The Kiss guitarist Paul Stanley wanted to delete from their history: “For so many reasons”
With their unique brand of bubblegum hard rock – meant in quite a literal sense, since they had their own range of bubblegum cards during the late 1970s – Kiss became iconic of mainstream American rock during their heyday, but their discography certainly hasn’t been without its fair share of shame.
In very recent history, particularly, the band’s long-tongued frontman Gene Simmons has said more than a few things that should cause a degree of shame – namely, that hip-hop shouldn’t be included in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and that musicians should stay out of politics… shortly after being photographed with US president and war-mongering wannabe dictator Donald Trump. If you delve into the band’s musical output, though, there are far greater sources of shame and regret to plunder.
After all, Kiss were a continuous presence within the mainstream rock landscape of the States from their emergence in early 1970s New York until their supposed final tour 50 years later, in 2023. Inevitably, then, the group have experienced a multitude of peaks and troughs during that extensive, half-century-spanning discography. Regrettable decisions are myriad when it comes to virtually any band that has been around for such a long period of time, as are instances of in-fighting and vicious feuds between members.
Unlike some of their hard rock contemporaries, many of whom seemed to operate a revolving door policy when it came to their line-up, there is a limited number of musicians who have been invited into the Kiss inner-circle over the years. In total, there have been ten official members of the band since their inception, and some certainly endeared themselves to their bandmates more than others.
Discussing some of those past members during a 219 chat with Guitar World, Paul Stanley heaped praise onto former guitarist Bruce Kulick, who played with the group from 1984 to 1996, gushing, “Bruce’s band played on the Kiss Kruise [the band’s festival at sea], and they were phenomenal.” Explaining, “I was listening to some of the ‘80s and ‘90s Kiss songs that he did live and frankly it made me very proud. He did a terrific job. So Bruce is somebody who shouldn’t be overlooked or underestimated as far as his role in this band.”
Not every former Kiss member, however, is as deserving of praise when it comes to Stanley. “Vinnie [Vincent], that’s one exception, and for so many reasons,” he declared. “I would say that’s not someone who I want to celebrate.”
Exactly why Stanley seems to shudder at the thought of Vincent’s time in Kiss, he did not see fit to expand upon – although, admittedly, it doesn’t take a committed psychologist to theorise the reasons. After joining the ranks of the group in 1982, as a replacement for the inherently irreplaceable Ace Frehley, he lasted only two years with the band, before leaving in a cloud of ego and royalty disputes.
Reportedly, Vincent refused to sign a formal employment contract with Kiss, thus preventing him from ever receiving any royalties from his work with the group (none of which, incidentally, was all that notable in the first place). Since his departure, then, Vincent has sued the band on 14 separate occasions, according to Stanley, and has lost the battle in every instance.
Perhaps Vincent can take some degree of solace in the fact that it is not the quality of his performance that Stanley detests so much, as opposed to his bizarre hatred of employment contracts and subsequent obsession with legal action.
