omröstningar som gällde bandet eftersom Paul och Gene hängde ihop i vått och torrt, vilket bland annat ledde till att Ace knappt medverkade på ”The Elder” och inte alls var med på de fyra nya låtarna på ”Killers”.

När Kiss så gick in i studio för ”Creatures” var Ace stol helt tom. Rådlösa visste inte Kiss vad de skulle göra, det fanns nämligen en klausul i kontraktet att minst tre originalmedlemmar måste vara med i bandet för att kontraktet skulle gälla. Om vi till detta adderar att Kiss precis stämt Polygram på flera miljoner för uteblivna försäljningsintäkter så förstår vi att livet enkelt sagt var skit för de inblandade.

Man kan dock inte jobba sig ur en kris genom att blunda för den. Skivbolaget ville ha en ny skiva och Kiss blev mer eller mindre tvingade in i studion igen för att spela in. Skivan spelades in mellan juli och september och i brist på Ace deltog en hel uppsjö av gitarrfolk i inspelningen.

Bob Kulick, Robben Ford, Steve Ferris samt låtskrivaren Adam Mitchell spelar alla på skivan. En liten oansenlig figur med ett enormt sinne för låtskrivande kallad Vincent Cusano får även chansen att lägga lite gitarr på minst två låtar och dessutom delta i skrivandet av tre låtar.

Cusano spelade 1982 i bandet Warrior som precis hade slängt ihop en demo med låtar (som för övrigt CBS visade intresse för). Warrior repade på SIR studios i New York i rummet bredvid Kiss och Paul och Gene måste ha hört genom väggarna de briljanta låtarna som Warrior spelade och då tänkt något i stil med ”det här skulle vi kunna göra något med”. Det gjorde de därför också.

Ett hårdare sound

”Creatures of the Night” skulle vara en återgång till hårdrocken i stil med ”Destroyer” eller något åt det hållet. Det skulle dock visa sig att ”Destroyer” i jämförelse med ”Creatures” hade mer gemensamt med Gullan Bornemarks barnvisor, för det som stod klart när ”Creatures” släpptes var att så här in i helvete tunga och elaka hade Kiss aldrig varit! Till och med skivans ”ballad”, ”I Still Love You”, är så satans ödesmättad och tung att en Lars Norén-pjäs framstår som ett skojfriskt lustspel med Sven Melander i huvudrollen.

Det var ett argt Kiss som spelade, produktionen är fortfarande bland de bästa jag vet och de flesta låtarna tillhör bandets absoluta toppar! Gitarrerna har kanske inte det rent tekniskt sett bästa ljudet men det har utan tvekan det råaste eftersom de låter som om de vore motorsågar inkopplade i förstärkare. Basen är tung, sången på alla låtarna håller absolut toppklass och, givetvis, trummorna!

Eric, den lille spjuvern, fick äntligen visa precis vem han var och hur han kunde spela! Med ett bombastiskt, stort och fullkomligt hänsynslöst trumljud och ett trumspel som alla vi trummisar måste avundas pulvriserar Eric våra trumhinnor i varje låt. Ja, jisses.

Skivan släpps i oktober och en promotionturné till Europa står på dagordningen. Med som gitarrist är ingen mindre än… Ace? Just det, Ace följde med till Europa för skivsigneringar och TV-framträdanden vilket ses som en självklarhet eftersom hans ansikte dessutom pryder det nya skivomslaget (som för övrigt är bandets snyggaste någonsin).

Komiken når sin höjdpunkt när han står på scen med bandet i Italien och Tyskland och framför ”I Love It Loud” och i bland ”Creatures of the Night” playback eftersom det framgår snabbt för ett tränat öga att han inte har en aning om hur låtarna går. ”I Love It Loud” spelades dock en hel del gånger varför han mot slutet började få fason på kompandet, men framträdandet av ”Creatures” ser verkligen urlöjligt ut (läs mer om denna promotionturné på annan plats i magasinet).

Väl hemma i USA i november måste Kiss så börja repa för den stora comebackturnén, deras första USA-turné sedan den tämligen dysfunktionella Dynastysvängen 1979. Scenshowen skulle bli den mest spektakulära någonsin och Kiss skulle etablera sig som ett namn att räkna med på den inhemska marknaden igen.

Sökandet efter en gitarrist var därför intensivt eftersom Ace helt ville ut ur karusellen. Paul och Gene ville verkligen ha honom kvar, troligen främst av kontraktuella skäl men säkerligen också för att han var en del av bandets hjärta.

Detta skulle dock inte ske, Ace köptes ut helt ur organisationen till skillnad från Peter som fortfarande var med i företaget Kiss. Ace skulle formellt sett inte vara borta från Kiss förrän i juni 1983 och det ryktas om att Gene ringde upp Ace under turnéns gång vädjandes till honom att han skulle komma tillbaka.

En ny gitarrist behövdes i alla fall omgående inför den stundande turnén och efter flertalet provspelningar var det någon som muttrade ”den där Cusano då, han kan ju spela?”. Sagt och gjort, han tillfrågades och tackade ja varför en ny sminkning och karaktär utformades. Enligt alla uppgifter föreställer sminkningen det egyptiska tecknet för evigt liv, men vi som vet bättre vet att det är en vingmutter.

Pauls skämt ”kolla grabbar, den här sminkningen skall han ha” togs på fullt allvar varför Paul måste ha fnissat på sig varje dag när Vinnie sminkade sig.

Vinnie ja, Vincent Cusano var inget gångbart namn i Kisskretsar så Vinnie Vincent fick bli det påhittiga artistnamnet. Varför Bruce Kulick aldrig fick något artistnamn är för övrigt något att stilla fundera över när hösten annalkas och kaffet kallnat.

Kiss vs Polygram

Innan vi fortsätter är det på sin plats att lite snabbt sammanfatta stämningen mot Polygram som skulle ha stor betydelse för bandets framtid. Kiss stämde 1982 Polygram på sju miljoner dollar som de ansåg skivbolaget vara skyldig dem i uteblivna royalties. Kiss vann målet men vinstsumman sänktes till det otroliga 520 000 dollar.

Det fanns dessutom den tråkiga omständigheten med Ace, eftersom han nu ville ut hade Kiss brutit sitt kontrakt där det stod att minst tre originalmedlemmar måste vara med vid en given tidpunkt. Alltså behövde Kiss omförhandla sitt kontrakt och hade de inte stämt skivbolaget innan Ace avhopp hade de haft en oerhörd fördel inför förhandlingarna.

Nu hade de i stället vunnit en pyrrhusseger och hade ett väldigt besviket skivbolag att förhandla med. Som läsaren förstår så blev omförhandlingen av kontraktet inte till Kiss omedelbara fördel, för att framföra det milt.

Rättegången mot skivbolaget ägde rum i början av december och turnén skulle börja i slutet av samma månad. Jag kan personligen inte föreställa mig hur det såg ut i huvudet på Gene och Paul vid denna tid, dels skulle de hinna med rättegången och omförhandlingen av Ace och sitt eget kontrakt, dels skulle de repa in en helt ny setlist för en ny turné på en ny scen med en ny gitarrist. Jag tar en vild chansning och gissar på att ingendera sov speciellt bra i slutet av 1982.

Efter rättegångens avslut började Kiss omedelbart repetera inför turnén. Repetitionerna ägde rum i Irving, Texas och skulle se Kiss bland annat peta in en äldre låt i setlisten som de inte spelat på några år, ”I Want You” (senast spelad i Valencia 780519). Vidare så var allt material från ”Dynasty” och ”Unmasked” borta och inget senare material från ”The Elder” eller ”Killers” spelades heller.

Man koncentrerade sig på det som ansågs vara ”klassiska” Kiss samt så klart några nya spår, allt förpackat i en scenshow som minst sagt var förbluffande stor. I dag är vi vana vid U2, Rolling Stones och Madonnas gigantproduktioner men 1983 var det få produktioner som kunde mäta sig med ”the Kiss tank”.

Scenen var alltså formad som en stridsvagn där larvfötterna gick längs scenens vänster- och högerflank och där trumsetet stod upphöjt ovanpå kanontornet. Kanontornet rörde sig genom att snurra åt båda håll (dock inte helt runt i 360 grader) och sköt även med kanon på vissa givna tidpunkter i showen.

Bomber smälldes av i sedvanlig ordning, rök användes en massa och den klassiska Kisslogon hängde där den borde och blinkade taktfast. Under avslutningen i ”Black Diamond” placerade sig alla de tre mobila bandmedlemmarna på kanontornet framför Erics trummor och åkte med runt på scenen medan bomber sprängdes helt olikt något man sett förut. På en överlevande privatfilm från Montreal 1983 ser det nästan ut som vore det krig på scenen, så mycket smäller det!

Utöver dessa musikaliska fakta är det värt att notera att på kontrakt från USA-turnén står det fem bandmedlemmars namn, alltså även Ace namn. Detta banar väg för spekulation i sedvanlig ordning.

Vidare så var New Orleans-konserten den 14 februari faktiskt tänkt att bli en återföreningskonsert med Ace och Peter, en one-off-show med alla originalmedlemmar. Detta gick i stöpet då en viss herr katt krävde att reklamen skulle säga Kiss featuring Peter Criss. Lite synd kan man tänka eftersom speciellt Peter verkligen hade behövt lite publicitet i sin ensamhet 1983. Undrar vilka låtar de skulle kört!

Turnén som skulle kallas för ”the 10th Anniversary Tour” presenterades den 28 oktober på en stor presskonferens i Hollywood på Francis Ford Coppolas Zoetrope Studios där man bland annat visade upp den nya scenshowen för de inbjudna gästerna. Det var dessutom i denna studio man spelade in promotionvideon till ”I Love It Loud”.

När turnén närmade sig sin början i december var det meningen att den skulle starta i Rapid City 821227 för att sedermera förhoppningsvis bli över 100 konserter lång och vara i över ett år världen över. Ingetdera hände.

Rapid City-spelningen fick ställas in sent på eftermiddagen samma dag då Kiss grejer inte anlänt till staden eftersom planet satt fast i en snöstorm i Denver. De 100 konserterna skulle dessutom vid turnéns slut endast ha blivit 55 till antalet och större delen av världen fick vänta. Anledningen till detta återkommer jag till.

Premiär i Bismarck

Turnépremiären förlades i stället till Bismarck 821229 kring vilken spelning det i den förnämliga boken Kiss Alive Forever finns en mycket intressant anekdot. Eftersom Kiss utrustning fastnat på flygplatsen i Denver så lastades allt på lastbilar och kördes till Bismarck. Allt utom dräkterna som ansågs vara för värdefulla för lastbilsfärd varför dessa och den ansvarige för Kiss garderob stannade kvar på flygplatsen tills dess att den öppnade igen.

Kiss behövde ju kläder till Bismarckspelningen och ett nödsamtal till en gammal garderobsansvarig, Pixie Esmonde, ägde rum under vilket hon ombads åka till Kiss lager och plocka ihop kläder för fyra medlemmar och ilflyga med dessa till Bismarck. Hon kom dock bara till St. Louis där hon också fastnade i snön med reguljärflyget varför en specialjet hyrdes in som tog henne och kostymerna till Bismarck.

Följden blev enligt Pixie att Kiss framförde denna första Creaturesspelning i Love Gun-dräkterna. Tyvärr finns det inte ett enda fotobevis för detta, åtminstone inte tillgängligt, så vi har bara hennes ord för det.

En mycket intressant historia om jag får säga det själv! Jag har varit i kontakt med chefredaktörerna för flertalet stora dags- och morgontidningar i North Dakota men tyvärr inte fått något napp gällande konsertrecensioner eller fotografier. Sökandet går vidare.

Dagen efter Bismarck spelade Kiss i Sioux City. Denna konsert finns bevarad för evigheten och finns recenserad ingående på Alex’ Room Service varför jag inte hyllar den mer här än att jag säger att det är en fantomspelning. Setlisten för denna första arkiverade spelning från 10th Anniversary Tour finns det dock anledning att plita ned varför jag gör detsamma:

Creatures of the Night / Strutter / Calling Dr Love / Firehouse / I Love It Loud / Cold Gin / Keep Me Comin’ / War Machine / I Want You / Vinnie – solo / Rock and Roll Hell / I Still Love You / Shout It Out Loud / Gene – solo / God of Thunder / Eric – solo / Love Gun / Paul – solo / Black Diamond / Rock and Roll All Nite / Detroit Rock City.

En smått genialisk setlist om jag får säga det själv. Dagen efter i Rockford, på självaste nyårsafton, var ”Keep Me Comin’” borta och ”I Still Love You” hade bytt plats med ”Shout It Out Loud”. I övrigt var setlisten identisk.

Den skulle dock vara förändrad till sin (nästan) slutgiltiga form på nyårsdagen i Terre Haute. ”Rock and Roll Hell” var borttagen, solona till viss del omflyttade och den fjärde versen i ”I Love It Loud” skulle slutligen från och med Charleston 830104 försvinna eftersom Paul tyckte att låten segade sig fram. Återstod av setlisten gjorde därför som följer:

Creatures of the Night / Detroit Rock City / Calling Dr Love / Firehouse / I Want You / Vinnie – solo / I Love It Loud / Cold Gin / Gene – solo / God of Thunder / Paul – solo / Love Gun / Eric – solo / War Machine / I Still Love You / Shout It Out Loud / Black Diamond / Strutter / Rock and Roll All Nite.

Det enda som hände med setlisten efter detta under turnéns gång var att ”Strutter” försvann på vissa gig, att ”Shout It Out Loud” försvann helt i början av februari och att Genes solo med ”God of Thunder” bytte plats med Erics solo och ”War Machine”. Inga fler låtar lades till och setlisten som började på runt 105-110 minuter i december 1982 var neddragen till runt 90-95 minuter i februari/mars 1983.

Detta var första turnén på vilken den faktiska speltiden skulle minska successivt under turnéns gång, men tyvärr inte den sista. Jag har försökt finna svar på varför detta skedde på alla USA-turnéer mellan 1983 och 1988 men inte funnit något vettigt svar, men jag antar att det har med ekonomi, löner och hyror att göra.

En liten musikalisk detaljförändring skulle komma att förgylla tillvaron när turnén nådde Brasilien i juni, vilket kommer att avhandlas i ett senare stycke. Nu måste vi först förklara lite kring läget runt turnén eftersom detta var en synnerligen turbulent tid för hårdrockare i västvärlden.

Reagan och yttrandefriheten

Om man gick och såg Kiss i exempelvis Springfield i februari 1983 berodde det med all sannolikhet på en av följande orsaker:

1. Man gillade Kiss och tyckte om att se dem live, kanske hade man gjort det förut, kanske hade man aldrig fått tillfälle. I vilket fall tyckte man att detta skulle bli skoj.
2. Man hade fått biljetten i present/vunnit den/hittat den på gatan och var för snål för att låta bli att utnyttja den trots att man egentligen gillade syntrockgruppen Logementet betydligt bättre än sån där heavy metal.
3. Man hade hört på nyheterna att djävulens avkomma tillika satanstillbedjarna i skräckrockbandet Kiss var ute och turnerade igen och att man gjorde allra bäst i att bli hemma och lyssna på något snällare som exempelvis The Carpenters eller Paul Anka.

Naturligtvis kunde man inte låta bli att gå och se om de verkligen avlivade hundvalpar och bebisar på scen, det sade ju den lokala prästen i TV att de gjorde när han samtidigt brände deras skivor inför kamerorna och talade i tungor om hur sjuka i huvudet dessa individer var med sin satanism och kunde tittaren för övrigt möjligen tänka sig att skänka honom några dollar?

Den observante läsaren har redan upptäckt vilken riktning denna krönika nu tar. Under tidigt 80-tal skulle Reaganadministrationen i USA börja fiffla lite med det här om huruvida yttrandefrihet var något bra eller dåligt för gemene man. Det lät ju bra på papperet men var det verkligen lämpligt i praktiken för till exempel en hårdrocksgrupp med smink i ansiktet att få existera utan att någon säger till?

Nej, det var det naturligtvis inte och under hela turnéns gång var en kampanj i gång mot Kiss i nästan varje stad där de renlevande riktiga kristna människorna stod utanför arenorna och protesterade och brände skivor så det stod härliga till. De medverkade i TV-program och försökte få Kiss förbjudna att spela i just deras stad.

På radio kunde man höra Dan och Steve Peters förbanna all rockmusik genom att ”bevisa” att alla rockband lade in hemliga meddelanden baklänges på sina skivor. Denna teknik kallades backmasking och dess satanistiska influenser fick stort gehör bland föräldrar i USA under tidigt 80-tal, vilket bland annat skulle resultera i bildandet av PMRC 1985, Parents Music Resource Center (ungefär som Hem & Skola i Sverige fast betydligt otäckare*) under ledning av Tipper Gore (japp, vicepresidentens fru!).

De flesta känner till att Judas Priest och Ozzy blev åtalade för att vara ansvariga för några tonåringars död i mitten av 80-talet vilket skulle vara resultatet av sådan här backmaskingteknik. Inget av åtalen ledde till fällande domar eftersom domarna i fallen inte fann några belägg för att banden skulle vilja att deras fans, skivköparna, skulle ta livet av sig. Nåväl, jag avviker lite märker jag, tillbaks till Kiss.

Kiss hanterade dessa fascistliknande dårar med en stor portion humor, åtminstone utåt. Det finns en hel del intervjuer där Paul småflinar och enkelt konstaterar att han tycker att ”they’re strange”. Jag håller med Paul.

Det lustiga är att samtidigt som den gamla ”Kiss är nazister”-skrönan dök upp igen, eftersom de nu till och med hade en stridsvagn på scenen, så står de anklagande och bränner bandets skivor och förnekar bandet sin rätt att uttrycka sig fritt. Precis vad nazisterna pysslade med. Låt den som är utan sten kasta första hönset. Hönset i detta fall får väl sägas vara de ”religiösa” människorna.

If I may put forward a slice of personal philosophy här så kan man fundera på hur religiösa dessa människor egentligen var eftersom en stor del av kristendomen bygger på att vända andra kinden till, vilket man väl borde känna till även i de mest outbildade trakterna av religionens utmarker. Här var det dock ingen som vände någon kind, man försökte mangrant berätta för Kiss vilka dårar de var som gick satans ärenden (posten?) och få dem utvisade till något mindre nogräknat land, kanske Uganda.

Lyckligtvis dog trenden med att försöka portförbjuda hårdrocken ut och i dag sitter väl alla dessa rättrogna och porrsurfar på internet som alla andra. Säga vad man vill men det rådde i alla fall ingen brist på Kiss på TV och i radio under 1982-1983.

Även om det sägs att all reklam är bra reklam så verkar det vara som att just denna sortens reklam faktiskt var ganska dålig för bandet. De hade genomgående dåliga publiksiffror vilket såklart påverkade bandet mer än ekonomiskt.

Hungern och råheten i december och januari är som bortblåst de sista veckorna på turnén. Inte nog med att de vet att det där med 100 konserter skulle skita sig kapitalt, de vet även att det rent ut sagt går förbannat dåligt för dem. Comebacken med tung hårdrock och en ny fräck scenshow gick inte alls lika bra som man hade önskat och skulderna efter turnén skulle vara större än inkomsterna.

Efter San Francisco-giget den 3 april 1983 åker man hem till New York med svansen mellan benen och ett övertrasserat konto. Föga visste Kiss att de dryga två månader senare skulle göra sin största spelning någonsin i ett land de knappast hört talas om mer än på TV.

Den sydamerikanska lösningen

Det var en (eventuellt) solig dag i New York i april när det nådde Kiss managements öron att en herre som gick under benämningen Junior sålde biljetter till en bunke Kisskonserter som skulle äga rum på gigantiska arenor i Brasilien i maj.

Ingen trodde sina öron. Kiss var verkligen inte vare sig inblandade eller ens tillfrågade, men Junior tyckte väl ”bättre att förekomma än att förekommas” och började sälja biljetterna först för att på så sätt få med sig Kiss när han kunde visa hur mycket han sålt.

Den brasilianska Kissturnén skulle innefatta fem konserter, en i Rio, två i Sao Paulo, en i Porto Alegre och en i Bela Horizonte. Efter noggrann övervägning står det klart att Kiss behöver pengarna varför två representanter för Kiss åker ner till Brasilien för att kolla upp hur det ligger till. Det visar sig att informationen kring allting är ytterst knapphändig.

Junior har onekligen sålt biljetter men var Kiss skall spela är till viss del höljt i dunkel. Arenorna är stora, nej massiva komplex med massor av funktionella brister, elektriciteten fungerar lite som den vill och hur säkerheten skulle arrangeras för sådana folkmassor är det ingen som riktigt vet.

Efter flertalet garantier och monetära förskott så accepterar i alla fall Kiss organisation turnén och åker hem för att berätta för bandet att de får repa lite igen. Alla är nöjda och glada. Nu börjar problemen.

Spelningen i Porto Alegre avbokas på grund av problem med tillstånd och dylikt. Inga hästar synes dock, Junior hade tillgodo en tvåveckors turné med sammanlagt fem spelningar att boka och Kiss var garanterade pengar för alltihopa. Skulle en spelning gå i stöpet var det Junior som fick ta smällen, inte Kiss.

Språkbarriären mellan portugisiska och amerikanska skulle visa sig vara större än man trott innan, massor av telegram skickades mellan länderna utan att någon egentligen verkade veta vad som hände i Brasilien. Den stora dagen annalkades i alla fall, Kiss hade repat ordentligt och skulle gå på ett plan på eftermiddagen som skulle ta dem och deras utrustning till Brasilien.

Det var bara den sista tredjedelen av pengarna som skulle skickas över varpå Kiss plan skulle lyfta. Pengarna kom dock aldrig. Besvikelsen måste ha varit oerhörd när detta var ett faktum med tanke på att lastbilarna med scenen stod redo på flygplatsen men fick nu plötsligen vända hem igen. Turnén var alltså slut innan den ens hade börjat.

Några dagar efteråt framkom det att Junior stött på en massa ekonomiska problem med höjda avgifter och extrakostnader. Dock ville han såklart att turnén skulle bli av med tanke på hur mycket han redan lagt ner på den varför han begav sig till USA och träffade Kiss representanter igen.

Han ville att turnén skulle flyttas till mitten av juni i stället. Efter många om och men skrevs ett nytt kontrakt där Kiss skulle få betalt för sina utgifter under veckorna som de stått overksamma, det var en motvillig Junior som gick med på detta men han skrev under i alla fall. Kiss packade sina väskor igen och ytterligare en gång verkade det som att pengarna inte skulle komma.

Denna gång kom de dock varpå turnén var på. De hade bara blivit översända till fel mottagarkontor varför det tog ett dygn extra för Kiss att få reda på det. Den 14 juni 1983 landade således sminkrockgruppen Kiss i det varma Brasilien för fyra konserter.

Paul och Gene var inte helt lyckliga över sin vistelse i vad de ansåg vara ett riktigt U-land. Eric var glad eftersom det fanns flickor överallt, vissa mot betalning, Vinnie var glad för han åkte med sin fru på utflykter och turistade ordentligt. Men Paul och Gene ansåg under hela resan att trots att de var jättestora i Brasilien så räknades det liksom inte. Det var ju inte USA, eller ens västvärlden för den delen.

Hur man än ser på det så var dock Kiss gigantiskt stora i Brasilien. Alla tidningar och TV-kanaler gjorde reportage och den första konserten, Rio de Janeiro den 18 juni, skulle gå direktsänd i TV.

Riokonserten ägde rum på världens (då åtminstone) största stadium, Maracaña. Den höll ungefär 200 000 personer men hur många som faktiskt såg Kiss 1983 finns det inga rena fakta kring. Mellan 100 000 och 150 000 är summorna som brukar nämnas från olika håll, men det fanns ingen biljettkontroll och folk sprang ut och in på arenan till och med när Kiss hade börjat spela varför en exakt siffra inte existerar.

Det var helt enkelt jävligt många människor som var där. Som konsert betraktat är det Kiss största någonsin, inget förband och inga krusiduller, bara 90 minuter svettigt Kiss.

Medan låtlistan för Brasilien var identisk med den under senare delen av USA-turnén så kan jag nämna den lilla musikaliska detaljen som var en nyhet för brassarna. I slutet av ”Black Diamond” när medlemmarna åkte runt på kanontornet hade man lagt till en instrumental melodi, en slags coda som dessutom skulle komma att stanna kvar i ”Black Diamond” under ytterligare två turnéer.

Jag hade för mig att denna melodi spelades även i USA men grundlig research inför denna krönika visar att den faktiskt gjorde sitt inträde i Kisshistorien på Riokonserten.

Rio var dock ett tekniskt helvete med dåligt ljud, dåligt med elektricitet och knepig säkerhet. Alla var glada när spelningen var slut men den där riktiga wow-känslan infann sig aldrig. Det var ju inte 150 000 amerikaner som såg Kiss, utan lågutbildade mer eller mindre korkade sydamerikaner. Detta enligt Gene och Paul som hellre hade sett att de var i Australien igen. Eller på hemmaplan inför samma publiksiffra.

Nästa konsert var Belo Horizonte. Denna spelning skulle äga rum den 20 juni men bara timmar innan konserten stod det klart att det inte fanns någon elektricitet att tillgå. Kaos rådde och spelningen blev omedelbart inställd och flyttad till dagen efter. Den 21 juni spelade så Kiss i Belo Horizonte inför runt 30 000 personer.

Denna siffra hade varit betydligt högre om inte kommunledningen i staden hade beslutat att ingen under 16 år skulle släppas in utan en förälder. 30 000 var ändå mycket folk, men i en arena som håller 80 000 personer var det inte ens halvfullt.

Slutligen kommer bandet till Sao Paulo, två spelningar skulle genomföras men det stod snart klart att det bara skulle bli en. Oavsett hur stora Kiss var så kunde de inte fylla den anrika Morumbistadion två kvällar, varför spelningen den 24 juni ställdes in. Endast spelningen den 25 juni skulle bli av.

Detta var ett direkt problem för Junior eftersom den enda spelning han skulle tjäna pengar på var den andra spelningen i Sao Paulo, när en sådan nu blev inställd blev han utan vinst. Det gillade han inte.

Kiss spelade i Sao Paulo inför runt 65 000 personer på vad som skulle bli deras sista spelning med smink fram till 1996. När bandet efter avslutad ordinarie speltid åter äntrade scenen inför extranummer började publiken formligen vråla melodin till ”I Love It Loud”, varpå Kiss faktiskt hängde på och körde låten en gång till för Sao Pauloianerna.

Efter spelningen var turnén slut och bandet skulle bege sig hem för att börja inspelningen av nästa skiva, som redan var bestämt skulle bli den första utan sminkade medlemmar. Junior ville dock inte att bandet skulle åka hem utan gjorde allt för att hålla dem kvar i landet för fler spelningar, helst skulle Kiss dessutom spela gratis eftersom han hade gått med en grym förlust på de tre konserter som blivit av.

Efter några dagars förhandlande och förhalande åkte Kiss hem och lämnade en bedrövad Junior bakom sig. Ett tag verkade det som att det skulle bli några spelningar även i Buenos Aires i Argentina, men med minnena färska från Brasilien åkte representanterna för Kiss ner till Argentina och möttes av två män som hade minst sagt skumma affärer för sig.

Efter en massa velande hit och dit åkte man hem igen och några veckor senare försvann dessa två herrar ut i periferin efter att ha blivit bombhotade för att försökt få Kiss till Argentina vilket såklart omintetgjorde den redan från början dödsdömda Argentinasvängen.

Kiss sista spelning med smink var i Sao Paulo. Nästa gång de stod på en scen var i Lissabon i oktober, då helt utan smink, nästan i alla fall.

Att Kiss scen med tank och allt fortfarande i juli 1983 befann sig i en hangar i Brasilien utan tillstymmelse att flytta på sig får läsaren veta mer om i nästa nummer. Nu är det nämligen i sedvanlig diktatorisk ordning att redogöra för inspelningarna från turnén.

Bevarade skatter

Vad det gäller Creatures-skivan i sig finns det lite grejer att snacka om. En tidig tracksheet inför skivan visar att det fanns flera låtar tilltänkta som inte kom med.

”Don’t Leave Me Lonely” (som senare skulle hamna på Bryan Adams skiva ”Cuts Like a Knife”), ”Betrayed” (Genelåt som enligt uppgift inte är samma som den på ”Hot in the Shade”), ”Back on the Streets” (Vinnielåt med Paul på sång) samt ”Partners in Crime”.

”Partners in Crime” var en nyinspelning av låten från ”Killers” med Creaturesljudet men den skrotades tyvärr från skivan i elfte timmen. Den har dock dykt upp på singelbaksidor och var även med på promotionskivan ”First Kiss Last Licks” från 1990. Den senare innehåller även ”Nowhere to Run” (1989 remix) vilket kan vara en nyinspelning, jag har tyvärr inte skivan själv och lämnar därför frågan öppen.

En nyligen utkommen demolåt från augusti 1982 är ”Not for the Innocent”, låten från ”Lick It Up”, ett år tidigare! Det roliga med denna demo är att Paul och Gene sjunger den tillsammans, Gene tar verserna och Paul förrefrängerna och refrängerna! Ett stycke Kisshistoria som varit oss undangömt fram till januari 2006! Året börjar bra.

Liveinspelningar från turnén finns det gott om, nästan hälften av turnén cirkulerar bland samlare. De roligaste spelningarna är i mina öron som följer: Sioux City 1982 tack vare den fantastiska setlisten, Terre Haute 830101 där Gene sjunger första versen i ”Firehouse”, Kanadaspelningarna i januari där Kiss är heta som attans samt Rio och Sao Paulo tack vare att de dels är tämligen bra, svettiga Kiss-spelningar, dels är de historiskt mycket intressanta.

En inspelning värd att leta efter är The Peters Brothers ”Truth About Rock” som är ett radioprogram med de tidigare omnämnda bröderna Peters där de verkligen bevisar att Kiss är djävulens avkomma. Dessutom har de smugit med sig en bandspelare in på konserten i Bloomington 830218 (bootlegging kallas det!) och spelar i radio upp låtar och mellansnack som de anser tala till Kiss nackdel.

Dessutom beklagar de sig i etern hur ont de fick i öronen av den fruktansvärda volymen. En på det hela taget så rolig inspelning att tårarna rinner kontinuerligt på lyssnaren.

Videomässigt är vi lite sämre bevandrade, detta är tveklöst en av de sämst bevarade turnéerna vad det gäller videoinspelningar. Endast Animalizeturnén är sämre bevakad, men från den turnén fick vi i alla fall en nästan komplett TV-filmad konsert.

Från Creaturesturnén har vi en 50 minuter lång privatfilm från Montreal 830113, kort enkom då filmarens batteri tog slut. Dessutom finns den första låten från detta gig komplett filmad med en kamera i photopiten, en kort men grymt rå inspelning. Utöver detta finns det en 8 mm-film med dubbat ljud från Charleston 830104, samt en hel hög med korta TV-reports som inte sällan innehåller kortare TV-filmade liveklipp. En konsekvens av all publicitet som omgav turnén.

Rio de Janeiro-inspelningen tillhör i sanning de mest klassiska samlarvideopinalerna och de 35 minuter som numera cirkulerar i styggt bra kvalitet visar på ett Kiss som är helt underbart att se. Rått, intensivt, hänsynslöst och orättvist.

Dessutom finns numera en video från Sao Paulo, den dök upp från intet för några år sedan och innehåller 45 minuter konsert filmat ute i publiken med stativ väldigt långt från scenen, och sedan ytterligare en kvart filmat i photopiten, bakom scenen och på sidan av scenen. Denna kvart innehåller bland annat en minut ”I Still Love You” vilket är det enda filmiskt arkiverade cirkulerande klipp av denna låt framförd med sminkade medlemmar.

På Sao Paulo-inspelningen finns även presskonferensen filmad där bandet sitter i bandanas med förtäckta osminkade ansikten, men banne mig om kameramannen (flickan?) inte lyckas få bilder på Paul utan bandana, coolt!

Artikel från Destroyer #15 – April 2006

Alex Bergdahl
Reporter/orakel
Kiss Army Sweden

Fredagsmys, “War Machine” från 1982, en personlig favorit. Läs mer om sången nedan:

War Machine

War Machine
Simmons/Adams/Vallance

According to the Bryan Adams’s official website, “War Machine” started out as a song written by him and song-writing partner Jim Vallance which was first recorded by the band The Investigators. However, Jim believes that this is something of confusion on Bryan’s part since a band with a similar name, The Instigators, covered the song on the KISS Tribute album “Hard To Believe” in 1990. Additionally, due to the timeframe of the writing of the piece in April 1982 KISS’ July recording was most likely the first. It is still possible that the song was recorded in its original format by another band at the same time, the search continues.

What changes were made to the song by Gene Simmons for use on the “Creatures Of The Night” album are unclear, though from statements he has made, he turned what was mostly a cyclic-riff based song into one with more structure and can essentially be considered to have re-worked the original demo version for use on the album. This song, along with “Rock And Roll Hell” were submitted by Bryan Adams and Jim Vallance to producer Michael James Jackson in July 1982. Gene did make substantial changes to the original version of the song, more so than the changes he had made to “Rock And Roll Hell,” as his splits on the copyright are greater.

This is quite a different picture to that presented by Gene: “War Machine started off, strangely enough, on a cheap, miniature synthesizer. I had been recording demos at home on a small four-track recording facility and wanted to do some different kinds of things. I had bought the cheap synthesizer just to add a layer of sound in back of something, in back of a guitar. But while fiddling with it, I fell on the ‘War Machine’ riff. The original ‘War Machine’ was a song almost purely based around the riff. The riff never stopped and the vocals continued over the guitar figure. Michael James Jackson suggested bringing in a co-writer, who would help with the lyrics. He suggested a brand new writer, who was an up-and-coming recording artist himself, named Bryan Adams, and his writing partner Jim Vallance. Vallance, Adams, and I would co-write ‘War Machine’ and ‘Rock And Roll Hell,’ both of which appeared on ‘Creatures Of The Night.’ Adams and Vallance. Adams and Vallance added some chordal passages and the basic lyrical content including the title ‘War Machine’” (KISS Box Set Liners). Gene played rhythm guitar on the track.

How did “War Machine” and “Rock And Roll Hell” end up in the KISS camp? During 1982 Michael James Jackson approached Jim Vallance to see if he and Bryan Adams would be willing to write material for KISS. They were, since at that point the Adams/Vallance song-writing partnership did not have the exposure that the KISS name had. The use of external material raises the interesting question of just how short of material the band were prior to the recording sessions. Without external writers for both “Killers” and “Creatures Of The Night” sessions there was little from either Paul and Gene to record.

Källa www.kissfaq.com

Intervju med Eric Singer av Kiss Army Argentina:

INTERVIEW with ERIC SINGER

Interview courtesy of Kiss Fever

First thing, Eric, we’d like to thank you very much for your time, your kindness and for being always available to speak with us. Let’s start with the interview.

Kiss Fever: Have you guys planned some new stage tricks for the new KISS show?

Eric Singer: We will have some new ideas for the next tour. Not sure exactly what as it is a work in progress…

Can you tell us something about the KISS Cruise?

You have to attend to find out the surprises that are in store for the Kruise !

We reckon that KISS, at this point of the career of the band, has nothing else to prove. In your case, being a member of the band for twenty years, do you think that there’s still something special to achieve for KISS? What are the goals the band is after nowadays?

KISS is only KISS at this point. We make music that is not in competition with anyone else or trying to chase trends. MONSTER will again be a testament to this !

Do you have any plans to record again with ESP?

No plans at this time, but you never know what might happen

What can you anticipate us about the MONSTER sound? Is your work in this record closer to that in ”Revenge” or in ”Sonic Boom”?

We do not like to give a reference to other records but that seems to always happen as a way to let people know the style or direction. MONSTER will stand on i’ts own and will be Monstrous in sound!

We’d like to know about the drum kit you’re using in the recording. Is it very different of the one you used in ”Sonic Boom”?

I am using the recent ”live” PEARL kit I had been using on recent KISS shows. It is a great sounding kit and fits the sound and vibe of MONSTER for sure.

Have you participated more or less to decide the musical direction of the new album? Did you have more freedom to compose?

This is even more so a group or band effort. We are ALL actively involved in every step of the recording…

What inspires you when you’re composing a song and/ or your drum parts?

I always keep an open mind and ears and listen to everyone’s ideas. I always play for ”The Song”

Gene said recently that the new album will be a mix of ”Destroyer and ”Revenge”, casually both produced by Bob Ezrin, a guy you´re already worked with. He seems to be a producer who pays a lot of attention to details, who tends to do very technical arrangements. Is there a point in common with Paul Stanley work?

I think no one knows how to make a KISS record better than KISS and especially Paul Stanley. He has been there for every step of the bands career. And yes Bob Ezrin has been a great influence to anyone who has worked with him. I am sure that is factored into all of us.

What are the most common obstacles a drummer has to overcome in the recording sessions?

There is always the pressure on the drummer first to get the foundation recorded and establish the vibe and tempo of a particular song.

Do you think ”Monster” could become a new KISS masterpiece, a new classic?

We think so

Do you agree with the concept of ”playing less is playing more”?

Less IS more in Rock & Roll ! It is about the vibe, attitude and songs. KISS is Rock & Roll and about feelgood music ! I always play for the song and music first.

What are your views on nowadays music? Is there any place for feelings among so much technology?

It is what it is. You can embrace it and use it to your advantage if your smart.

We really liked ”Sonic Boom”, it’s a very good sum of KISS’ career. Two years later, watching it in perspective, are you happy with the results or do you think it could have been even better?

You always make the best record you can at a given time. We love Sonic Boom and are falling in love with MONSTER now…

Gene said that ”Sonic Boom” was the best KISS record in thirty years. Why didn’t you play more songs of it in the live shows?

This is always a dilemma, there are just too many KISS songs to be played in a live show. We did 3 from SB.

Listening to the records, you seem kinda constrained in comparison with the way you play live and the great moments you achieve on stage. Do you have freedom to play your parts in studio or do you play with previous instructions?

I play for the song always first. Live I have a little more breathing room but try to remember to play for the Band not myself…

What did you feel the first time you wear the cat make up? How does it feel now?

It was something unique the first time. I am proud to be in this band and blessed…

For the new show, is there gonna be new costumes?

We will see…

Is Argentina part of the new world tour?

I sure hope so !!

What are your personal views of Gene, Paul, Tommy, Bruce, Ace and Peter, musically speaking?

I think everyone has played a big part of KISSTORY. I respect them all greatly and what they have done for the band on all levels.

Talking about the KISS setlist, every fan has one of his own. Were you able to choose, what would be the five KISS songs you would like to play and sing live?

We already play them !

Which one of the KISS albums has the best drum sound, and what is the worst?

COTN is best, Hotter than Hell the weakest

In your opinion, which one is the best KISS album ever? And your all-time KISS favourite song?

I LOVE Dressed to Kill and ”Do You Love Me” is my Fav KISS song ever

Is there any song you’re just tired of playing? Is there any special song that you would like to play but the band doesn’t do in a regular basis?

I am fine playing any KISS songs

Since the people that will attend the KISS Cruise won’t be ”casual fans”, are there any plans to prepare a special ”hardcore fan” set list, just to give them something special?

I am sure they will be surprised and very happy…

Sonic Boom was never released in Argentina and most Latin America but Brazil.The remasters were never released down here, either. Who do you think we can blame for that? Why don’t you just sell the albums at the venues?

That is a good question that I do not know the answer to… hopefully the record will be made available there sometime in the near future.

Are there any full recorded songs that were left out of Sonic Boom?

Nothing left over.

Most of KISS official books and DVDS don’t have Spanish subtitles. If you are a KISS fan and don’t read or speak English you are doomed. Is the band going to do something about it?

I am not sure about that. I think most bands release their products the way they were recorded.

Does it bother You to attend public events representing the band while Gene or Paul are resting in the hotel?

I love doing KISS Expo’s and fan events. This is by my own choice

When KISS played in Argentina for the first time in 1994, people missed 3 songs in particular and during the shows, they were asking them loudly: ”Crazy Nights”, ”God Gave Rock ‘N Roll To You II” and ”Shandi”. KISS came back in 1997, 1999 and 2009 and we still didn’t have the chance to hear them. Since two of the song were played on the Sonic Boom tour, and ”Shandi” is always performed in Australia and New Zealand, is there any chance to heard them next time you visit Argentina?

We do whatever songs are prepared for a tour. Maybe next time in Argentina one or all of those songs will be in the setlist !

Many Argentine fans complain about the lack of official merchandise stands in the stadium every time KISS plays in Argentina. Why does it happen? Who is in charge of it when KISS is on tour? Could you please pass him/her this comment?

Many times the local promoter is in charge of merchandise at the venue. KISS does not always have total control over these issues.

Another local fan concern is about the lack of chances to buy platinum or gold tickets to access the meet & greets via the website for the Argentine concerts. They are simply not for sale down here. Why is it so? Again, would you please pass this comment to the people in charge?

Again, depending on the local promoter, ticket packages are not always in the band’s control in all situations. We always do our best to make everyone happy !

That would be all, Eric. Thanks again for your time and kindness. One last thing: would you please send some greetings for the Argentine and south American KISS fans?

Argentina !!! KISS LOVES YOU !!! We will see you soon…

peace/love
Eric

Fredagsmys, “Not For The Innocent” från 1983. Läs mer om sången nedan:

Not For The Innocent

Not For The Innocent
Simmons/Vincent

Written by Gene Simmons and Vinnie Vincent. Originally recorded in August 1982, the early demo had strong similarities with the “Creatures Of The Night” style, plus a somewhat brutal vocal delivery by Paul. That’s right, Paul! While Gene sings some of the verses, Paul handles the majority of the song including some verses and the chorus. Gene sings the first verse, which is the same as on the “Lick It Up” album version; Paul the second verse. While the verse is the same as the album version, the second repetition of “Kick you when you’re down” is not present. Paul then launches into the chorus: “We’re not for the innocent / We’re not for the innocent / Yeah, we’re not for the innocent / Let the beast run wild.”

Gene’s third verse is also slightly different: “I’ve been damned, I’ve been cursed / I’ve been guilty and abused (Ooh yeah) / Spit in the hangman’s face / I’ll hang him with his noose / We’re a habitual threat, I’ve got you in my claws.” From this point in the song (1:40) Paul takes the rest of the vocals. Following a two repetitions of the chorus Vinnie provides a very 1982-Vinnie-like guitar solo that lasts 25 seconds. Following the solo there is no “Better lock up your daughters / We’re comin’ to your town / Better pray we’re not around” reprise. With the song essentially ending on repetitions of the chorus before Paul finally sings, “We’re coming, coming to get ya!” It’s clear that the song was tightened up and toned down for the “Lick It Up” album sessions. The 1983 version of the song would be used as the B-side to the “Lick It Up” single in several international markets.

Källa www.kissfaq.com

Intervju med Eric Singer av Kiss Army Chile, översatt med Google.

Eric Singer KISS ARMY exclusively for CHILE

”I’m sure it will definitely be back to South America”

Eric Singer has certainly had a very busy year 2011. KISS tours North America with ESP in Europe and recording the new album KISS have maintained their busy schedule in recent months. Despite that Eric made ​​efforts to give the interview had already committed a few weeks, which was finally possible to the August 30, the date on which Eric took the time to talk with KISS ARMY CHILE from his home in Los Angeles. It was a relaxed conversation, just as he was being told all in KISS. Thanks to his willingness could learn more about the KISS drummer who arrived in 1991, after 20 years in the group (with the interruption of the reunion tour ) has earned the admiration and respect of all.

How was the tour on Noth America? Is it still funny and exciting to go on tour or it’s more to hard work?

It’s a combination. It’s always fun and always hard work. As a musician most people think it’s easy because they come to concerts and the group on stage and say ”Oh it looks great, should be fun,” but forget the other 22 hours a day where We should be preparing, planning the shows, sometimes with many problems, often without much sleep. What I say is that it is much more than what people see, especially in a group like KISS where the days are very long and hard work, a lot of preparation to show each member individually by the time it takes to put on makeup, costumes and be prepared. It’s a long day every time we have a show.

But do you enjoy in When You Are Tour?

Yes of course. The only time I do not like is when I’m sick because I can not take the day off when I’m sick. If I am sick I have yet to do the concert, which is a problem. So the only time I do not like is when I feel good.

Is the set list all entre an agreement? Because I ask Tommy sings ”shock me” and you sing ”Beth” When you have ”When Lightning Strikes” and ”All for the glory” that excellent fit for Both of you.

They all give their own ideas about what we do in KISS, but you can not have four people trying to make decisions together, someone has to make the final decision will be all about the shows, how many shows do, where we will tour say what will be the set list, costumes and all that stuff. Although we are a very open minded and very democratic someone has to be the leader to make the final decision on most things and usually that person is Paul. Gene and Paul are the leaders and the leaders but for me the real leader, always listen to or watch as Paul does things is because I think he has the best understanding of what is best for KISS KISS and what is it KISS invented it. They started the band together but I think Paul has a better sense of what is best for KISS.

Do you think the KISS fan That on the United States is more ”conservative” that the fans of the rest of the word? Because I ask in South America too likes ”dark and heavy songs” like songs of Creatures of the Night, Revenge or Carnival of Souls.

KISS began with the four original members and no one can never try to deny it or even discuss it. Gene, Paul, Peter and Ace were created and did what KISS is today. There would be no KISS without the four original members and what originally made famous KISS and attracted attention was the music created in the seventies. The great thing is that the group is still making new music now and is doing great shows almost forty years later and this is a unique thing.

What’s the challenge at This Point of KISS recording career When You Are a new album?

I think the greatest challenge for any band, and I know that KISS is what you want is to make the best music and the best record we can. Many times you can look back to other disks and you can say, well I do not like this much or that I like, but when you’re making the record you think is the best thing to do and try to make the best album you can and that’s all you can try to do. One of the things I know about this new album as well as Sonic Boom, is that we are all making a team, but what we enjoy is that we are relaxed. No pressure, no one is trying to compete with other bands, that is we are doing a KISS album. And it is the music of KISS style when trying to compete with any style of music that is trendy or other bands, because there is no reason to do that since KISS has survived and stood the test of time and that just being KISS is what we are doing now. We recorded 12 songs, all bases are made, I finished the batteries last Saturday, we return to the studio tomorrow to work on vocals, guitar solos and stuff and continue to work on the disc until finish. We have no pressure of time when you have to be finished, so this will be finished when you decide and that will be released when that will be next year, not sure when but it will be in 2012. Work full time to cruise for KISS fans in October. What we can assure the fans that go to the KISS Cruise can expect to hear more unusual and rare songs, songs that usually does not touch live KISS. Paul said it was time to play those songs, those of which fans say ”We want to hear more those rare songs that usually do not touch.” Paul said this is the time to play them because they will be the toughest fans in the Cruise KISS. In a regular concert of KISS fans are not only hard but the regular fan base so we have to play more hits and most familiar songs. I think all that go to the KISS cruise will be very happy when they see the songs we’ll play.

You sing a song in this album.

If a song and Tommy, too. As I had already recorded 12 songs but will not know how many songs on the album, can be 12, 11 or 10 I do not know yet because we choose when we finish all the songs. There the group will decide which will be on the disk, so 10 or 12 songs I do not know yet. But we recorded 12 songs.

Do you have the name of your song?

No, even I have not. What I know is that Gene and Paul and talked about the album is called ”Monster” and some of the names of the songs but do not forget that we are still working on anything new disk so things can change. The title of a song that we now have in another may change if other ideas about the lyrics of the song. I’m sure everyone will be very surprised with the new album is very good, it’s great, very cool riff and murderers. Not that this album is a bit like this or that because people say ”Oh, they always say it will be like a new Destroyer or another Revenge” or things like that, but for me it is a combination of things. Has much of the essence because Revenge is definitely heavier than Sonic Boom, with even stronger riff. We’re playing better, very comfortable. This is the second album we do with this training and are more comfortable because as I said we have no pressure, all we are doing well. For me to make these last two albums with KISS albums are the easiest I have ever worked because there has never been any pressure, we’ve just made ​​music we play, we test our ideas, we recorded them, had fun and enjoyed it. This was supposed to be making music is supposed to be a beautiful thing, should be fun. It’s serious and hard work but it should be fun because that is music.

You’ve been part of 3 KISS studio albums, in very Different moments of the band, and with Different Producers. Between Revenge Carnival of Souls and Sonic Boom, Which did you enjoy the most, and why?

Well, I enjoyed every experience because for me to be with great musicians and talented people is always fun. Revenge was special because we work with Bob Ezrin is a legendary producer of world-class, so for me it was a great experience and fun but it was also an honor because Bob has made ​​some of the greatest rock records we know. He has made ​​records with legendary Alice Cooper. Destroyer, Revenge and The Elder is also legendary, it may not be one of the best albums of KISS, but is legendary because it is one of the albums most different and unique. Bob has always had great ideas through the years and for me the most talented, the most fun and the best producer I’ve ever worked with. For me it was a great experience, I think it’s fantastic. That’s why Revenge was special. Carnival of Souls is a different kind of KISS album. I know many people have complex feelings about this album, I also I have. I think it’s a very good album. When you have a talented group of musicians making music always have a good result but I think when I look back, this disc is a real KISS. KISS for me is a group of Rock and Roll and that is more about fun and feel the music in rock and roll style and this album is darker, it is a rock and roll is a hard heavy dark and for me that is not KISS. KISS is a group of Rock and Roll from the beginning it was. Hard Rock Maybe sometimes, but not for me Heavy Metal and Carnival of Souls has good ideas in many areas but I do not sound like it is KISS. I think KISS is more about what we are doing now, what are Sonic Boom and Monster, because we are a band of Rock and Roll to the vein. We do not compete with other bands and do not try to make fashionable.

Gene said on an interview, you had a great concept for new costumes, what can you tell us About That?

I can not tell anything. We always talked about things we do in the shows, costumes, equipment battery, always talk about those things and ideas for upcoming shows because we know that if you KISS must be greater than all. The fans have expectations and want to see a great show for KISS is making a big show. We are looking for ways to do more things like KISS and so we thought. We have no plans yet, we are only talking but it’s a start. We are putting ideas on the table and then we will see what makes more sense and will work with them, but I’m sure will be surprised. There are ideas about things very cool KISS style we will do in the shows next year. New ideas such as the guitar solo and drums that Tommy and I do together. Such are the things we want to keep doing new things like that.

Do You Believe That Eric Singer (Not only ”The Cat Man”) is a Rock icon from the 90′s to the present, by Been A member of KISS?

Not me who decides such things, are the fans who decide such things. Fans decide who are the important figures who have the honors and who do not like. I just play the drums and look at from this perspective: I started very young to be a rock drummer playing in a band and always dreamed of being in a big group one day and I feel very blessed and fortunate to have made many of my dreams and that is how I look. I seek not other things are not important to me. I am honored and grateful to be part of something as special as KISS.

There Was a rumor That Would Kiss album and do one more Would end in 2014. What Do You Think About That?

I dunno, I think they are rumors, people do such things. I can tell you a story now and you’ll go tell everyone on the internet what you said and Eric Singer can be true or not, so I do not believe the rumors you know something? Rock and roll has no rules. We see people like the Rolling Stones that have proven to everyone that you can play as you want and for as long as you want. They do not accept rules. Each band makes its own rules about when to say ”no more”.

Which Will Be After your next professional step KISS?

I do not know, I do not think that far. Do you know what I think? Tomorrow I’ll be in the studio doing an album of KISS. That’s what I’m thinking. I always find it interesting that people ask questions about the past or the future but never want to talk about this, what is happening right now. What is happening is important: KISS is doing a new album and is a Monster.

If swing WAS Peter Criss, Eric Carr WAS power, Which is Eric Singer’s signature in KISS?

I do not know, that’s a decision for the fans, I do not decide these things.

Guess what? I like to think I’m a combination of both. When I play the oldest things I try to give an essence of old school and when I touch the other more powerful and heavier material try to do it in a dynamic and musical. In other words, I play for the song, I play for the group, do not play for myself. To make the sound play KISS, that way I do and play each song individually to make it sound the right way, the sound of me was, Revenge or all of them. I’ve never tried to be Peter Criss, I never tried be Eric Carr, do not believe in that, but I’ve always been very aware and respect that when I joined this group already had a sound and I try to play songs from KISS KISS style, not the style of Peter Criss, Eric Carr and Eric Singer Gene and Paul for leading the KISS sound so play the drums as they like and want, why I’m here. I do not think they would let me be the drummer if you do not play as they want. I think when you look back and see when I joined I used to play the craziest, double bass and stuff and I realized after a few years in the band that was not KISS. KISS is playing more for the songs and I started to play a less rapid, more basic, because music is not complicated KISS is rock and roll in the vein of AC / DC, is very simple. If you listen to the album MTV Unplugged can see at that point, before the reunion tour, I started playing songs in a slower, more basic, more traditional way of KISS. Many people say ”Why play so far? You do not often played this way, ”Yes I did, I forgot, if you see the MTV Unplugged watch me play the drums and say” You’re right, Eric does not play in a crazy, plays more simple ”and played for the songs and I decided that this is the best way for Kiss And you know something? I think Gene and Paul and I agree they are glad I did that because things had gone crazy because if you look at many things in the eighties KISS songs are too fast and not in the original manner in KISS used to make them, not as a band of Rock and Roll. It is my opinion and how I feel.

Was There one moment in particular you choose Which To Be A drummer and dedicate your life to Music and Rock?

I do not know if there was one particular moment but probably I have to say it was when I saw the Beatles on the Ed Sullivan Show in 1964, when a boy of 6 years. That was a tremendous impact on many musicians. When many people saw the Beatles on television for the first time as a child said ”I want to be John Lennon, Ringo Star I want to be” and I remember decided I wanted to play drums in a band like the Beatles.

But what is your favorite drummer?

My favorite drummer of all time is Buddy Rich, he is for me the most amazing and unique drummer of all time. There are many great drummers today but not as Buddy Rich. You can see their videos on youtube, there’s nobody like him and me is the greatest.

Which was the last album you liked and you heard, Beside KISS Albums?

The last album you hear is a group called Vintage Trouble, a group of Los Angeles, can view their videos on youtube. They have a new album and is their manager Doc McGhee. It is a great team because they have what many people want to hear rock vein and direct the very soul. They have a fantastic singer named Ty Taylor. Should you see this group. I really like.

There Was a rumor That Would Kiss do a South American tour This Year. Is your Plans in South America soon?

I do not know. You know something? I heard that we would at some point this year or early next year but now we’re finishing the album. When Monster is made on when plans will be on the market and the show will do, start the tour and decide where to go. I’m sure it will definitely be back to South America back when? I can not tell yet because I do not know.

Does the audience in South America Have something special? Several times I Have Listened That it is the MOST passionate audience of the world.

I think that’s true. I think the people of Latin America and South America is very passionate and emotional about things they like about life. And one thing they have is to show that passion in their lives and are very open to express it, have no shame in expressing it. In other cultures people are more reserved and keep their emotions locked up but the South American countries express their feelings. Every time a band of South America will be impressed with the performance of the public because they can not believe that the public is so not only crazy, but passionate and show and feel. I think it’s a great and beautiful thing that you offer the world.

Do You enjoy to come to South América?

course. Like I said, people who have never gone before becomes very surprised and saying ”They’re crazy and have lots of energy.” You can feel the energy on stage that energized the public and to groups. It is very unique.

You have been two times in Chile, in 1994 and 2009. In Fact tomorrow aniversay September 1 is the first time 17 of the KISS That play in Santiago. What do you remember of the shows?

I’m trying to remember where we play. ¿We played a great train station?

Yes. remember that the public was very enthusiastic, the place was a beautiful old train station. I was shocked.

And of 2009. Do you remember something of that?

remember standing outside the hotel with Gene, and people sang. It was nice. Everyone made ​​us feel very special. I also remember a ride out and see that there were many Audi cars and very cool things around, of course Sturbucks.

And do you remember something but not About the show?

not remember anything in particular but I remember well that in 2009 the fans sang for us, I have a video of it. I think it was ”I was made ​​for lovin ‘you” or ”Rock and Roll All Nite” I do not remember. Gene and I were sitting outside a coffee or breakfast on a patio and people were around, was very good.

Please leave a message to the KISS Army Chile.

I really want to return to Chile, I thought it would be sooner but I know we’ll get there eventually. Will our hard MONSTER, I know you like it, have a monstrous sound and I know that when we return with a new show and new songs from the new album we will all have something to celebrate as KISS.

Interview: Jorge González

Acknowledgements: Bruce Kulick, Felipe Carvajal, Jaime Toro

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