No Original KISS Reunion At Rock Hall Induction?
Sunday, February 23, 2014 at 12:01AM Ace Frehley recently confirmed what most of us already assumed: there will be no original lineup reunion at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony in April. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley apparently nixed the idea and will play with Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer instead.
Frehley is understandably annoyed and doesn't know if he will even show up to the induction.
Blabbermouth has a whole write-up and interview with Ace about the fiasco. This is turning into Van Halen all over again. It's such a shame that these bands we love can't get along for 15 minutes to accept an award, play two songs, take a photo and be done with it.
Allyson B. Crawford
Right before I turned in for the night, I happened to check my email and our friend Brian Carvell - a major KISS fan - had sent along a message regarding this latest KISS news. Brian penned a post regarding the RRHOF induction ceremony. Here is what he wrote:
By now, news is pretty widespread regarding Ace Frehley's comments that the original KISS line-up will not be reuniting for a performance at the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. I am a die hard KISS fan. My iPod has 41 different KISS albums and 480 KISS songs on it. I love the band.....I do not always agree with their decisions, but I love the band.
So Gene and Paul have (allegedly) decided that they will perform alongside Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer at the induction ceremony. I understand why fans of the band are upset, because they WANT to see the original line-up take the stage again. Unfortunately though, I think, in this instance, the idea would be better than the reality. I used to be angry that Tommy and Eric were in the Spaceman and Cat make-up, until I saw the band (with the current line-up) live. It was then that all of Gene and Paul's prior comments made sense. There were two guys in the band that were angry and bitter and battling their own demons, and as a result, the live performances suffered. I saw the band multiple times on the reunion tour, the lost cities tour, and the Psycho Circus tour. The quality of the shows were hit or miss depending on the night. Then I saw the band with Tommy and Eric, and all songs were performed to perfection. The band was lucid and seemingly excited to be on stage together, and more importantly, they delivered a show that ensured that all of the fans left satisfied. There were no missed notes, no temper tantrums, no band members that refused to interact with one another. It was just a great rock n roll show.
Now lets also not forget the hell that Ace and Peter have put the rest of the band through. If you read Peter Criss' book, it is clear that he is an egomaniac who seems to have zero ability to maintain his composure and lashes out at others with no fear of consequences for his actions (and this was Peter's representation of himself... I shudder to think what others would candidly say about him). Ace tried a little harder to mend broken bridges in his autobiography, but his substance abuse problems and his inability to be responsible and reliable are well documented during the reunion period. I can wholly understand Paul and Gene's reluctance to want to work with these two at present. We all understand that in 1974, what the four of them created together was magical and amazing....but is 2014 now. I am all in favor of honoring Peter and Ace for their contributions to the band, but that does not entitle us, as fans, to that line-up performing at the induction, or at any other time.
We have all worked with people that, given the choice, we would never want to work with again, under any circumstance. Gene and Paul are no different, and we, as fans, should not expect them to do so. KISS is their band now. Ace and Peter have walked away enough times that they simply are not going to be welcomed back. KISS is what it is at this point in time. They have had a strong 40 year career, and when they broke on the scene, they changed the face of rock n roll... but Peter left the band in 1979 and Ace shortly thereafter (though he had checked out long before he left).
Gene and Paul accomplished far more that Ace and Peter when you look back at the history of the band. Deference should go to them and their decision, and if we are fans of the band, then we should respect the decisions that they make. Gene and Paul are not taking away from the honor being bestowed upon Ace and Peter... they are just choosing to perform that night with the line-up of the band that they have created.
Reader Comments (29)
I know all the original guys & am actually friends with the newer, current members. Paul & Gene have created a viable, working, completely functional version of the band, with responsible guys who show up & do the job ALL the time. Ace & Peter only have one thing in their favor... They are originals. Beyond that,they're both toxic nightmares to deal with. Peter couldn't play his way out of a wet paper bag these days, & his attitude blows dog. Frehley is a selfish, unreliable, uncaring mess who can't play 1/2 of what he could in pre-1977.
They'll be inducted either way, but let us not forget, they both cashed out any say-so in KISS's destiny a long time ago. The audacity of either of these 2 former employees, (who were both LUCKY to get rehired and saved from bankruptcy) to think they could dictate terms ever again.
They should be glad they got a 2nd chance at the brass ring, when they both tossed it away the first time.
My opinion is, The RRHOF (which is a joke of an entity anyway) should be inducting Ace, Gene, Peter, Paul,Eric C., Vinnie, Mark, Bruce, Tommy & Eric S. , NOT playing favorites with just the original lineup. And WHO should be makeup? The current version of the band... They are the current face of KISS. It would be ridiculous to defer to 2 spoiled assh*les who used to be in this band once... and both screwed themselves out of being in the greatest band in rock history.
That's MY opinion. Some might not like it, but the fact is, KISS wouldn't exist today if not for Paul, Gene, Tommy & Eric S. , When you sell a car & it later goes on to win the Indy 500, the current owners shouldn't have to go back & share the winner's circle with you, unless they want to. Paul & Gene clearly aren't interested in doing that. I defer to them.. The "current owners of the car".
Then, just as they did with other current members at the time of their unplugged reunion on MTV years ago, the original band should be joined on stage by Thayer and Singer.
Do it for the fans. As Al says, it's 15 minutes (give or take a guitar solo or meandering acceptance speech). Let bygones be bygones for that short while. Why are all these bands SO High School in their mentality when it comes to getting together for The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony? It's about integrity. How can the RRHOF ever gain any if the bands don't take the honor more seriously and realize they have to accept their honors appropriately.
It's over Johnny. The glory, the excitment, the passion that once was Kiss.
R&R HOF is an award that means you made it far and the aristocracy of R&R deemed a person/band admissible. To fans wake up, you have a life. These figureheads including the bands don't give a damn about your opinion.
Caring about the actions of a band like Kiss; who cashed in years ago is silly. Leave it. Love the music. Love the good times. Leave the nonsense.
I loved original KISS. While I totally supported them when Eric Carr, Vinnie, Mark and Bruce were there, I was ecstatic when I finally got to see the original 4 in 96. It was pure magic and heaven.
Now, I have too much information. Now I know what messes and jerks Peter and Ace were. Now I know how spoiled Gene and Paul are. They earned the right to do what they want with their band. Peter and Ace have no say. I get it.
I gave the new line up a chance two summers ago and it was really hard to accept Eric and Tommy in those costumes. I have no interest in seeing them again. Glad they are still performing and enjoying what they've built.
Sometimes we have to give up hope that the past can be recreated. I will have to just do that. And, I am ok with that. Done.
To say Frehley and Criss no longer have the chops is ludicrous. They may not, but they can most likely still pull off "Rock And Roll All Nite".
Ace Steele predicted in a previous post that "Rock and Roll All Nite" would be the grand finale at the conclusion of the induction ceremony.
Sneak Ace and Criss on then if Gene and Paul won't let them on when KISS initially performs.
p.s. You would think $immons could rise above it all just this once but apparently he's forgetting people that helped get him there. After all, it was Criss who penned their only #1 hit as well as sang it both in the original recording and live night after night for so many years. And let's not forget Ace and his indelible mark as a Rock Guitar Icon. Page misses notes and always has but without him there is no Led Zeppelin. I contend that without Frehley and Criss, there is no REAL KISS. Don't get me wrong, I'm a big fan of Thayer and Singer. The band in it's current status kick a*s and I love "Monster", particularly "Hell Or Hallelujah". But in this instance, I say let bygones be bygones and let the boys play, if not during KISS' induction than as part of the conclusionary grand finale. KISS could have owned the night. Now they will be merely among the pack of inductees and join the ranks of Van Halen and Guns n' Roses as woulda coulda shoulda's.
It's just great to see that 4 guys who ruled my world as a young punk,got me into guitar,were my 1st concert at age 13, have all turned into pretentious assholes that can't bury the hatchet for the very people that put them where they are. Maybe it's best that no version is going to play at the induction.
Does that mean he shouldn't play either?
I like KISS alright. Not a huge fan. Like the earlier stuff with the original four, like some of the newer stuff, like some of the stuff with Carr, Vincent, Kulick, etc. Whatever.
Personally, I think the HOF induction should have been KISS as an entity, not a certain lineup. But that's just me. Also if the HOF hadn't been such asses 15 years ago, the original four would have been together and this wouldn't have been an issue.
I don't really have an axe to grind with KISS (and I made my opinions about the RaRHoF known in a previous post). I like their old stuff and some of their new stuff. Don't love any of it with any particular passion. But they have an important place in the history of rock. Granted.
I also like Brian Carvell's post. He cares more than I do and it shows; he has the passion that I don't. The only criticism I have about what he said is this: when a band is inducted into something that is based on the band's historical impact more than their contemporary output (and that is what the RaRHoF does given how it is set up, even if it arbitrarily violates the very same principle when it sees fit), then a fan--casual or otherwise--shouldn't have to defer to the current stakeholders.
This seems especially true in a case where "humbly submitting" to those stakeholders' wishes condones behavior on their part that seems designed to undercut: (1) the fans who were there at the beginning, (2) the fans that came along as a consequence of those earlier years, and (3) the very fans that have stuck with them over the years regardless the roster or the quality of their output.
Simmons and Stanley have kept KISS alive (no pun). They are the brains behind the band almost from the get-go. But they aren't the history of the band writ large, nor are Thayer and Singer. When people squint through the heavy gauze of nostalgia, they see four people in KISS. Those are the people that the RaRHoF nominated, and it is on their output alone that they are being inducted. It doesn't diminish the input of people like Vincent, nor cheapen the memory of Carr, nor even comment on the sad saga of two founders vs. two founders in a battle royale of egos and booze/drugs (no question: ego and business acumen won).
Still, deference isn't befitting passion. Ace and Carvell are right: the band today wouldn't exist without Simmons and Stanley (and Thayer and Singer to a much lesser degree). But the band today isn't the band--or the music, or the influence--that is being inducted. As a casual fan, my voice counts. Bands, like Gene and Paul (I switch to the informal for a bit of pathos) often say, are nothing if not for their fans.
So I would hope even those more passionate than me would at least explain why it is that they still "want the best" and feel like they "got the best" when KISS (the stakeholders) do something like this. Turning an already questionable event--which they only feign to notice because of the fans--into another showdown over prestige and personality doesn't cheapen the event. It cheapens . . . well, fan or not, you know the answer.