Black Diamond 2: Excerpts

Chapter Sixteen: "Books"

Many biographies about KISS have come out over the years in book form -- all in paperback (with one big exception), and many of them within a four years span in the late 1970s and now, once again, beginning in late 1996. Of course, these periods were the band's zenith in popularity, and with such success came the typical "slap-dash, make-a-buck" primers that always seem to clutter up the discount bins at the used book stores (just ask Duran Duran or New Kids On the Block about that one). Surprisingly, while these biographies on KISS were just as over-produced as those on other bands, the KISS ones are now collector items in fan-circles.

That is not to say they are impossible to find, however. Many of these book can still be found in used-book stores at half cover price, and even those of the rarer variety can be found on a typically for fairly accurate prices. KISS: THE REAL STORY, one of two authorized biography listed here (see below for more details), is the hardest of the American books to find, and even that can be picked up for less than $40.00.

Many of the American editions discussed below, such as the John Swenson and Robert Duncan books, were also sold in other countries in repackaged form. These foreign editions usually came with larger-sized text and packaging, but little variation in contents or photos. Thus, only books sold exclusively in foreign markets or only as import items in America will be discussed below with the American biographies.

Several books pertaining to be histories of rock and roll music have included small sections about KISS. To pinpoint how much coverage KISS received in these books, one must take into account the year of publication and the prejudices of the writer/editor. Most books of this type between 1978-1980 or between 1984-1988 (during KISS' second peak in popularity) would give the band a page or two summary, along with a brief discography. Books falling outside of these periods may give the band a brief paragraph or not even mention the group. Fans looking for oddball-related information on the band may try looking through non-KISS related titles for such information. For example, HIT MEN by Fredric Dannen (0-679-73061-3, Random House, 1990) contains a whole chapter on the rise and fall of Casablanca Records, while ROCK NAMES features a brief interview with Paul Stanley on the naming of the band. Both titles do not list anything about the band on the cover jacket, but a little investigation can dig up some fascinating resources for fans.

Fans interested in the backlash against the group which came from the "religious right" in the 1980s, should check out the many books that came out about the evils of rock music. Bob Larson's LARSON'S BOOK OF ROCK (0-8423-5687-8, Tyndale House, 1987) makes scattered references to KISS in his text, along with a two and a half page summary on the "evils" of the band; while WHY KNOCK ROCK?, by Dan and Steve Peters with Cher Merrill (0-87123-440-8, Bethany House, 1984), is just one in a series of books by these self-proclaimed ministers who spent and still spend a huge amount of time knocking KISS. The lack of factual information, or information taken out of context, is certainly evident in these books no matter how well intended the authors' viewpoint were, and it is suggested that fans may wish to pick these books up to see how misinformed detractors of the band really are. There are several other books out there on this subject (some of which are even more to the right than the two listed above), and many libraries carry them in their religious sections.

As some may question the ethics of the writer reviewing such biographies in a reference book, all critiques herein are done by other individuals. All that was asked by the writers of these reviews is that of their honest opinions and factual information about the books that might interest fans searching for them. Even so, all books listed after KISSTORY below have with only general information listed, as they came out within a few months of the initial release of BLACK DIAMOND. To criticize or praise any of these books may be looked upon as questionable, and it was thus felt in the best interest of the text to simply keep these reviews as simple as possible. Perhaps more in depth reviews can occur in a later edition of this book.