Paul Stanley (1) (1952–)

I had read Peter Chriss' biography and at one time started Gene Simmons, so when Paul Stanley wrote his biography, I had to read it. I like KISS, but I am not a huge fan. One cannot deny though that if you were a child of the 70s/80s, KISS was somehow on your radar. From toys to shirts and the albums, KISS seemed everywhere.

This book was very well written and told the KISS story from Paul Stanley's point of view. Chriss' book talked about the unfairness of the band, but he owned some problems, Simmons' book was extremely self centered, and Stanley's book kept taking pot shots at the other members of the band while making himself look like the victim. How much of it was true? Who knows? It probably depends on who you believe the most.

Stanley writes about growing up with one ear and how being made fun of as a child, shaped who he was as an adult. This will appear numerous times in the book, so brace yourself. Uncaring parents made him seek refuge in his band. The Star Child persona was created out of who Stanley wished to become. The other members of the band didn't care much for the band and Stanley carried most of the band toward the end, according to him. He takes shots at Frehley (a weirdo), Chriss (an idiot), and Simmons (a narcissist) regularly throughout the book. What was missing were some stories about how the music was written. There are a few, but they are few and far between. He also writes about how much money he has, regularly which was kind of off putting. I kept expecting something to the effect of- that's when the bottom dropped out, but the stories he tells of money are just stories about his money.

It was a good read, worth your time, if you are a KISS fan. If you are a casual fan, I might not read it. My biggest question was- what was the point of this book, besides blaming the other members?… (mais)

My experience with Kiss can be described pretty quickly. Around the age 7 or 8 (approximately 1977) they were my favorite band. I had never heard them, but boy did look cool on my collectable cards. Around that same time I dressed as Gene Simmons for Halloween. When I was about 45 I saw Kiss play live.

That's it. I've never really been a fan of their music, I only know the radio songs and really, other than appreciating their accomplishments, I think they're pretty lame. So boy was I surprised to find that Paul Stanley is the musician I connect with the most out of all the musicians I've read about. I really enjoy biographies about musicians since I played in bands from about 1985 to 2015. I've read about Marilyn Manson, Flea, Tommy Lee, Anthony Kedis, Dave Mustaine, Keith Morris, Scott Ian etc... and most of the time I'm completely disheartened by these "success stories" almost completely eclipsed by tales of addiction and woe.

This book reads almost like a "self-help" book. I can see many people being turned off by the semi-pretentious tone; instead of saying "this works for me" he's saying, "This is the way it works". BUT, I agreed with about 95% of the stuff he said. He just seems really grounded, as you would hope anyone his age would be. He really comes off as someone who wants to make the lives of those around him better. He really enjoys pushing himself into new things. The other reason people might not enjoy this is that he doesn't really talk about Kiss that much. Maybe 30% of the book talks about his relationships with other members, the reunion tour etc... but there aren't any crazy road stories, no debauchery.

He gained a lot of respect from me when he talked about Kiss refusing to do cigarette ads, even when they weren't doing well financially. And he talked about a response to someone saying a band was just a cover band if they didn't have most of their original members. He said (not exact words), "In the end the people at the concert are going to be having a blast, while you're sitting at home complaining, so who cares."… (mais)

This thing is a monster, likely the biggest, heaviest, most unwieldy book I own. But Gene Simmons loves to do things big, and with this book, he succeeds. Physically, it was a bitch to read.

But what about the content? It's broken up into some distinct parts. There's the Marvel years, that are, pure and simple, cheese. The stories are dumb, the artwork is passable, but overall, it's candy floss. The last section, the Dark Horse years, isn't much better. The stories are just about as dumb, with the author almost trying to show Marvel how it should have been done, and failing almost as spectacularly. And the art is far too cartoonish for my liking.

But then there's the middle two-thirds of the book. The Image years, where it was the Psycho Circus run. The art is gorgeous, first by Angel Medina and later by Clayton Crain, but--and here I'm going to completely disagree with some of the others--it's the writing that really shines in this section.

Image went where no other company would go. The four mythic KISS personalities are not centre-stage. They aren't the main focus. Instead, they are the eternal gods, the watchers and the gate keepers, meting out punishment and reward as deemed necessary. And for the first time, they do become larger than life, and much more serious than the goofy rock musicians they're modeled from. Through the stories of different, mostly common peoples' lives, the veil is sometimes held aside and we're given a glimpse into the world of the Celestial, the Starchild, the Beast, and the Demon.

I was pleasantly surprised not only by the great writing and the various easter eggs strewn through both the art and the writing, but also by the depth and emotion of these stories...something never seen in any other iterations of the KISS brand.

If the Psycho Circus series had not been included in this collection, I likely would have given it a two, mostly for the actual design and feel of the book, but on the story and art, a one at best. It's the Image content that pushes this all the way up to a four.

But, I gotta say, it was a relief to put this one back on the shelf, though I do believe I did gain a little muscle tone but lugging it around and holding it while reading.… (mais)