07/29/2013
KISS AND MAKEUP, NOW AND FOREVER
By Al Kratina, Special to The Gazette
MONTREAL � KISS will never die.
Perhaps that�s because Starchild � a.k.a. singer/guitarist Paul Stanley � has his atoms continually renewed by decaying suns. Or maybe singer/bassist Gene Simmons�s Demon persona really did sell his soul in exchange for immortality and the ability to wear the makeup of a dead circus clown.
Whatever the case, the mammoth hard-rock band has been big business for decades, with a seemingly unstoppable momentum to its music, its merchandise, its branding � like a snowball rolling down a hill until it crushes and absorbs a Walmart.
To Stanley � who, along with Simmons, has been in the band since its formation 40 years ago in New York � that commercial success comes from relating to fans through spectacle and positivity.
�We�re timeless in a way a lot of other bands aren�t,� says Stanley. �(There�s a) simplicity to just celebrating life and preaching self-empowerment.�By Al Kratina, Special to The Gazette
MONTREAL � KISS will never die.
Perhaps that�s because Starchild � a.k.a. singer/guitarist Paul Stanley � has his atoms continually renewed by decaying suns. Or maybe singer/bassist Gene Simmons�s Demon persona really did sell his soul in exchange for immortality and the ability to wear the makeup of a dead circus clown.
Whatever the case, the mammoth hard-rock band has been big business for decades, with a seemingly unstoppable momentum to its music, its merchandise, its branding � like a snowball rolling down a hill until it crushes and absorbs a Walmart.
To Stanley � who, along with Simmons, has been in the band since its formation 40 years ago in New York � that commercial success comes from relating to fans through spectacle and positivity.
�We�re timeless in a way a lot of other bands aren�t,� says Stanley. �(There�s a) simplicity to just celebrating life and preaching self-empowerment.�
Though their fist-pumping party anthems and pyrotechnics may initially suggest otherwise, Kiss is more than an arena rock band. The group is emblematic of eternal success, an infinity symbol made from a M�bius strip of twisted $100 bills, selling albums and tickets in the kind of numbers that require new branches of math to calculate. And when they take over the Bell Centre Monday night � supporting their latest album, 2012�s Monster � they�ll bring their tried and true blend of pyrotechnics, testosterone and primal guitar riffs.
But though the format may be the same, Stanley promises the concert won�t be too familiar, even to longtime fans.
�This new show is easily the best thing we�ve ever done,� he says. �We�ve spent years in the past upgrading or embellishing previous shows. (But) this time, we threw everything away and started from scratch.�
Of course, fans shouldn�t expect too much of a departure. Stanley promises explosions, a moving, tentacled lighting rig that kind of sounds like an underworld god playing Tron, and, of course, fire. �You�ll be able to bake bread from your seat,� he promises. �It�s really taking the whole Kiss experience to another level.�
That�s going to be critical to fans, because Kiss�s success has historically been driven by the live show. The band�s first three studio albums � Kiss, Hotter than Hell and Dressed to Kill � didn�t make much of an impact on the charts. But when their 1975 concert album Alive! truly captured the band�s unique energy, they were launched to superstardom.
Which, according to Stanley, was an inevitability. Asked if he ever doubted whether the band would succeed, his response is blunt: �Never.� He attributes this not to destiny, but hard work. �Whether it�s stupidity or belief, I think that (if) you assess a situation and are realistic about it, and if you believe (you) can succeed, then you give it its due, you give it your all.�
Of course, not even Stanley could predict the years of steady success. �Nobody could ever imagine that,� he says. �What did the Beatles last, seven years? ... I was hoping for five.
�There was no precedent for a band lasting 40 years,� Stanley adds. �It defies a lot of the rules of rock �n� roll. As well it should, because rock �n� roll is not supposed to have rules.�
Nevertheless, there were challenges along the way. In the early �80s, original drummer Peter Criss and lead guitarist Ace Frehley left the band, creating lineup instability for a number of years. In fact, troubles with band members led to Kiss�s near retirement in 2000, shortly after a reunion of its founding members.
�When we brought back Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, it became so unbearable that we decided to do a farewell tour,� Stanley says. But the farewell turned out to be more like the casual �later� of a teenager. �I realized that I was going to say farewell to Kiss because of two people,� Stanley explains. �(But) the fans didn�t want Kiss to go away.�
Those fans continue to turn out in droves. And despite the band�s mileage, their audience has a wide demographic spread.
�One of the things that people who don�t follow the band are stunned by is how diverse and young the audience skews,� Stanley says. �I�ve gone to see some other bands that people might consider �classic� rock bands; the audience looks like a bunch of old schoolteachers.�
The occasional staffing issue aside, Stanley says keeping Kiss going is easy, even when it seems to involve playing the band�s most identifiable hit, Rock and Roll All Nite, until entropy and heat death dissolve the entire concept of music into thermal noise.
�Every night is a new night. Every night is an audience that wasn�t there the night before,� Stanley says. �I�m so blessed to have this arsenal of songs, and I can�t imagine being tired of them.�
And those songs, he says, are completely inviolate. �I�m always surprised when I see bands rearranging songs, or being tired of songs that they�ve been playing for years,� he explains. �Those songs have made you what you are. You owe them the respect to do them properly.�
That, says Stanley, is what the band will proudly continue to do, with no end in sight.
�I love this band, and the only one who�s going to tell me when it�s over is me.�
MONTREAL � KISS will never die.
Perhaps that�s because Starchild � a.k.a. singer/guitarist Paul Stanley � has his atoms continually renewed by decaying suns. Or maybe singer/bassist Gene Simmons�s Demon persona really did sell his soul in exchange for immortality and the ability to wear the makeup of a dead circus clown.
Whatever the case, the mammoth hard-rock band has been big business for decades, with a seemingly unstoppable momentum to its music, its merchandise, its branding � like a snowball rolling down a hill until it crushes and absorbs a Walmart.
To Stanley � who, along with Simmons, has been in the band since its formation 40 years ago in New York � that commercial success comes from relating to fans through spectacle and positivity.
�We�re timeless in a way a lot of other bands aren�t,� says Stanley. �(There�s a) simplicity to just celebrating life and preaching self-empowerment.�By Al Kratina, Special to The Gazette
MONTREAL � KISS will never die.
Perhaps that�s because Starchild � a.k.a. singer/guitarist Paul Stanley � has his atoms continually renewed by decaying suns. Or maybe singer/bassist Gene Simmons�s Demon persona really did sell his soul in exchange for immortality and the ability to wear the makeup of a dead circus clown.
Whatever the case, the mammoth hard-rock band has been big business for decades, with a seemingly unstoppable momentum to its music, its merchandise, its branding � like a snowball rolling down a hill until it crushes and absorbs a Walmart.
To Stanley � who, along with Simmons, has been in the band since its formation 40 years ago in New York � that commercial success comes from relating to fans through spectacle and positivity.
�We�re timeless in a way a lot of other bands aren�t,� says Stanley. �(There�s a) simplicity to just celebrating life and preaching self-empowerment.�
Though their fist-pumping party anthems and pyrotechnics may initially suggest otherwise, Kiss is more than an arena rock band. The group is emblematic of eternal success, an infinity symbol made from a M�bius strip of twisted $100 bills, selling albums and tickets in the kind of numbers that require new branches of math to calculate. And when they take over the Bell Centre Monday night � supporting their latest album, 2012�s Monster � they�ll bring their tried and true blend of pyrotechnics, testosterone and primal guitar riffs.
But though the format may be the same, Stanley promises the concert won�t be too familiar, even to longtime fans.
�This new show is easily the best thing we�ve ever done,� he says. �We�ve spent years in the past upgrading or embellishing previous shows. (But) this time, we threw everything away and started from scratch.�
Of course, fans shouldn�t expect too much of a departure. Stanley promises explosions, a moving, tentacled lighting rig that kind of sounds like an underworld god playing Tron, and, of course, fire. �You�ll be able to bake bread from your seat,� he promises. �It�s really taking the whole Kiss experience to another level.�
That�s going to be critical to fans, because Kiss�s success has historically been driven by the live show. The band�s first three studio albums � Kiss, Hotter than Hell and Dressed to Kill � didn�t make much of an impact on the charts. But when their 1975 concert album Alive! truly captured the band�s unique energy, they were launched to superstardom.
Which, according to Stanley, was an inevitability. Asked if he ever doubted whether the band would succeed, his response is blunt: �Never.� He attributes this not to destiny, but hard work. �Whether it�s stupidity or belief, I think that (if) you assess a situation and are realistic about it, and if you believe (you) can succeed, then you give it its due, you give it your all.�
Of course, not even Stanley could predict the years of steady success. �Nobody could ever imagine that,� he says. �What did the Beatles last, seven years? ... I was hoping for five.
�There was no precedent for a band lasting 40 years,� Stanley adds. �It defies a lot of the rules of rock �n� roll. As well it should, because rock �n� roll is not supposed to have rules.�
Nevertheless, there were challenges along the way. In the early �80s, original drummer Peter Criss and lead guitarist Ace Frehley left the band, creating lineup instability for a number of years. In fact, troubles with band members led to Kiss�s near retirement in 2000, shortly after a reunion of its founding members.
�When we brought back Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, it became so unbearable that we decided to do a farewell tour,� Stanley says. But the farewell turned out to be more like the casual �later� of a teenager. �I realized that I was going to say farewell to Kiss because of two people,� Stanley explains. �(But) the fans didn�t want Kiss to go away.�
Those fans continue to turn out in droves. And despite the band�s mileage, their audience has a wide demographic spread.
�One of the things that people who don�t follow the band are stunned by is how diverse and young the audience skews,� Stanley says. �I�ve gone to see some other bands that people might consider �classic� rock bands; the audience looks like a bunch of old schoolteachers.�
The occasional staffing issue aside, Stanley says keeping Kiss going is easy, even when it seems to involve playing the band�s most identifiable hit, Rock and Roll All Nite, until entropy and heat death dissolve the entire concept of music into thermal noise.
�Every night is a new night. Every night is an audience that wasn�t there the night before,� Stanley says. �I�m so blessed to have this arsenal of songs, and I can�t imagine being tired of them.�
And those songs, he says, are completely inviolate. �I�m always surprised when I see bands rearranging songs, or being tired of songs that they�ve been playing for years,� he explains. �Those songs have made you what you are. You owe them the respect to do them properly.�
That, says Stanley, is what the band will proudly continue to do, with no end in sight.
�I love this band, and the only one who�s going to tell me when it�s over is me.�
