Marvel Comics

KISS guitarist of 9 years Bruce Kulick is mentioned in the Marvel Comic’s Hawkeye issue #7 that deals with the Sandy relieve effort.

Rustyn Rose | Examiner

Julie Bergonz

Bob Kulick may forever be a man connected to the legacy of KISS, but his own legacy is far more intriguing and impressive. As a young boy Kulick found that he had a natural gift for the guitar and it paved the way for a lifetime of making incredible music and memorable performances starting at 17 with his first notable band, The Observation Balloon. This week the quiet and humble rock hero shared some of his career experiences with The Examiner, talking about the infamous KISS audition, the first Meat Loaftour, playing with Alice Cooper, along with his various bands and tribute projects.

On January 17, 1973, the day after his 23rd birthday, Kulick unknowingly placed in the rock and roll history books when he answered an ad in New York’s Village Voice looking for a guitarist in a “Led Zeppelin” style band. That band was KISS and the audition was interrupted by Ace Frehley who narrowly beat Kulick out for the gig. Paul Stanley was so impressed with Bob’s playing that the two remained in touch and in 1977 Kulick was tasked with playing lead guitar on three of the studio tracks from “Alive II“.

A year later Stanley again turned to Kulick as his principal guitarist on his first solo album. In 1982, Bob would once more lend his talents to four new studio tracks on the “Killers” album. The following year he would perform a few solos for “Creatures of the Night” but according to Kulick none of them ended up on the album. In 1984 Bob would recommend his younger brother Bruce as KISS’ new guitarist, a gig he’d eventually get. In 1989, Stanley would tab Bob to be his guitarist for his first ever solo tour. For all these reasons and more his history remains forever entwined with KISS, but that is only one part of Bob’s history.

In 1976, Kulick would perform on Lou Reed‘s “Coney Island Baby” album. The following Continue reading →

Chris Czynszak | Decibel Geek

2013 marks the 40th year of existence for Hottest Band in the Land. So, it makes perfect sense for us to use episode 73 (as in, 1973) as a chance to time travel to numerous destinations that played a part in the overall history of KISS.

Joining on this global KISS trek is author Chris Epting. Chris is the perfect guest for this conversation as he’s written a number of travel-related books on different eras of pop culture as well as his recently-released e-book, ‘All I Need to Know I Learned from KISS: Life Lessons from the Hottest Band in the Land.’ This book is filled with stories of how being a KISS fan shaped Chris’ life and affects him even today. If you are a hardcore KISS fan, this book is definitely for you as it will certainly elicit some familiar emotions.

1. 10 E. 23rd Street – The Loft

The birthplace of KISS. This location is the spot where Paul, Gene, & Peter first auditioned Ace Frehley and the band took shape. The location is now next door to a comic book store that has an inventory that includes KISS comic books. Go figure.

2. 108 116 W. 43rd St. – Hotel Diplomat

The location that allowed KISS to secure management as Bill Aucoin, Sean Delaney, & Eddie Kramer all witnessed this hungry, young band that wore lots of makeup and electrified the audience in this downtrodden ballroom. A great history of the Hotel Diplomat can be found HERE.

3. 47-03 Queens Blvd. – Coventry

Site of some of the earliest KISS shows before they became a touring act. Coventry changed their name from ‘Popcorn’ just as KISS began their run playing the location. Footage of one of their Coventry performances is on the KISSOLOGY series of DVDs. A fantastic in-depth history can be found HERE

4. 4 Pennsylvania Plaza – Madison Square Garden

The site where KISS’ dream was realized. During the band’s earliest years, while performing at dive bars all over the country to sparse crowds, the band would psyche themselves up by imagining that that night’s venue was “the Garden.” This is also the site of this week’s guest Chris Epting’s first concert in 1977.

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Cameron Adams | News.com.au

The 63-year Simmons has added a speaking engagement in Melbourne during Kiss’ tour next month.

Tickets to hear Gene Simmons range from $1500 for platinum seats to $285 for gold seats and $108 for the cheap seats.The speaking tickets are more expensive than those to see Kiss perform live with support acts Motley Crue and Thin Lizzy.

Only one hundred of the $1500 tickets will be sold, which include a lunch package with Simmons in attendance for two hours, a photograph with Simmons and one item signed as long as it is not a guitar.

Cashed up Kiss fans also get a t-shirt which reads “I had lunch with Gene Simmons” for their $1500.

The speaking engagement takes place at Etihad Stadium on March 5 from 10.45am, requiring many fans to take the day off work.

Fans have already been stung for Kiss Australian concert tickets which include a $600 VIP dinner package, $250 for the “Monster zone” and $125 for the cheapest seats.

The band sold a $1500 VIP ticket which includes a personal meet and greet with Simmons and bandmate Paul Stanley, as well as priority seating at the concerts.

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Michael Brandvold

Chris Medek

Hi KISSasylum. Thank you for posting my KISSmas card and New Years Art. I created this piece drawing from my love for KISS and Duck Dynasty TV show on A&E. I hope you are able to use this one. Thank Again There is a larger printable version at:

http://medek1.deviantart.com/art/DUCK-DYNASTY-3-355370798

Chris Medek

Cameron | KFIX

Paul Stanley of KISS is working on his autobiography.

Stanley recently shared an update on the progress of the book while at an event in Los Angeles.

“My book is about three-quarters done. It should be pretty terrific,” he said, adding, “The first draft is almost done. I give it about four or five months.”

“I think there’s a lot to be said for self-empowerment for what you can accomplish, when you believe in yourself, and go against all the odds and adversity,”

“So hopefully, it will be a book that is more than just a lot of smut, and a tell-all, or braggadocio.”

Despite noting that ”the road really isn’t that easy,” Stanley doesn’t seem overly open to sharing too many personal hardships, saying, ”I’m an entertainer. I’m a performer.”

“People pay me to entertain. People pay me to forget about their problems. You don’t want to hear my problems.You don’t want to hear about mine.”

While his life hasn’t always included KISS, Stanley promises that fans wanting to read about the band won’t feel left out. “It’s my life story. It’s not just about Kiss,” he said, “although Kiss has been a big part of my life. So I’d be cheating everybody if I didn’t talk about that.”

Read the full interview here.

Planet Rock

The Paul Stanley interview does not start until around the 3:08:00 mark – just slide forward to hear the interview, it’s quite amazing!

Mitch Lafon

A World With Heroes (40th Anniversary KISS tribute) with all profits going to benefit a cancer care hospice (my father-in-law passed away there peacefully on Jan 4th 2013). KISS songs from every era will be represented. All basic tracks will be recorded by Eric Brittingham (bass – Cinderella) , Jeff LaBar (guitars – Cinderella) and Troy Lucketta (drums – Tesla). Vocalists and other artists that will contribute to the CD include: Terry Ilious (Great White), Bumblefoot (GNR), Russ Dwarf (The Killer Dwarfs), Ron Young (Little Caesar), Doug Alrich (Whitesnake), Rex Brown (Pantera, Kill Devil Hill), Dery Grehan (Honeymoon Suite), Bill Leverty (Firehouse), Derek Sherinian ( BCC, Dream Theater), Phil Lewis (LA GUNS), Doro, Mark Zavon (Kill Devil Hill), Slaves On Dope, Chris Van Dahl (Ex- L.A. Guns), Tommy Denander, Johnny Dee (Doro band), Jeff Paris, Phil Naro, Willie Basse and Sean Kelly (Nelly Furtado’s band & Helix). With more to be announced shortly.

Please support this great cause: http://www.pledgemusic.com/projects/kiss40thtribute

Cassius Morris | COTN

Paul Stanley with one of his two sons, Colin, and Eric Singer with one of his many watches, attend last night’s Laker’s Game at the Staples Center in Los Angeles.

Michael Brandvold

Talking Metal

Listen here:  Talking Metal #402

On this episode of the Talking Metal podcast Mark and John celebrate 40 years of Kiss. Also, Mark talks to Tommy Thayer of Kiss about his limited edition Epiphone signature model Les Paul, Black N Blue, Hunter S Thompson, Vinnie Vincent, Judas Priest, Stars, Angel, the first Metal Massacre album and various Kiss albums including Monster, Sonic Boom, Hot In the Shade and Revenge.

Jeff Giles | Ultimate Classic Rock

Jason Merritt

Hey, Kiss fans! Have the memoirs from Gene Simmons, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley (not to mention the band’s official biography) left you kraving more Kisstory? Good news: Simmons and Paul Stanley are writing yet another book.

The new tome, titled ‘Nothin’ to Lose: The Making of Kiss (1972-75),’ is due out on August 20, and will find the duo working with co-author Ken Sharp to compile an oral history of the band’s early years. According to the press releaseannouncing the book, “the 544-page hardcover draws on more than 200 interviews, offering a captivating and intimate fly-on-the-wall account of their launch, charting the struggles and ultimate victories that led them to the threshold of superstardom.”

The release, which goes on to promise “an indelible and irresistible portrait of a band on the rise and the music scene they changed forever,” also includes an undeniably impressive list of interviewees such as Ted Nugent, Alice Cooper,Bob Seger, and members of Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, and Rush.

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Phyllis Pollack | Examiner

At the Annual Clive Davis Pre-Grammy Party held in Los Angeles, California at the Beverly Hilton tonight, Paul Stanley of Kiss stopped on the red carpet to discuss his latest project, his upcoming book.

In an interview on the red carpet, Stanleystated, “My book is about three-quarters done. It should be pretty terrific.”

He noted, “I think there’s a lot to be said for self-empowerment for what you can accomplish, when you believe in yourself, and go against all the odds and adversity.”

“So hopefully, it will be a book that is more than just a lot of smut, and a tell-all, or braggadocio,” he said. How’s that for a word? ”

What revelations will Stanley‘s fans find out about him as a person? He joked, “That I’m an exceptional guy. It’s a book that my kids will be able to read. Not right now, but it’s a book that will show where I started and that the road really isn’t that easy.”

So far, Stanley has not been very open when discussing hardships he has been through. There is a reason for this, Stanley explains, “I’m an entertainer. I’m a performer. People pay me to entertain. People pay me to forget about their problems.”

“You don’t want to hear my problems. You don’t want to hear about mine,” he said.

Maybe there are some rock fans that do. “Okay. Let me get a chair and sit down. Let me get a couch, I’ll lay down,” he joked.

I smile and offer, “I’ll be your analyst. I could do a good job.”

“I’m sure you would,” laughed Stanley.

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Michael Brandvold

news.com.au

Peters Ice Cream has re-issued the 1980 KISS “Thunderbolt” ice block, named after 1976 hit God of Thunder, to coincide with the KISS Monster Tour later this month.

Paul Stanley said the original “popsicle”, launched to coincide with Unmasked tour (See video below), was an indication of how big they were at the time.

“When we first came to Australia we knew we were big,” Stanley tells fans on YouTube. “Kissteria had gripped the nation and we heard about how massive we were and we had this huge following and we were a phenomenon, this was the sign of a real phenomenon, that we also had popsicles named after us.

Justin Lloyd

KISS bassist Gene Simmons still has 12 of the original boxes from the 1980s ice blocks.

While the Thunderbolt is a replica of the original, it has been updated for today’s tastes. In the 1980’s the black tip was grape flavour, now it’s cola.

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The Smoking Gun

A Connecticut man has pleaded guilty to participating in a coordinated online attack on Kiss frontman Gene Simmons, whose web sites were targeted in retaliation for comments the rock star made about Internet piracy.

The October 2010 denial of service attack against genesimmons.com and two other sites–which were knocked offline–was spearheaded by the online collective “Anonymous,” which dubbed its Simmons assault “Operation Payback.”

The musician, 63, upset “Anonymous” and its various sympathizers when he advised entertainment industry figures to “sue everybody, take their houses, their cars. The music industry was asleep at the wheel and didn’t have the balls to sue every freckle-faced kid who downloaded tracks.”

The FBI opened a criminal probe after a Simmons lawyer, Barry Mallen, reported the denial of service attack to federal investigators.

During a hearing last week in U.S. District Court in Los Angeles, Kevin George Poe, 25, pleaded guilty to his role in the Simmons attack. Poe, known online as “spydr101,” copped to a misdemeanor count of unauthorized impairment of a protected computer. FBI agents determined that Poe’s computer swamped the genesimmons.com web site with 69,000 requests during the denial of service attack.

Poe, pictured in the above mug shot, was originally indicted last year on two felony charges–conspiracy and computerimpairment–that carried a combined maximum of 15 years in prison. However, as part of a plea agreement with prosecutors, Poe was named in a superseding criminal information that only charged him with the reduced impairment count.

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Bianca Carneiro | Mailonline

Gene Simmons takes his snacking seriously.

While his wife Shannon Tweed was dressed for a lazy Sunday, the KISS rocker was spotted wearing a fancy coat as the pair bought some last minute Super Bowl snacks at a grocery store in Los Angeles on Sunday.

The couple appeared to be prepping for a small party with friends, as they left the store with just a few bags of Stacy’s pita chips, Snapple drinks and other treats.

But Gene couldn’t wait until they got home and enjoyed a snack on an energy bar as they walked to their car.

In fact, the famous ladies man was so focused on his chocolatey chew that he didn’t even offer to help his partner of nearly 30 years as she carried the loot home.

Luckily Shannon looked ready for the workout as she balanced her goods with a large black studded handbag while wearing black jogging pants and grey trainers.

The 62-year-old singer looked bit overdressed for the occasion, wearing a black blazer and buttoned shirt with fancy jeans and his trademark cowboy boots.

After the outing, the pair returned home to later join the millions of Americans cheering on the Baltimore Ravens and the San Francisco 49ers 

‘Between watching grown men cry of happiness and the Clydesdale beer commercials, it was a great night of entertainment,’ she tweeted.