Tommy Thayer Talks with Guitar World
By Andrew Daly / GuitarWorld.com
KISS’s longest-serving guitarist looks back on growing into his onstage role and eventually writing one of the band’s standards, and what lies ahead after the rock institution’s final shows
Tommy Thayer befriended Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons while his band, Black N’ Blue, toured as openers for Kiss on their Asylum road trip in the mid-’80s – but he couldn’t have known he was setting the stage for a future in the rock behemoth.
And when he lent his electro-acoustic licks to 1989’s Hot in the Shade – on Betrayed and The Street Giveth and the Street Taketh Away – he couldn’t have foreseen it would be the first of many Kiss adventures.
When he took a job with Kiss in the mid-’90s, Thayer still couldn’t have dreamed it would lead to an ever-evolving role, which saw him become tour manager, editor and producer of their longform video releases such as The Second Coming and The Last Kiss, and a session player for hire while recording 1998’s Psycho Circus.
That all led up to the most breathtaking moment of all: in 2003, he would officially wear Ace Frehley’s iconic Spaceman makeup on stage, leading to a 20-year stint that would see Thayer clock out as Kiss’s longest-tenured lead guitarist.
He’s now able to catch his breath after the conclusion of the band’s End of the Road farewell tour. Between the highs – which include packing arenas and stadiums – and lows – such as warding off armchair critics – Thayer looks back with his usual even keel.
”I think all Kiss guitar players have had their moments of importance and significance in the band,” he tells Guitar World. “Ace – obviously in the beginning – Vinnie Vincent, Mark St. John, and especially Bruce Kulick, who had an important role in the ‘80s/early ‘90s era of the band.
“I joined at a time when they needed somebody who could pick up the pieces and start a new run, so to speak. Sure, there was criticism. There always is, particularly in that case; but I felt like I’ve grown and evolved through the years. It’s worked out well for everyone.”
