KISS & Sell Book Reviews
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    Updated July 20, 1997

  • Sean Cowie
    All in all, KISS & Sell is a good book.  My only complaint, however, is the seemingly endless chapters that chronicle the non-KISS experiences that Lendt faced.  Why does he drone on about the Isley Brothers?  And who really cares about Gene's dalliances with Cher and Diana Ross enough to warrant nearly 30 pages of text?!  Sure its part of "KISStory" but Lendt's editor should have recognized that such material could have been greatly trimmed for content.
    There are many interesting stories that Lendt brings to light such as Gene's mogulling, Peter's manic behavior, Ace's extravagant recording studio, and Paul's perseverance in keeping the band together.  He also reveals the gross spending habits of the band members.  Who knew that such ignorance to money matters occurred within the band?  Lendt's take on the financial situation of the band is a new one and should not be ignored by any true KISS fan; however, Lendt's obvious reliance on a Roget's thesaurus may distract some readers from enjoying an interesting read--I am a university graduate with an English degree and I frequently had no idea what Lendt was saying because of the big words he uses.
    Also, one has to question the credibility of some of Lendt's stories.  His memory of minute details, for example, how many cigars Howard Marks held in his cigar case at a 1979 business meeting, is endless--and apparently flawless.  Perhaps he added some of these details for dramatic effect but overall it takes away the reader's faith in Lendt's stories.  If Lendt had not paid as much attention to this endless minutiae, his position could certainly hold greater credibility.
    Overall, KISS & Sell gets a rating of a B-.

  • Sean Cole
    I just finished reading KISS and Sell by C.K. Lendt and thought I would offer up my own review of the book.
    Overall, KISS and Sell is a worthy read.  However, Lendt's fixation with using big words leaves one needing a thesaurus to understand what he is often saying.  It is almost as if he is trying to accredit himself by speaking above his readers.  I hold a degree in English and I had no idea what Lendt what was saying with many word choices.  The average reader will undoubtedly find the same.
    Lendt's other main downfall lies in the fact that he tends to waiver from KISS.  The seemingly endless pages about Diana Ross and The Isley Brothers, for example, tended to lose me and I skimmed them more than read them.  Because of Lendt's background in business rather than the music industry, one can expect to find the book's emphasis placed accordingly.  Where Dale Sherman sticks to what the FANS want to read about (i.e. KISS, KISS and more KISS) in Black Diamond, Lendt incorporates the business side of the story that many readers will not find at all interesting.
    Lendt does include a great many stories in his book, some of which I at least have never heard.  Because Lendt was with the band so much for twelve years, he obviously has many stories to relate that perhaps outsiders would not be able to offer.
    Unfortunately, the majority of these tales deal with the corruption of a young group who became obsessed--and eventually ruined by--their own fame and fortune.  Gene's misogyny, buffonery, and mogulling overshadows what many fans (including myself) believed to be rumour for the most part.  Ace's and Peter's reckless lifestyles and eventual displeasure with being in the band have been previously documented but are thoroughly threshed out here by Lendt.  Paul's alleged jealousy of Gene's movie "career" is one surprising note that I find difficult to believe.  Every other documented source, and even Gene, himself, gives Paul credit for never losing site of his goal--to keep KISS together.  Paul's efforts in the 1980's, most notably during the Animalize, Asylum, and Crazy Nights years, show a dedicated musician who refused to let the dissolution of his band and its members get the better of him.
    KISS and Sell effectively relates a view of KISS that has not yet been explored.  Instead of the fan-based books that have previously been available, Lendt's telling of his years with KISS gives his readers an interesting take on what the highs and lows of the rock world are like.  Unfortunately, I believe that Lendt's book will suffer at the hands of the simultaneous release of Sherman's Black Diamond which tells the story of KISS from a fan's point of view, rather than that of an M.B.A..

    General Rating: B+
    KISS Fan rating: C+

  • Jerry from KTAV
    KTAV review of KISS And Sell by C.K.Lendt
    Well, just got finished reading Kiss And Sell and I am quite pleased with it. We know a little more about the band and conformation on things we knew were true. Though at times C.K.Lendt can be a little vauge on certain things as for figures, he gives us enough to know that KISS made a lot of money and lost a lot of money.
    At times he runs off the subject, like his dealings with the Isle Brothers. What did they have to do with the making of a super group, KISS? I don't know! But he seems to catch himself and goes back to his story in question. I enjoyed the way he told the story. He doesn't give much information about Eric Carr or Vinnie Vincent. Though he does say that Vinnie didn't like his pay, so the band let him go.
    This is not a story about how bad Gene and Paul were, but how bad the power of money has over someone. Not only did Gene, Paul, Ace, or Peter have problems with their amazing fortunes, also the managing team of Glickman/Marks Management. Bill Acoin was a big spender also. Though he does not say it, I'm sure the author spent a lot in those resturants. In a nutshell, everyone spent big, only to lose it at the end.
    There was funny stories told here also, like the airplane story coming off a Canada tour flying to Seattle. I thought that was funny, but almost disastrous crash. Also the one about Gene's wig! Very funny! The one thing I wish were that it would take you all the way up to the present reunion tour.
    This is a good book and every KISS fan should read it. You will be enlightened on a lot of things that you were not aware of, like Peter's real first name was George. Over all I give the book a A- rating. It keeps you interested and it is not a repeat of stuff you already know.

  • John Powers
    I am about 40 pages away from finishing the book, and I wanted to pass along my thoughts on it. I have been a HUGE KISS fan since 1976 (I'm 27) and I thought that I would lose some of my love of the KISS mystique by plunging in the often hum/drum business side of the band through reading the book. I think that was the case at first, but I am happy to say that my view of KISS as the greatest band in the world remains intact. Overall, the book is very interesting, and gave me tremendous insight into the innermost workings of show business. However, it is chocked full of straight biographical anecdotes about KISS on tour in the 70's and 80's, and about KISS's internal and external influences on a myriad of financial and business decisions they made that set the course of the band. My criticism of the book is two-fold: 1) The author recalls such intimate details of touring and business events that it makes me wonder if he made it up. Either that or he kept a written or audio diary, which is surely plausible, but telling us what people were wearing at certain meetings, or what exact dish was ordered at restaurants does not seem plausible, and 2) the book tends to be too heavy on the industry side and not the KISS side, which is actually fine for the purposes of the author because he states that this is part of his thesis, but for a diehard KISS fan, it will leave you yawning at times. Overall, the book added greatly to my appreciation of just how hard the band worked for the fans, and how hard they continue to work. Thanks!!

  • Eric Taylor
    Wanted to write and let you know of my review on the new book Kiss and Sell by C.K. Lendt.
    Kiss and Sell is the new book by author C.K. Lendt. It covers his time with the supergroup Kiss and his views on their finacial endevours. My views on the book is that it is very well written and gives alot of new information on the GREATEST BAND IN THE LAND. It is really refreshing to see a writer take a new approach as to how to view Kiss. This is not just another autobiography about the band, but what made the band tick. His views are very biased and he does not go out and try to make it look like the band was good or bad. He just tells how it was and what it was like (to me it sounded like the best time in the world!).

  • hvb3
    There is a lot to like and plenty to dislike about Kiss and Sell, by Chris Lendt, who worked for Kiss for 12 years. The single best thing about the book is that Lendt no longer works for Kiss and can therfore, give an unbiased view of the band. This is not the same old junk that Gene and Paul have been spewing for so long. A good example of Lendt's deviation from the G and P party line is his discussion of why Kiss unmasked in 1983. I hope I will not be spoiling anything when I tell you that it was about the only way the band could get noticed after the twin Unmasked and Elder disasters. (By the way I love the Elder, but it did bomb).

    This book is not for all Kiss fans. I have learned by cruising the Kiss chat rooms that many of us are very protective of the band and almost blindly patriotic to G and P and their X-Treme Close Up type accounts of the Kiss story (or Kisstory). So be warned. If you, like me, already suspected that G And P are full of it a lot of the time, then you will read this thing in one sitting. Lendt apparently has no real ax to grind as he has been away from the band for almost 9 years. Other tid bits include:

    -the story behind the solo albums
    -the real stories about Ace and Peter leaving (or being asked to leave in one case) the band
    -an account of the Vinnie "era" which may shed light on why he seems so bitter
    -the stories behind Gene's flings with Cher and Diana Ross
    -Gene's real reasons for pursuing and "acting" career and Paul's somewhat comical reaction to "Runnaway" and many more.

    So what's wrong with Kiss and Sell. Well if you are looking for a history of Kiss this one is incomplete. Lendt comes on the scene during the Destroyer tour and leaves at around Crazy Nights. So we get nothing about the formation of the band and only bare bones accounts of the post Crazy Nights years. My main criticism about Lendt's book is that the he needed help writing it. There is very little excitement which is generated by the author. I mean covering the rise and fall of Kiss is great material. In other words, if you are a Kiss fan you will enjoy it. but non-Kiss fans may become bored. A book about this band with its diverse personalities should be exciting for anyone. The book is most fasinating when we learn about the members personal lives and how they got along as a band. There is not enough of that stuff however.

    If you, like me, have felt all along that Gene is a bit of an ass, Peter was frustrated with his lack of input, Ace is talented, but during the 70s was mainly drunk, and that Paul was and is basically a good guy who just wants to be a star, then you will find that and more here. Just wanted more of that and less about fianances, though that was Lendt's job. It just a shame that no one has written a comprehensive history of the band which features the band and not the band's finances. I am not blaming Lendt for that, the $ was his area.

    Come to think of it, the $ was, according to Lendt, basically the whole story. Actually lack of money, was the story for much of the 80s. Overall a good read for realistic Kiss fans. Grade 8 1/2 for Kiss fans 4 for others

  • Jenk99@aol.com
    KISS and Sell: The Making of a Supergroup
    C.K.Lendt
    Billboard Books
    345 pages.

    Well folks, this book is one hell of a read on our favorite band. I read it in two days and couldn't put it down; and without giving anything away, I'll tell you why.
    C.K. Lendt was the vice president of Glickman/Marks Management, and the buisness manager and financial advisor to KISS for a very significant amount of time during the bands career. His accounts of his dealings with the band and their success(and their obstacles and stumbling blocks) are very well described.
    I think what makes this book a must have for all KISS fans, especially the die-hards, is the fact that Lendt is approaching this with his unflinching perspective. He is not afraid to review the band and critique their different "periods" of their career. In some instances, it is put in less biased terms than the way Gene and Paul told it in the KISStory book. Gene and Paul can sugar coat things all they want, but in some cases it's cool to hear another perspective. To bottom line it: Lendt ain't afraid to get his hands dirty with such "untouchable" topics as the band's real reason for unmasking, Gene's moguling and it's effects on the band, the bands spending habits, playing to half-filled arenas and smaller venues, etc.
    I think the weirdest thing about a book like this to come out now, is that KISS has given a wake up call to the world once again, to remind everyone of the standard by which bands should be measured by. From a monetary standpoint, they are doing financially better than they ever were in their "heyday" (i know, i know...."the 1977 heyday, or the 1997 heyday"). It would have been interesting to have a bigger chapter on what's going on now, but Lendt was gone from their camp after "Crazy Nights" was released. We all know that part anyway.
    To sum it all up:"Whether this book disgusts you or titilates you, it is the truth, the whole truth, and nothing but.....The truth!"