Mitch Lafon | Brave Words & Bloody Knuckles
Special Report By Mitch Lafon
In June, Paul Stanley held a special press only conference call to discuss KISS’ upcoming tour with Def Leppard and his New York Times’ best selling book, Face The Music: A Life Exposed. Journalists from across Canada and the US were able to ask one question plus a follow-up. What you will read below are Paul’s answers to the questions that were posed (in proper sequence) by the various media invited to the one-hour event. In part three, Paul talks about the Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Shame (Fame), his favorite apps and how backstage has changed over the last forty years.
Please note: none of the questions were asked by this reporter.
In your book, Face The Music: A Life Exposed, you mention the 1974 show at the Paramount Theater (now the Kirby Center) in Wilkes-Barre, PA. Why did you include that specific show in your book?
“I just remember this questionable choice of an opening act. This poor guy was up there was juggling and riding a unicycle when people were clearly there to see these four madmen blow the place up, celebrate rock n’ roll and the cause of celebrating life. It just resonated with me that this poor guy was out there having pennies pitched at him and doing his best to do what he was hired to do. I don’t know why that stood out for me.”
You’ve been performing a lot of these songs for years. Have they taken on a new meaning for you?
“All of these songs are songs of victory. They are all songs of celebrating our winning. That we are here forty years later and singing these songs is a source of incredible pride and accomplishment. Each one of those songs is a celebration of going against all odds and going against the critics, the people who didn’t like us and winning. So, these are the songs of a battle won.”
How does your approach to the show change when you’re performing outdoors compared to an arena?
“We try to be observant of low flying planes when we’re outdoors, but it doesn’t change anything because what we do comes from the heart. It comes from who we are. It’s a different environment though because in an arena there’s a sense of being enclosed, entombed or encapsulated (which has its pluses), but being outside during the summer is a terrific dichotomy / contrast between what we do and being outside in the midst of a great summer night with the stars shining and everything else. We’ve been doing this for forty years and the reason people still buy tickets to see the classic acts is because you know that we will deliver the goods.There are countless acts nowadays who sing on a song that was basically put together in somebody’s living room on a computer and auto-tuned. You know damn well that those people are not going to be able to put on a show. Many bands and many artists who sell nowadays or certainly have downloads in huge numbers are nobody who you want to go see live because they haven’t learned the craft. The ones who have enough money to put on a great show are invariably dependent upon
a bunch of dancers jumping all over each other and a microphone that isn’t turned on. I certainly don’t want to hear this nonsense that it’s impossible to dance around and sing. Tell that to all the classics that I was lucky enough to see. It didn’t stop The Temptations. It didn’t stop Tina Turner. It didn’t stop James Brown. This whole nonsense of, ‘I lip-synch because you can’t dance around,’… ‘I lip-synch because I can’t sing.’ When you come to see KISS, you know you’re coming to see the real deal that has been proven time and time again.”
You changed the live concert experience because of you’re staging, the makeup, and more. How much of an influence was that in getting you into the Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Fame as opposed to what this band (KISS) did musically?
“I’m not here to defend what we’ve done or what we’ve accomplished, but it is unanimous and resounding from countless acts be it rock, country or rap artists that were influenced by us musically not in terms of a stage show. I think people like Jann Wenner who long ago lost any passion they once had for rock n’ roll may miss the boat, but we are a rock band and have always been a rock band. Our roots are in bands that we loved and certainly I saw growing up. We enhanced it with a great show, but nobody will ultimately buy, for decades, music that isn’t good. With the amount of albums we’ve sold; there were no smoke bombs or lasers inside those albums. The songs have stood the test of time and anybody who fails to see that or denigrates it or mocks it with smart ass remarks when they’re introducing us like Wenner did with ‘their tight pants and make-up’ or whatever he said, ‘here’s KISS’. He’s embarrassing himself. He may have a few burn outs who share his view and snicker with him, but they’re in the vast minority. The joke is on him.”
Putting aside all the controversy surrounding the Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Fame induction, how was the actual event for you? Did you enjoy yourself?
“It was vindicating in the sense that it was vindication for the fans. This has been very important to them and I wanted to share that moment. I was there to raise my statue up in the air and say, “Yes! We did it.” In spite of the people who clearly didn’t want us in. We were there because of the people who did want us in and those ranks are impressive. For every clueless music executive who is still on the board (and at some point will not longer be), there are musicians be it Tom Morello or Joe Perry – there is a list that is literally a who’s who of music. Those are the people who got us in and ultimately couldn’t be stopped by the people who wanted us out. Sooner or later all the people who wanted us out will themselves be out. The people who count (not the pencil pushers), the people who make music are the ones who wanted us in.”
What was the most difficult part of the writing process for you in the making of Face The Music: A Life Exposed?
“It wasn’t a matter of anything being emotional, but writing a book about your life isn’t that different than trying to make a movie from a book. You can only give glimpses. You can only put together enough examples to give a pastiche. You don’t get to tell the whole story. You get to tell the story by using key elements. So, the difficult part might be in what you leave out; not leaving it out because it’s painful or hurtful to anyone else. You leave it out because it is unnecessary. In other words, once you make a point you don’t have to make it again. Reiterating on the same stuff is… It takes away from the impact. The most difficult thing was choosing what didn’t go it. The rest of it was an absolute pleasure.”
How has the backstage experience changed over the years?
“Clearly, there was a time where backstage was hedonism at its finest. When you are given the keys to the candy store, you tend to eat a lot of candy. I certainly had a sugar high. Over the years, that obviously changed. The core of why I got into this and the reason the band got together in the first place was to make music. To have the privilege of going out on stage and be able to do this forty years on is incredible. That’s what’s been the constant. I look over to the side of the stage on certain nights and see my little ones in their pyjamas waiting for the show to be over, so that they can go to bed. Family, at one point, which had no place in my life or in rock n’ roll in general has become common place. As long as you are writing about things that are relevant, you’ll have a fan base that will go with you and new fans that will join you. So, when rock n’ roll first started, it was really a vehicle for managers and record companies to put out the flavor of the week. Once you got tired of Fabian, they gave you Frankie Avalon then Bobby Rydell. Once The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, and The Who started writing songs… As long as they were writing about things that were relevant to them and their audience; they could continue. I think we’ve all gone into a different realm of our lives. I’ve got a family and the Bacchanalia that was backstage at one point is not there anymore, but the celebration of the core of it which is celebrating life and the freedom to be who you are has never changed.”
What are your top five mobile apps that you use on your phone?
“Vivino is great when you go into a wine store or restaurant. You take a quick photo of the label and it’ll tell you how much you should be paying for that bottle. It also gives you ratings on the wines. That’s always great. I use a lot of camera apps. I’m always trying to get better photos. Camera+ is one of my ‘go-tos’. It’s all practical to me. The obscure stuff or the outboard music stuff, I’m not really keen on. There’s a four track recorder for the phone. I use that sometimes when I’m writing. That’s a question I’ve never been asked, so save the best for last. It’s got me in a tizzy.”
Check out Part I of our Paul Stanley interview at this location. Part II is availablehere.