Showing posts with label Gene Simmons. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gene Simmons. Show all posts

CD Review: Lita Ford – Time Capsule

CD Review: Lita Ford – Time Capsule
Steamhammer/SPV
All Access Rating: A-

Lita Ford - Time Capsule 2016
Gathering dust for some time in Lita Ford's house in the Caribbean, the previously unreleased material comprising Time Capsule practically begged to be released. She's finally given in to its demands.

Here are Ford's "lost" treasures, made on the fly with some of the biggest names in '80s rock and metal. With her new book "Living Like a Runaway: Lita Ford, A Memoir" already out, Time Capsule, due out via Steamhammer/SPV, arrives carrying a lot of baggage. Open this suitcase of a record and songs reminiscent of Ford's stiletto-heeled, spandex-clad heyday come spilling out, as sleazy grooves and tough riffs snarl at aching ballads that are pretty on the outside but hurt down deep, all of it in keeping with the glorious pop-metal sound that propelled her to solo stardom decades ago.

Along with making the Jimi Hendrix instrumental "Little Wing" smolder with searing, bluesy intensity, Ford and company bump-and-grind through a nasty "Black Leather Heart" and roll around in the gutter with a defiant, rough-and-tumble "Rotten to the Core" – co-written by KISS bassist Gene Simmons, who also plays on the track. Tenacious and biting, her solos scratch any itch until it bleeds, especially on the growling, savage "Mr. Corruption," and her vocals go from wounded to sweet and coy and then angry in no time at all.

These and other tracks are laced with bittersweet, melodramatic melodies that taste of alkaline and sugar, as the crestfallen, yearning "Where Will I Find My Heart Tonight" – with guest vocals by Jeff Scott Soto, his slight rasp pairing well with Ford's pure passion – puts on a brave face and marches forth dressed in thorny hooks that also poke through the rising epic "War of the Angels" and a beautifully rendered "Killing Kind," with its sublime chorus and surprisingly tasteful mandolin provided by Jane's Addiction's Dave Navarro.

All sides of Ford's complicated and compelling personality fight for attention on Time Capsule, which is no mere odds-and-sods collection thrown together haphazardly just to fulfill contractual obligations with a record label. These are good, solid rock songs – some of the best she's ever written in fact – that have no expiration date. And yet, while the songwriting is tight and assured, and the production is vivid and lively, the vibe emanating from Time Capsule is one of a series of enjoyable, intimate jam sessions between old friends. Bassist extraordinaire Billy Sheehan appears here and there, and Cheap Trick's Robin Zander and Rick Nielsen providing complementary backing vocals on "Killing Kind." The stuff in this Time Capsule hasn't aged badly at all.
– Peter Lindblad

DVD Review: Ritchie Blackmore – The Ritchie Blackmore Story

DVD Review: Ritchie Blackmore – The Ritchie Blackmore Story
Eagle Rock Entertainment
All Access Rating: A-

Ritchie Blackmore - The
Ritchie Blackmore Story 2016
Enigmatic, demanding, quick to anger and evidently fond of pulling off elaborate pranks, the iconic Ritchie Blackmore has always jealously guarded his privacy. Though rather stodgy and a little dry, a revealing new documentary titled "The Ritchie Blackmore Story" finds the dark lord of rock guitar sorcery in a more open and talkative mood than usual.

Offering as much access to Blackmore's inner-most thoughts and memories as anyone ever thought possible, the film relates Blackmore's story in a dry, straight-forward fashion, going chronologically from birth through his time with pop act The Outlaws, his early session work in the '60s and then exploring in more detail the triumphant highs and disappointing lows of his glory days with Deep Purple and Rainbow. And with his wife Candice Night by his side, Blackmore recounts how his passion for traditional Renaissance music evolved, leading to the formation of the project that has consumed both of them in recent years, Blackmore's Night.

Professionally pieced together, "The Ritchie Blackmore Story" takes us inside the making of such landmark records as Deep Purple In RockMachine Head and Burn from Blackmore's point of view, and with frankness and soul-baring honesty, he talks of the lineup changes in Deep Purple and why he left the band on multiple occasions. Discussions with Glenn Hughes, Roger Glover and David Coverdale flesh out what happened behind the scenes, adding more meat on the bone.

What emerges from the video biography from Eagle Rock Entertainment is a revealing and in-depth portrait of a restlessly creative, if curmudgeonly and downright prickly but occasionally funny, artist who's authored a slew of original and memorable guitar riffs and rained down torrents of lightning-fast, yet tasteful and classically inspired, soloing like an angry god. Tributes and insightful commentary on Blackmore's brilliance come pouring out of admirers such as Jethro Tull's Ian Anderson, Queen's Brian May, Metallica's Lars Ulrich, Joe Satriani, Gene Simmons of KISS and Toto's Steve Lukather – to name a few – and their observations are sincere and thoughtful, with some making him out to be a caucasian Jimi Hendrix. And there's 40 minutes of additional interview material tacked on to the DVD, packaged with informative and well-written liner notes and great vintage photos.

The best stuff, though, comes straight from Blackmore's mouth. In a series of casual interviews over beers, Blackmore pulls no punches, talking candidly about his temper, his belief in ghosts and dalliances with the supernatural, and his stormy relationship with Ian Gillan – including recollections of a restaurant fight that ended with him throwing a plate of pasta into the singer's face after Gillan had doused it in ketchup, as bandmates cringed.

In the end, however, what matters most is the music, and an abundance of sensational vintage live footage from various periods in his career speaks to his wild, unpredictable showmanship, boundless creativity and incredible talent. Segments of performances of such classic material as "Highway Star," "Smoke on the Water," "Black Night," "Mistreated" and "Long Live Rock 'n' Roll," among other favorites, are strewn throughout the film, and much is made of Blackmore's explosive meltdown at the infamous 1974 California Jam event. All of it is tightly edited so that the movie doesn't come off as some hastily thrown together patchwork. Ever the perfectionist, Blackmore would undoubtedly be livid if it had.

As it is, its contents comprise an essential dossier of Blackmore's life and career to anyone with even a passing interest in him, his bands and rock history in general.
– Peter Lindblad

KISS Collectibles To Invade The 2015 Rock Gods & Metal Monsters Auction

Gene Simmons' full KISS Psycho Circus Tour Worn Body Armor

Backstage Auctions is hosting its annual Rock Gods & Metal Monsters Auction - an epic event of authentic memorabilia that comes directly from bands such as Megadeth, Slayer, Anthrax, Testament, Lita Ford, Exodus, Ratt, The Cult, Slipknot and many others.
With over 1,000 auction lots, this annual spectacle is a highlight moment for collectors around the globe - and the party wouldn't be the same without KISS! 

Not only will there be KISS memorabilia...there are nearly 250 lots, making KISS the # 1 supplier of collectibles in the auction. That little fact is hardly a surprise; the contents of the auction however are nothing short of spectacular.

With consignments coming from Debra Svensk (Peter Criss' 2nd wife), the estate of Eric Carr and several former KISS crew members, the auction spans 4 decades of KISStory.

Among the many highlights are several incredible Peter Criss mementos that range from worn KISS jackets and 1970s era jewelry, to handwritten lyrics and original artwork. His 1978 drawing of Gene Simmons is especially noteworthy.

The Eric Carr estate managed to supply some never-before-offered items such as clothing, artwork and signed pieces. There is also a slew of new memorabilia and beautiful record awards.

From the group of former KISS crew members there is a host of picks, sticks, itineraries, shirts and other mementos, including an Ace Frehley worn Reunion Tour bathrobe, a fully signed 1979 Bally pinball machine, the oldest set of KISS signatures known-to-exist and even Gene's full Psycho Circus tour worn body armor. There are historic documents, awesome posters, prototype toys and many autographed pieces.


Special mention is to be given to an impressive offering of KISS vinyl, as well as a large collection of official Reunion era merchandise that knows no boundaries.

The Rock Gods & Metal Monsters Auction will be live from June 20th – 28th with a special VIP Preview that starts June 13th. If you are not registered for your All Access Auction Pass, rock on over and sign up today – it takes just a minute and there is no fee to sign up.
Link: All Access Registration

Follow Backstage Auctions on Twitter and Facebook for auction highlights before, during and after the event. 

CD Review: Ace Frehley – Space Invader

CD Review: Ace Frehley – Space Invader
eOne Music
All Access Rating: A-

Ace Frehley - Space Invader 2014
Making his former KISS band mates Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons eat a hearty helping of crow would surely delight Ace Frehley to no end. Dinner is served.

With no easing of tensions in sight between the parties involved, the jilted guitarist, his sobriety having sharpened both his songwriting instincts and his instrumental chops, Frehley lets its rip on the rollicking eOne Music release Space Invader, the follow-up to 2009's Anomaly. 

Digging into his past, Frehley recaptures the raw energy and hard-rock crunch of early KISS and the surprising pop sophistication and vitality of his 1978 solo album – the one that puts all other KISS solo outings of the time to shame – with a tough, rugged title track, an equally ballsy "Gimme A Feelin'" and the infectious glam-rock nugget "I Wanna Hold You." For openers, that's a tough hand to beat – three of a kind comprised of tight, irresistible hooks, bashing drums and searing guitar solos that hit a bulls-eye dead center every time.

More metallic and heavy, "Change" and "Toys" smolder and stomp, as Frehley's riffs bite down hard and draw blood. His claws are out, and these tunes have an air of confidence and a trashy swagger born of past successes and little concern for the critics he's so eager to silence. The Zeppelin-like boogie "Inside the Vortex" seems to channel the spirit of John Bonham, while "What Every Girl Wants" updates the sleazy bump-and-grind of the New York Dolls for a new millennium – Frehley always has had a better grasp of what made the Dolls great than the rest of KISS.

A collection of punchy, slickly produced songs that kick like a mule and have a chip on their broad shoulders, Space Invader hardly ever hits a flat note. Even his version of "The Joker," by the Steve Miller Band, smokes. While every one of these tunes now lives in the penthouse suite, it seems they also revel in trawling through the gutter, looking for cheap thrills. They are rambunctious, but rarely reckless – except when Frehley launches into daring, acrobatic leads that like to wander but never go too far afield. Space Invader, with that classic cover art created by longtime Frehley collaborator Ken Kelly, is just a good bit of rock 'n' roll fun, a little wild, a little sleazy and exceedingly satisfying. That crow is getting cold boys.
– Peter Lindblad

ACE FREHLEY CONFIRMS NO ORIGINAL KISS PERFORMANCE AT HOF

Source: Eddie Trunk - Trunk Report

Exclusive new late tonight. Ace Frehley called into my radio show live tonight and confirmed that he and Peter are being denied the opportunity to perform at the R&R Hall Of Fame ceremony by Gene and Paul, who will perform instead with the current band. Ace said (and the HOF confirmed to me
Kiss
Kiss
directly) that the HOF wants the original band. However Gene and Paul to date have declined to allow this to happen.

Ace said it was important he let the fans know exactly what was happening since tickets are about to go on sale to the public and he didn’t want fans to purchase them expecting a reunion performance even for a song or two. Ace said he is undecided if he will even attend in light of this decision. Even though the HOF would prefer the original band, they will not stand in the way of the current band playing if that is all Gene and Paul are willing to do.

Assume anything is possible that something could change, but at this time there are no plans at all for Ace and Peter to play, or perhaps even be there depending what they decide. As I have said consistently when there was news to share I would let it come directly from a member, and tonight Ace let everyone know exactly what was going on. Said he was most upset for the fans who voted them in and were hoping to see a song or two, but also said it is now time to move on. He is working on a new album and said the stress was really killing him about the HOF and he needed to let fans know what was up before tickets went on sale. Peter will likely have a similar statement on his site tomorrow.

I’ll continue to keep you posted as more info develops but that’s where things are at now. I’m sure the audio will be on YouTube of Ace’s call but you can hear the entire show next weekend as usual on all affiliate stations and online outlets as well. Sad day for long time Kiss fans but at least we know where things stand as of now. The producer/director for the HOF show Joel Gallen expressed an interest in coming on the air soon. As usual my door is open to any and all to discuss. More soon.

Original Story Here: Eddie Trunk - Trunk Report

Kiss Takes Center Stage In Backstage Auctions' Rock and Roll Summer Classic Auction

CLICK HERE: PREVIEW THE AUCTION NOW! 

September 1, 2013
Houston, TX

KISS
Kiss fans and collectors from all over the world will get access to over 200 exclusive pieces of Kiss memorabilia in The Rock and Roll Summer Classic Auction during Backstage Auctions' September online auction event.

'This is our fourth Kiss auction in 10 years and we are excited to once again have a most unique offering of fantastic collectibles', comments Backstage Auctions owner Jacques van Gool. 'Kiss is one of the most collectible bands in the world and their fans are exceptionally loyal - and knowledgeable. All this makes for a great event and we couldn't be more pleased to be part of it'.

The items in the auction come from a host of recognizable names in Kiss circles, such as Lydia Criss (ex-wife of Kiss' original drummer Peter Criss), the estates of Bill Aucoin and Eric Carr, former Kiss crew members Eddie Balandas and Hank Schmel, Canadian promoter Nick Panaseiko as well as reputable concert photographers Robert Alford, Chip Rock and Julian Baum.

Kiss is spanning 5 decades and so do the items in this auction, which go back to the Wicked Lester days and span all the way to the recent 'Monster' album and tour. One such item is this original 10-song Wicked Lester recording reel from 1972 from the Bill Aucoin estate, which contains a host of songs that eventually would become Kiss classics.



And speaking of classics; none as epic as the ultimate 'Rock 'n Roll All Nite' anthem....but only one lucky collector can walk away with this acetate from January 1975 that contains an early demo version of this Kiss staple.



There will be no shortage of autographed items, such as this 1975 signed photo to Chip Rock, which is just one of a few dozen autographed pieces.


Paper goods collectors will have plenty to pick and choose from; tour programs, magazines, comics, books, fan magazines, newsletters, correspondence, posters, tickets and even this exceptionally rare 1975 concert handbill from New Jersey which until now has been an undiscovered gem.



On a more private level, the auction will offer many lots of personal owned documents, letters, notes, receipts and ephemera from Kiss drummers Peter Criss and Eric Carr. An example is this massive lot of Eric Carr receipts from the 1980s which all contain his handwriting and notes.



If clothing, apparel and accessories is more your thing; this auction will not disappoint. A host of items from the Peter & Lydia Criss closets will cause plenty of excitement, including this denim jacket from 1974, which was arguably the first Kiss logo jacket ever made.


A special space is reserved for the photo collections of Julian Baum, Chip Rock and Robert Alford, all who actively photographed Kiss in their early days. These are mostly never before seen photos which could easily become one of the crown jewels in any Kiss collection.


Because there is so much to see within a very short period of time,  the auction will start with a preview week, beginning Saturday August 31. The auction will then open up for online bidding on Saturday, September 7th and come to a close on Sunday,  September 15.

For more information about the auction, please visit Backstage Auctions and register for your free VIP All Access Pass.



Backstage Auctions is a boutique online auction house specializing in authentic rock memorabilia representing a long list of notable and very talented musicians, producers and managers in the music industry since 2003. Exclusive online auction events have featured the private collections of legendary producer Eddie Kramer (Hendrix, Zeppelin, Kiss) and since then, we have represented Scott Ian & Charlie Benante (Anthrax), Page Hamilton (Helmet), John Tempesta (Exodus, Testament, The Cult), John 5 (Zombie, Marilyn Manson),  Ted Nugent, Howard Kaylan (The Turtles), Ross Valory (Journey) and Michael Shrieve (Santana), Rudy Sarzo (Quiet Riot, White Snake), Graham Bonnet (Rainbow, Alcatrazz), Al Jourgensen (Ministry), Johny Barbata (Jefferson Starship), Kip Winger (Winger) as well as managers of legendary bands such as The Grateful Dead, Jefferson Airplane, KISS, Journey, Joe Walsh, Ringo Starr and His All Starr Band, Motley Crue, Pantera, White Zombie and more. Backstage Auctions works closely with each of their clients and incorporates their personal stories and memories throughout the online auction event. The end result is a unique, historical and unforgettable journey spanning decades of music history.

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Doro ready to raise her fist in the air


German metal queen has big plans for 2013
By Peter Lindblad

Doro Pesch performing live 
Some women give themselves over to God and become nuns. Doro Pesch had a different calling. 

Devoting her life to spreading the gospel of heavy metal to every corner of the earth, the German-born artist is a true believer, a warrior for the cause. She’s bled for it and sacrificed, even going so far as to quash any possibility of having a family or a spouse. Doro is the Metal Queen, and she takes that royal title seriously.

So when Pesch, a fearless trailblazer for women in a genre traditionally ruled by men, demands that you Raise Your Fist, as she does on her latest album, as a fan of metal, you pull on your patch-covered battle jacket – no questions asked – and go to war against whatever forces are conspiring against the music you love. Yes, like your good ol’ Uncle Sam, she wants you, and Raise Your Fist – her 17th studio album overall and running the gamut from traditional metal to glorious power metal and balls-out thrash – is her newest recruiting endeavor.

Positive messages abound, as Doro espouses a “never give up” philosophy on Raise Your Fist, released last fall on Nuclear Blast. Doro never did, not even when she had tuberculosis as a child and had to actually stave off death. She would go on to help found the German metal band Warlock as a mere teenager, with members of the bands Snake and Beast. Warlock toured with such metal heavyweights as W.A.S.P., Judas Priest, Dio and Megadeth.

Warlock recorded four albums, including their 1987 breakout hit Triumph and Agony. It went gold in Germany and landed at No. 80 on the Billboard 200 in the U.S. Their videos for the singles “All We Are” and “Fur immer” were afforded heavy rotation on MTV’s “Headbangers’ Ball.” But, when Doro decided to settle in America, Warlock disintegrated and the band Doro was born. Since then, she’s continued to record and tour with a relentless energy few can muster, becoming a role model for other females in metal.

2013 promises to be a big year for Doro, and she talks about what’s coming up and her amazing history in this recent interview.

How was the most recent tour?
Doro Pesch: It was a wonderful tour. It was awesome. The weather was so severe. There was lots of snow, though, and lots of snowstorms, and oh man, in some cities, there was so much snow and ice, we were afraid that nobody would show up. But, it was always packed, even though it was cold out.

Do you think the material off Raise Your Fist was well-received?
Doro - Raise Your Fist 2012
DP: Yes, yeah. It was great. And you know, it was great, and I think it fit right in with all the classic songs. What is this, record No. 17? Yeah, it mixed in really good and “Raise Your Fist” … actually it reminds me of “All We Are” and it made people so happy, and I always asked them to show me your fists before we played the song, and oh, it was so great. So “Raise Your Fist in the Air” was definitely one of the highlights. And “Revenge” was especially for people who like old-school metal, and there was a lot of metal in that and everybody was head-banging. And one of my favorite songs, “Hero,” I sang it every night, and I dedicated it to Ronnie James Dio, who I loved so much. And that was definitely one of the highlights. And then every night we played different songs off the new album. Sometimes we’d put in “Cold Hearted Lover” and other stuff. It’s hard to choose a set list because there are so many records we try to highlight, and then every night we try to change it for those who come to see it a couple of times, so everyone gets new songs. Yeah, yeah … the new record was received very well. We were happy.

Is “Hero” one of your favorite songs off the new album?
DP: It is, and it’s one of the most important. It was Track 1 that I wrote for this record, and I just kept saying I want to give honor and respect to Ronnie. We got the chance to tour together a couple of times. My first time was actually in ’87, and one of the great times was in 2000 in America. We had a long tour and then we became really great friends, and it was so much fun. And I know how much Ronnie means to all the heavy-metal fans. And I feel the same. So when I heard that he was in heaven … oh God, it was so devastating. A couple of weeks later, I wanted to go to bed, and I almost fell asleep, and then this melody comes out and the lyrics and the chorus was exactly there as how you hear it on the record. And then I finished the verses a little bit later with a friend of mine, Joey Balin, who did [Warlock’s] Triumph and the Agony with me and the Force Majeure record [her first solo album], and I called him up. And I said, “Joey, I have a song  that’s very important to me. It’s for Ronnie and every word has to be perfect,” so he said, “Let’s do it.” And he knew Ronnie, too, because we toured together in ’87. Joey was on the tour, but back then I couldn’t speak English that well, so the conversations between Ronnie and me were limited to, “Hey, have a great show,” and “you did great.” But in 2000, we had long conversations and great laughs, and it was awesome. We became really great friends.

A couple of really big powerful anthems on the record are “Raise Your Fist in the Air” and “Victory.” I know you stated in the press material that when you played the Wacken Open Air Festival, those songs just made the whole place shake. What was that experience like?
DP: Oh, it was the ultimate. Actually, Wacken is one of my favorite festivals in the world – not because it’s in Germany but because it’s for all the metalheads all over the world. It’s definitely one of the best festivals. That’s what so great about the festival is that it’s definitely a festival for the fans. So these two guys, I played them the demo for “Raise Your Fist.” It was a couple of years ago, and then they said, “Oh, you’ve got to play these at the Wacken festival.” And I said, “No, it’s not done. It’s just a demo. We want to record it. We want to put it eventually on the new record.” They said, “No, play it, please.” And I said, “Are you sure?” And they said, “Yes.” And then I played it and actually, it was not even finished, but we played it. I always could open up the Wacken festival. I sing the Wacken anthem, and then I did either “Oh Yeah,” but in that case I did “Raise Your Fist” and it was great. And then I knew, “Okay, this song will definitely make the record, too.” And then we recorded it and the title was Raise Your Fist; it was actually the record title. And so this year, I have my 30-year anniversary coming up, and we want to play all over the world, and do a couple of really, really special shows, with great guests and lights and sound and the whole spectacular things. And in Wacken, that’s actually the first time we will celebrate it at Open Air, and all this. So definitely “Raise Your Fist” will be in the set. And I want to do it in London and Paris and New York, and we’ll see after we talk to the touring agents. But I want to celebrate it big for the 30th anniversary, yeah.

It seems like only yesterday you had your 25th anniversary.
DP: You’re right. It totally feels like a couple of weeks ago. Yep, yep, but times flies, and I toured with my first band when I was 16 years old.

You have another duet with Lemmy on the new record on “It Still Love Hurts.” Tell me what that was like and if you have a favorite Lemmy story, as everybody seems to have?
DP: Yeah, yeah. I do have, actually, many Lemmy stories, but I can tell you the first one. It was in the very early ‘80s, and I’ll tell you, I don’t think Lemmy remembers it, but I remember it. When you drink whiskey cola with Lemmy, you know, it is 90 percent whiskey and 10 percent Coca Cola. It was the first time I got invited to go to London, to England, by a magazine … that was very important. It was Kerrang magazine, and it was before I had even gotten an American release. And back in the day, it was like you had to do really good in England to get a chance to go to America. So it was a very important day. I got invited by the Kerrang people to a party. And they said, “Well, can you play a couple of songs.” I said, “Okay,” but the record company said just one person goes over from Warlock, and I said, “Well, okay.” So, I went over and they put together a band for me, like a couple of other musicians, and we were doing sound check and it was maybe ’82 or ’83. And yeah, and then we were rehearsing, it sounded really good. I covered a couple of Free songs and they sounded good, but the pressure was on. I was so stressed out. I thought, “Oh God, I’ve got to represent well for the record company, for the magazine people,” and there were tons of press there.

And then, to kill some time after sound check, I went around the corner to get something to eat or to get something to drink, and I went into this pub. And then I saw somebody who was standing there, and I thought, “Is that Lemmy?” And then I walked up to him and said, “Are you Lemmy?” And he said, “Yes. Are you Doro?” And I said, “Yes.” And I thought, “Oh, that’s great,” but I couldn’t speak English at all. I had no idea what he was saying, and I said, “Do you wanna have a drink – whiskey cola?” And I thought, “Oh yes, yes.” And we smoked some cigarettes, and it was one whiskey cola after another. And when you drink whiskey cola with Lemmy, you know, it is 90 percent whiskey and 10 percent Coca Cola. So, I had a couple of drinks, and I wouldn’t want to say, “No,” because I didn’t want to chicken out. So I had a couple more, and I thought, “Oh my God.” And he said, “Dora, don’t you have to do a gig?” I said, “Oh, yeah.” And then I walked out of the pub. I couldn’t even … I think I was probably shaking. I didn’t even know where I was going. So I found the club where the party was supposed to be, and then people were saying, “Doro, you have to jump onstage. Your show …” And I went onstage and I couldn’t remember the lyrics anymore. I couldn’t stand up, and then I was sitting on the drum riser, and then I waited until the band was finished. And then I walked off. And the record company and everybody were in shock. They said, “What happened to you? What happened?” And I said, “I met Lemmy.” And then everybody started laughing. They said, “Okay, little girl. Now that’s a good excuse.” And that’s how we got our record deal in America.

So that was my first time meeting Lemmy, and ever since we’ve become real good friends, and we actually did great stuff together. Two years ago, we did the tour with Motorhead. We opened up for Motorhead in Europe and Lemmy did two songs with me on the Call of the Wild record in 2000 and on this record, yeah, I wrote “It Still Hurts” with a great friend of mine who is the ex-guitar player of (Sisters of) Mercy, Andreas Bruhn, and then we were working on the song, and then I said, “Andreas, somehow I feel this calls for a duet.” And then he was singing the male part, and I said, “You know what, in the back of my mind, I hear Lemmy singing the song.” And he looked at me and said, “I made you a rock mix. You want to send it to him?” I said, “Oh, yes.” And then I sent it to Lemmy, and he said, “Oh that sounds great. Let’s do it.” And then we did it on the same day when I did “That Metal Show” with Eddie Trunk. Yeah, and then at night, I went to the studio and Lemmy sang his part for “It Still Hurts,” and I was so happy. It was great. It’s one of my favorite songs on this record, and it’s always a great honor to have Lemmy sing something.

My favorite song on the record is “Little Headbanger.” I wanted to ask you where that song came from.
DP: Yeah, I wanted to write like a real old-school metal song, like something that’s good to head-bang to. And actually, I had this idea and I did it with Andreas Bruhn as well, and I said, “Andreas, we need the real ‘80s – a no bullshit sound, not ‘90s. I want to have it ‘80s style.” Yeah, and that was the last song on the record, and then I squeezed in some little German words. But, it sounds cool, it’s great. And there are a couple of little German things, and it’s a song about a real headbanger, and actually, on the last tour, we had these t-shirts for kids, and they had “Little Headbanger” on them. So all the people when they’re buying little t-shirts for their little girl or boy … I’ve gotten tons of pictures [sent to me] where it says, “Our little headbanger” on them, and they’re so beautiful, and they say, “Now they’ll be a little headbanger when they grow up.”

I was doing some research before the interview, and I didn’t realize that your first memory of listening to music hearing “Lucille” by Little Richard.
DP: Yes, I think I was about 3 years old – maybe 3 or 4 years old. I can honestly say I think I fell in love with music so hard because of that song. I loved music before, but when I listened to it, I didn’t even know who it was, but I was just old enough to make the record player play the same song over and over and over, and my parents thought there was something wrong. But I knew then that I wanted to become a singer, and then, later on, I grew up with it and bands like T-Rex, Sweet, Slade, Alice Cooper, and then later on, Led Zeppelin, but there was no heavy metal when I was 7, 8, or 9 years old. Then, when I was about 15, there was the beginning of the heavy-metal movement, but of course, there wasn’t any Internet in Germany. There weren’t really even any magazines. There were just maybe little fanzines coming out, and later, around ’82 or ’83, we founded Warlock, and we were in the right place at the right time, and we toured and played with great, great metal bands. And somehow, we thought, “Hey man, I guess we’re part of the heavy-metal movement,” but at first, we just did what we wanted to do and it sounded like what we loved, but we had no idea it was called “heavy metal.” But then, later on, yeah … we knew.

You were one of the few female voices in metal at the time. Did you experience any problems with that, or were you accepted from the start?
DP: Yeah, Peter, actually there were absolutely no problems whatsoever. I think the fans and the other bands … like when we opened up for other bands, everybody knew I was dead serious about metal. You know, I was dedicated to metal, and I think everybody knew it. So, there was not even a question if you were a man or a woman. They knew I had metal in my heart. And the fans … from Day One, there was a deep connection, and I love the fans. I get so much feedback from the fans saying it didn’t matter if you were born a girl or whatever … you have to work with what you have, but they were nice to me. It never mattered.

The only time it mattered was when we went to go to Japan in the ‘80s – especially the German metal bands were huge there. And then, we were talking to the record company. They were selling tons … just millions of records there, but then, like the promoter said, “No, we can’t go because Doro is a girl.” And I thought, “What?! What the f- -k is that?” I couldn’t believe it. I just couldn’t believe it. Then, in the year 2000, we were signed to another independent label. It was SPV. And then the record came out in Japan again. It was actually the Call of the Wild record, with the two Lemmy duets on it. Yeah, and then I talked to my product manager, and I said, “Well, it’s a huge success in Japan,” but he said, “You guys can’t go.” And I said, “What do you mean?” And he said, “It’s only because you are a woman.” And I said, “Oh, I can’t believe it. I heard that shit in the ‘80s, and it’s still that way?” But then actually I went to Japan now. I guess we’re lucky that times have changed, but yeah, for the longest time, that was the only, only time I heard something like that. Probably, it was one person who makes the decisions, you know, because we had tons of Japanese metalheads and metal fans, but that was the only time I heard something and it was a problem. But, sometimes, when there is problem, then you put even more energy into it to overcome the hurdle, or it’s a bigger challenge. But that was actually the only time that I heard something. Everything else, there was always great support by the other musicians and bands, and our first big tour was with Judas Priest in ’87 …

That must have been amazing. What was the highlight of that tour?
DP: Yeah, yeah. The highlight of that tour was actually when we got the tour, I quit my job. My manager called me and the place where I was working as a graphic artist and he said, “Are you ready to quit your job?” And I said, “Why?” And he said, “So you can go on tour with your favorite band.” And I didn’t really dare to think … and I said, “Who do you mean?” He said, “Well, your favorite band.” And I said, “Does he mean Judas Priest?” And I said, “No f- -king way.” Then I quit my job. I told my boss that I wanted to quit my job to go on tour with Judas Priest. He didn’t know what that was. I said, “They’re the biggest and the best.” And he said, “Is that why you’re always dressed like so funny, with the bullet belt and the studs?” I said, “Yes, yes. That’s why. That’s one of the reasons.” And he said, “Okay then, good luck. I know I can’t keep you here. I wish you good luck.” And then we toured and the last gig was actually in Scandinavia, and I didn’t know it, but usually on the last gig, the headliner always does something to the support band or the support band does something to the headliner. And then we were playing “Burning the Witches,” and it was the “Turbo” tour, and suddenly, all the pyro and the “Turbo Lover” – it was like this big kind of robot – went on. Like we got the whole pyrotechnics and fireworks, and at first, I was like shocked and surprised, and then actually they gave it to us, like the whole Judas Priest guys and the crew, the band, they said, “Let’s give them the full show.” And then we played “Burning the Witches” with the full Judas Priest show, which usually, the headliner is the headliner, and we got the full-blown pyrotechnics, lights … it was unbelievable, and it looked like a million bucks. That was one of many, many highlights.

Yeah, I bet.
DP: And then my second tour was actually with Ronnie James Dio, and there were so many highlights there, too, but it would take too long to tell them all. Every day was a highlight with Ronnie, of course, and Judas Priest, my favorite band, and then Ronnie James Dio, my favorite singer … so I can definitely say I’ve been totally blessed in the metal world.

Tell me about recording your debut album, Burning the Witches, with Warlock and your last studio album together, Triumph and Agony.  How would you compare the two?
DP: Yeah, let’s see, the first one actually we signed to a label, Mausoleum Records. That’s because [they had] the coolest logo. It looked like metal, and it had two drops of blood on either end, so that was already the decision. There was no legal advice for us – nothing. It was just … it looks like metal, so it must be cool. So we started writing the … Witches album, and actually, I had no idea then that you can record something many times over. So I did all my vocals in one take in a couple of hours, and then sometimes I didn’t say the right lyrics and stuff – I wrote it down somewhere, but the lyrics got lost. So I just sang it, and I said, “I hope nobody will hear it.” I had no idea that you could ask the engineer, “Can I sing it again?” I did it all in one take, one song after the other. And I said, “I hope nobody will hear that I sang a couple of times the same shit and all the mistakes,” but then nobody said a word. I thought, “Okay.” And then I was done.
We recorded the whole record in seven days, and the first mix was actually so awful I burned it and I fell down in tears, it was so awful. We remixed it again and I blew all my money on this record, and it was … yeah, that was the first record. And then we met somebody who actually did our Hellbound (1985) record and True as Steel (1986) record. His name was Henry Staroste. He actually saved the record. He was actually an artist at Polygram, and he helped us to make a nice mix on the Burning the Witches record. And he brought in his friend, an engineer, and his name was Rainer Assmann, and he was really good. So the record, Burning…, which sounded okay in the end, he said the recording is good, but not so great, but he said, “I think it was his first time in the studio, too.” So it was actually our first record, but it was such a surprise and totally unexpected, but it was a big success. We had no idea that people would even find out that we existed. It was great, and then the second record, actually, was on Polygram then, not Universal. And then it was not taking seven days; it was actually taking nine months and it was close to taking the whole year, and then I went to America. And I fell in love with America. I just went to New York for a little promotion tour, but the promotion lasted three days and after two days, I told everybody I want to stay. And then I stayed.

Then I got in touch with so many great people, and we recorded the Triumph and Agony album in actually the best studio in the world. It was called the Power Station back then, and that’s where it happened, at the great Power Station studio in New York City. And we had great people playing on that record. Cozy Powell played many of the songs on this record, and it was the time of my life. Just being in America, I loved it so much and we had so much energy and we were overflowing with ideas, and then with Joey Balin, who produced the record with me. I told him all kinds of ideas and he went, “Wow! That’s very interesting,” and my first song was “East Meets West,” because I told Joey how it is to play in an Eastern country. We went to Hungary and it was totally like you could smell the Cold War. It was so empty and because he was American, he had no idea what I was talking about. And then I tried to explain to him how it is there, and we came up with the song “East Meets West.” It was the first song and I played it for my manager, and he said, “That’s great. Go on. Do more stuff.” And then we did song after song after song, and then we recorded the tracks actually in the Power Station in New York and in Pennsylvania, at the Kajem studio. Yeah, and I felt it had magic, and I told everybody, “I know it will be gold, it will be gold.” And everybody said, “Aren’t you getting a little bit crazy?” And I said, “No, no, no.” And yeah, it was our most successful record. We did a one-and-a-half-year tour after this record, and it was my first long, big tour in America with Megadeth, and still to this day, I love this record so much. It had so much energy and the songs … “All We Are” was edgy and put on heavy rotation on MTV, and it was shot in a river basin where “Terminator” was shot. It was shot by a great guy. Mark Rezyka was the video producer, and he was the hottest video producer in the ‘80s, or one of the hottest. And then “All We Are” was on heavy rotation … I remember when MTV had “Headbanger’s Ball,” when I first saw “All We Are” on “Headbanger’s Ball,” I screamed so loud, it was like I just couldn’t believe it. And then the next time I saw “Headbanger’s Ball,” Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, they were hosting “Headbanger’s Ball,” and they said, “And here’s another band from Germany called Warlock and ‘All We Are,’” and it was just, “Oh my God …” I almost got a heart attack. It was too much.

What was Gene Simmons like to work with?
DP: Oh, I was a big KISS fan, and I introduced KISS in 1989 at the Monsters of Rock Festival in Germany. The promoter said, “Doro, I know that you are a big KISS fan. Would you want to introduce KISS live onstage?" I said, “Oh, it would be great.” So, I did, and that was my first time when I met the guys in KISS, and I went up and met Gene Simmons. Yeah, and he left a big impression on me, and I thought, “Ah.” And from that day on, I was always thinking of maybe covering a KISS song, or maybe do something with KISS, and then I called my manager. I said, “Do you think it’s possible to maybe get connected and stuff?” And my manager, his name was Alex (Grob), he said, “I don’t think so. They don’t have time for that.” And I said, “Well, check it out.” 

So a couple of weeks later – he was a great manager by the way; I worked with him for 17 years, Alex – and then, a couple of weeks later, Alex said, “Doro get dressed, and meet me at the Le Parker Meridien Hotel on 57th Street,” and I was living in the Village, and I said, “Why?” And he said, “Well, it’s a surprise.” And I thought maybe it was some friends of mine were coming to New York, and then I went to the Le Parker Meridien Hotel. It was actually the first hotel I ever stayed at in America, so I knew it well. Yeah, and then I met Alex, and I said, “Please, tell me who it is,” and he said, “No no. You’ll find out. It’s somebody really great.” And I said, “No way!” And he said, “Yes.” And I said, “No way. Why didn’t you tell me it was Gene Simmons?” And he said, “Because I wanted to surprise you.”

And I got like … I was so nervous, and I ran around the block three times, and in New York, it’s a huge block, and then after three times, Alex said, “Are you finished now? Are you ready to face Gene Simmons?” And I walked into the hotel, and Gene was sitting there. And he was very nice, very … you know, like very calm. And he said, “Well, what do you want to do?” And I said, “I thought maybe one song together?” And he said, “Okay. Let’s try it out. If nothing happens, that’s okay, but you know, let’s check it out.” So we worked together really well and we recorded the whole record in L.A. and Gene was the executive producer, and Tommy Thayer was the co-producer. And Tommy Thayer played many of the guitar solos, and it was a time when I had great producers …you know, it was awesome. He was very, very nice – very intelligent and very caring, just super.

Your records have a lot of positive messages, and your lyrics hit on themes of perseverance in the face of different things and determination. Do you get that from when you had tuberculosis as a child and you had to fight to really even stay alive?
DP: Yeah, maybe. Maybe that had something to do with it. If you’re really close to dying, something is changed. You are not anymore so … I don’t know. It’s definitely … yeah, I think it had something to do with it. And I always wanted to make people happy and give them something they can believe in, something that can lift them up. If somebody has a shitty day, just you know, I’d always say, “Put on a record or ‘All We Are’ and you feel better, you feel empowered.” And with the live shows, that’s what I always feel I can do best. I really feel I can give people good energy, and it goes by fast, so I hope those good feelings last. When I can touch their hearts and soul … God, that’s great. And in the same way, I always get energized by the fans, and that’s why I could do another 30 years, because the music business is rough. It’s always going up and down, and it’s really hardcore. So I always owe it to the fans that I can still do it and I cater to the fans and the music and that will never, ever change. I’m a hundred percent sure of that.

What’s next for you? What’s on the horizon? And what are your long-term plans?
DP: The “Full Metal Cruise,” that’s another cruise liner metal thing going in Europe. And then we want to do all the summer festivals and do some more gigs in the States. And keep touring for the rest of the year, and then I celebrate my 30th anniversary in music. And I want to do it a couple of times. I want to do it the first time at Wacken, at the Open Air festival in Germany in August. And then I want to do it once in New York and in Paris, and then probably do a great DVD out of it, because, of course, I want to do it great, with great guests and spectacular shows and the best pyrotechnics and whatever … it’s great, great, great. Yeah, and then doing a DVD – all of it. And then I just did the second part of [the film] “Anuk – The Way of the Warrior.” [In the first movie, released in 2006 with Krokus’s Marc Storache also acting in the film, she played the warrior Meha] We did the first part and now we’re doing the second part. I’m writing some more songs for the soundtrack, and I hope it will come out in 2013 or 2014. It always takes a little longer to break into the cinema, so probably the beginning of 2014, I guess. And then more touring and hopefully, another long American tour.

Lydia Criss shares more of her KISStory



Wife of former KISS drummer releases 2nd printing of "Sealed with a KISS", featuring additional photos and stories.

By Peter Lindblad

Lydia and Peter Criss -The 70s
Their splashy divorce made headlines in New York City and across the world. In 1978, Lydia Criss and KISS drummer Peter Criss split up for good. There were irreconcilable differences. His alleged infidelity, drug and alcohol abuse and violent temper – all of it detailed in Lydia’s recently revised and expanded biography “Sealed with a Kiss,” the first edition of which was published in 2006 – drove a permanent wedge between the couple, who first met in 1966.

In her book, "Sealed with a KISS", Lydia relates how she stood by Peter and provided financial support as he attempted to jump start his music career with long-forgotten bands such as Nautilus, the Sounds of Soul, Lips, The Barracudas, and Chelsea. Then, along came Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, members of Wicked Lester when their paths crossed with Peter’s. It was Simmons who answered Peter’s ad looking for musicians playing original music who needed an experienced drummer. Soon after, KISS was born.

 "Sealed with a Kiss"
by Lydia Criss
KISS grew to become one of the biggest rock ‘n’ roll bands the world has ever seen, and Lydia – who became a respected rock ‘n’ roll photographer – did more than go along for the ride, often supplying some of their clothes in the early days with the help of her mother, the seamstress. She was there when KISS played The Coventry and the 54 Bleeker Street loft that was home to The Brats. She was there when they brought their theatrical rock circus to Madison Square Garden for the first time and toured Japan. And she accepted a 1977 People’s Choice Award on their behalf for the song “Beth,” which she inspired.  Telling the story of KISS’s rise to fame from the perspective of a rock ‘n’ roll wife, Lydia’s book is packed with photos of KISS in concert and at play, behind the scenes. It is loaded with KISS memorabilia, including the newspaper and magazine clippings she meticulously collected, KISS clothing, concert tickets, etc. And it should be required reading for KISS fans. 


This is Part 1 of our interview with Lydia Criss.

Looking at the photos from the early years, you and Peter were a stylish couple back then.
Lydia Criss: Oh, we were the two that were more stylish than the rest. We were the two dressers. You know what it is? My mother was a seamstress. So, she made him a lot of his jackets. She made me most of
my clothes. I did buy a lot, but she did make a lot, too. So my mother was a big help for me because my mother would get mad at me if I’d spend $50 on a blouse. [I’d say,] “Okay then, I’ll find a pattern and material for us and you’ll make it for us.” And she’d make it … for $10 (laughs) or maybe $5 even. That’s why she made my wedding gown. She made all the bridesmaids’ [gowns]. She was amazing.

But you made stuff, too, right? I think there was a KISS jacket [in the book] with what looked like rhinestones on the back …
LC: I made that. That’s a regular denim jacket that I bought in the store. And I did everything on that. I’m actually selling that in the auction, which I said, “Why am I doing this?” But people said to me it’s because you’re never going to wear it and if you really, really, really … first of all, it looks like it’s made for a child. I was so small then. And I just said, “You know what? If you ever want something like that again, you can just make another one.” And I did, because I have all the stuff. It just takes time. It is rhinestones, and I have the rhinestones,

  
I have the studs … I have all that stuff. And I used to like say if I was sitting at home doing nothing one night, I would do like the left side of the jacket, and then I would make sure the right side [was done] so I could wear the jacket. And then, I was bad, because I would keep adding but I would always add balance. You know, I would always make the right and the left … you know, I wouldn’t work on it if I could only make half a side, where I’d do just one side and not the other side. The jacket was always wearable, but it just kept getting more and more glitter – more bling to it (laughs).

So much of KISS’s clothing and stage show early on was put together in do-it-yourself fashion, with everybody pulling together. It must have been thrilling to be a part of it. Talk about how their look evolved.
LC: Yeah, in the beginning, my mother actually made some of his stuff, some of his jackets, like there’s a picture of him in the loft – it’s one my lithographs, I’m not sure if you’re familiar with that. It’s a picture of all four of them back in the loft, and it’s not even their loft. It’s the Bleeker Street loft, which was The Brats’ [loft]. You know, The Brats, which was a band from New York. It was their loft. And it was way before [famed KISS manager Bill] Aucoin, and they were all dressed in different things. Ace’s mother made him a shirt, and Peter’s mother made him a shirt. I made him his hot pants and my mother made him the jacket. My mother made a lot of his stuff in the early days, too, but not once it came to Aucoin. When Aucoin stepped in, [everything] was done by a professional – a real professional.
KISS - Backstage at the Bleeker Street Loft - June 1, 1973
Lydia Criss 


I know you made that KISS shirt that’s in the book, too. Is that your favorite piece?
LC: Yeah, believe it or not, I sold that in the previous auction. Oh, the KISS shirt. I made one for Peter. I made one for Gene. I used to make them for his family. You know what it is? I had a stencil that was used for the bass drum. And I used it on the shirt. And I just used glue and glitter. It was so easy to make.

Oh, yeah.
LC: Yeah, I mean it was just put the stencil on, put the glue on and then put on the glitter and it was done. And it went through the wash. That’s why it looks like it does. It looks like that stuff is coming off.

It gave it kind of a cool distressed look.
LC: Yeah.

What was the hardest thing about doing this book?
LC: The memories, the memories. You know, I’m an organization freak. I’m a Scorpio, so you know, we’re like really organized. I had to have everything right. I had to have it in order. In the book, there are three sections: there’s before KISS, KISS, and then after KISS. But the hardest part was having to deal with some of the things that were painful at the time, and they became painful again. There were times where I would sit and read. I did my manuscript many, many years before I decided to [publish it]. I mean, I decided to do the book, but my publisher went bankrupt. He was a small-time guy, and he went bankrupt, and I got all my stuff back. That was basically in the ‘90s. I had started that at the end of the ‘90s … like ’99 I think I had given my manuscript over to him. And then he didn’t do anything, so in 2004, I got everything back, and that’s when I became serious, when Jacques van Gool of Backstage Auctions did the auction. And I just said, “Well, what do I need all this stuff for? It’s going to be in my book. I can always look at it in my book. I can’t hold it physically, but it’s in my book.” So, basically, I sold everything and I wanted to do the book, but the thing that really, really hurt was when I’d sit home at night – because I didn’t have editors at the time; I’d have editors later on, but at the beginning I just had a manuscript and then the editors kind of went through the manuscript, and they would correct things. Not much though. Believe it or not, they were surprised that I wrote my book. They just corrected like punctuation and grammar and stuff like that, and maybe a little bit of the things we fought about, like say they’d say something happened this way, I would say it happened that way. But they weren’t there. I was there. But they’re talking to other people and other people are telling them, “Well, you know, no it was Sean Delaney.” And I’d say, “No it wasn’t. It was Neil Bogart.” Or, they’re saying it’s Neil Bogart, and I’m saying, “No, it was Sean Delaney.” That was one thing we disagreed with, but the thing is, we decided to word it where it says we disagree: “Well, I feel it happened this way. Other people feel it happened this way.” But anyway, the hard parts … you know, getting divorced, finding letters where Peter is cheating on me, having to have an abortion … those are the things. I would sit at night, and you know, after I’d be on the computer all day, working on the book, I’d sit at night, on my couch, with a little light on, and I’d read all their corrections, and I’m telling you, sometimes I’d be hysterical, crying, and then a paragraph later, I’d be hysterical, laughing.
The Big Day

What was it do you think that originally attracted you to Peter?
LC: His character, his personality. Anyone that knows Peter from those days will tell you Peter was a great guy – especially when he wanted to be a great guy. Like, he’s a schizophrenic or he’s got split personalities, but Peter had something magical about him. It was definitely not his looks that attracted me. I wasn’t attracted to that, and he surely didn’t have money. So, it was definitely his personality.

What were your dates like? He seems like he’d be a fun date.
LC: We really wouldn’t do much. We would go to friends’ houses, we would go to the Village, we would go to Central Park … maybe we’d go to the movies. We didn’t really have like [dates]. I mean, he didn’t take me out to dinner much. Like I said, he didn’t have money. I was still living at home. I couldn’t cook, so I wasn’t cooking him dinners. He had a friend who lived in my neighborhood, Jerry Nolan, his best friend, who was the drummer for the New York Dolls. Coincidentally, he lived in my neighborhood, and Peter would sleep over and stay over there, or we’d go over and hang out at Jerry’s. Or, most of the time, we’d go to see Peter play.

At first, you didn’t think much about dating a musician. Everybody always says how tough it is. Was it difficult for the two of you early on?
LC: I really wasn’t even aware what went on dating a musician or what went into that. I dated a sailor before him, but before that … I only had two boyfriends before him, and before that there was a guy, but we were only 16, so we didn’t work – we were like still going to school. And so, I didn’t know what it was like to date a musician. I mean, I thought it was okay at the time. Then, when I read some of his book, I was definitely … the wool was being pulled over my eyes. And that’s another thing that hurt, reading his book. I’m sure him reading my book hurt also. And I think that’s his way of getting back or getting even with me, ‘cause that’s how Peter is. Peter can be a real sweetheart in front of you, but he can stab you in the back when you’re not looking.

You write about some of the financial issues you had while Peter tried to get his music career going.
LC: I mean I worked; he didn’t work. You know what he paid for? He paid for his drugs, and he paid for some of the clothes he might have bought and maybe the gifts for his family. But I paid all the household bills – you know, for all the furniture. I paid for the vacations. I paid for our honeymoon. I paid for our wedding. Even though the wedding – you get gifts and it pays for itself – but I initially paid for the wedding. But I paid for the honeymoon … you know what he used to do, which I found out later also? And I’m talking about maybe two years ago, I might have found out. He was making $50 a night and he’d tell me he’d only be making $35 or he’d only be making $25. The guy that worked with him, the guitar player, he says, “We never made less than $50 a night.” I’ve got records. I’ve got records that I kept, and it’s in a composition notebook – the picture of the book. But I kept records of all the jobs he worked and what salary he came home with. And either he was spending it on girlfriends or he was spending it on drugs. So that’s another thing that I found out way later, way after I was divorced – like 25 years after I was divorced.

Was there a low point early on with Peter where you asked yourself, is this ever going to get any better or perhaps Peter isn’t going to make it?
LC: Not really, because we were only married two years when he met KISS, when he met Gene and Paul. He met them in ’72. So that was only two years. Two years is nothing. There was a point where we had just moved to our second apartment, I was kept busy with moving, working every day; then, I’d sell Avon during the day at my job, and then I’d also make macramé – different things, chokers, belts, bracelets, and I would sell them, you know, to supplement the income. So, there was none from him, or very little.

Pre-Kiss, did you think any of the bands he was in up to that point was going to be big?
LC: Chelsea. Chelsea was the only one, because they had a record deal. Everybody else did cover songs, so they weren’t looking for a deal. There was a time when Peter did do something. He was in a contest at the Brooklyn Academy of Music that they won. And they got a record deal, but it didn’t do anything – like one single I think they did. It really went nowhere. But Chelsea … at least Chelsea had an album. They worked with some pretty important people at the time, like the producers and the engineers and stuff like that. I had no idea who these people were, and eventually, years later, you realize they were somebody. Even Eddie Kramer was somewhere involved in there. I’m not sure how, and there was different people. And I thought that might have made it, even though that wasn’t my type of music, but at least when he joined KISS, at one point it got to the point where he would just … working with Stan Penridge and they were just doing drugs, it was back to the old days where they were just doing cover songs and some original stuff back in the same old clubs. He was playing, you know, the King’s Lounge, like when he was with some other bands earlier than when he was with Stan, it was called Lips. And he had played the King’s Lounge with Joey Lucenti. He was in a band with him when KISS came to audition Peter … not audition, because Peter would audition at the loft, but they wanted to see him play with the band, so they came to see him at the King’s Lounge. He played with a few bands in that one club, not too far from where I used to live in Brooklyn.  

Meeting the men from Wicked Lester, you talked about how shabbily they dressed, but they had big plans. Did you sense right away that this was going to be something different for Peter?
LC: Well, when I saw their attitude and their professionalism … I mean, they were unprofessional in certain ways and were professional in other ways – you know, trying to bust Peter’s balls in flirting with me. But I saw right through that. But I just said, I like the songs; I loved “She” and “Deuce” and there were just songs where I just said, “Wow! This is more my style than Chelsea.”

Even at that time it seemed like they had grand designs on putting together a big stage show, huh?
LC: Um, I’m not sure if they had that in mind. I think Sean Delaney was that … that was all Sean Delaney’s ideas, from what I can remember. You know, I’m sure once they realized there’s money … [that] you could do something with a lot of money then you’re not limited. Then your mind expands and you can see things you never thought you’d be able to do. I don’t think they saw that in the early days. They just wanted to be big, like … yeah, The Beatles were big, but they didn’t have the stage that KISS had. They were basically all Beatles fans, so that’s what they were looking at. Ace was a Jimi Hendrix fan, so, you know, Jimi Hendrix didn’t have anything elaborate. In those days, it was basically [David] Bowie, Alice Cooper and the New York Dolls that they took everything from. And Sean Delaney incorporated it and went even further.   

The Coventry was where the band got its start. It wasn’t an auspicious beginning for them. What do you remember about the place and those first shows?
KISS - Coventry Show Flier
LC: The Coventry was very small. It was a neighborhood club, but it was the club to play. It was right over the bridge from Manhattan in Queens, and that’s where the Dolls played, that’s where there were bands like Luger and Street Punk … with Street Punk and Luger, [they] eventually played with them at the Diplomat. I think the Brats played at the Coventry. That was the place to play. And Gene and Paul went and talked to the owner and got a gig. I think it was Paul. I’m not even sure it was Gene, but I think Paul.

I thought it was interesting where one of the pictures of KISS playing at 54 Bleeker Street with the Brats showed them behind what looked like a rope that was separating the band from the crowd.
LC: I know (laughs). I know. We thought it was hard to believe then (laughs).

It was interesting that the Brats were holding their own shows there.
LC: You know, I’m still friends with Dominique, the lead singer; he calls himself Keith West. We always knew him as Dom from The Brats. I’m still friends with him. He still lives on the same block as my boyfriend [Richie Fontana, who used to play in Piper with Billy Squier].

Oh, is that right?
LC: Yeah. We live in the same housing … it’s really nice like Tudor-type houses out in Queens, and they have the same management company that manages the houses. It’s not low housing. It’s expensive. But they live about three doors down from each other.

Is that place still around, that 54 Bleeker Street loft?
LC: It’s still there. I don’t know what’s being held there, but I actually … somebody asked me about that like, “What’s the number? I [went] on Bleeker Street and I can’t find anything.” I’m going, “You’re not going to find anything. It looks like a doorway.” So, I gave her the number, 54.

I wanted to ask you about some of the big events in your life and that of KISS, starting with the Casablanca launch party. That looks like it a great time.
LC: Oh, it really was. I flew out with Gene’s girlfriend, Jan. I think we were staying at the Chateau Marmont at the time. And we shared a room with Gene. And my mother made me that outfit [shown in the book]. Like I said, she was a seamstress. She made the black velvet jacket. I made the hot pants. She would make the tops and I would make the bottoms. They’re easy to make – for girls they’re easy, not for guys. But I used to make the same pants for Peter, just bigger. I mean, it wasn’t done professionally, but it looked good. Anyway, I would make the bottoms, and she made the tops, and she made me a vest, a silver lame like vest and a bow tie, and it looked like a tuxedo. And I rented a top hat, and I remember meeting David Janssen [who starred in the television series “The Fugitive”] and Alice Cooper. I met Alice Cooper that night. That was amazing. Oh, and the other thing about that night was that I was drinking Black Russians, and that’s not the thing to drink on an empty stomach, ‘cause I don’t remember food being there. I was drinking Black Russians and all I remember is the limo driver carrying me out over his shoulder, both of us hysterically laughing. I wound up staying in the limo while everyone went out to have something to eat … and well, see there wasn’t any food. Everybody went into restaurant, and I stayed in the limo ‘cause I was too bombed. And the next day, I stayed in my room until about 6 o’clock at night. I could not get out of bed. I should have eaten before. I finally ended up having some soup at around 8 o’clock at night.

They really did it up that night.
LC: It was great. I have some pictures. I did take pictures. They didn’t come out that great, because I had a little tiny Insta-Matic camera. It wasn’t anything professional. And I’m just glad I got something, but it wasn’t what I would have liked.

Yeah, because they really did it up. They had a guy dressed like Humphrey Bogart …
LC: Oh yeah. Oh yeah. I have pictures of him. I think I put that in the book … they had a fake camel, and there were all these gambling tables, like a casino, but it was old-fashioned looking, like from “Casablanca.” It was amazing. Neil Bogart even dressed as Humphrey Bogart, and he was wearing Humphrey Bogart’s real jacket [from the movie]. So it was amazing. And then the offices of Casablanca … there were palm trees and camels and arched doorways … they made it all look like the Middle East (laughs).

What do you remember about some of the shows KISS would play in Detroit? That was the town that was really into KISS.
LC: Above all, they loved the band. They just loved them. I don’t know why, but maybe because of “Detroit Rock City,” or maybe they did “Detroit Rock City” because they’d loved them there. I don’t know which came first, the chicken or the egg. But for some reason … the promoter really liked them. I think it was Steve Glantz, who was the promoter. Him and Bill Aucoin got along great, and they booked them there a lot. And that’s kind of where they really made their mark. You know, they played the Michigan Palace first, and I think they even played with Aerosmith at one point. They played with Mott the Hoople at one point. It was interesting. It was really interesting how they climbed the ladder. And then they’re playing Cobo Hall, and then they decided to do a live album, with the remote trucks outside to capture it, to tape it. And it was a great place to do that, because it was a place where they were really loved.

Did it seem like it was … I don’t want to say an overnight success, but that it was moving quickly for KISS at that point?
LC: Well, let’s see, I supported Peter for six years, and then three years before we got married, so nine years. It wasn’t an overnight success (laughs). Let’s see … we met in ’66, and then Alive! went gold in ’75, so that’s nine years. So, it was about time. At that time when it happened, it was a great point. Things were starting to happen. Peter would come home and say kids are like jumping on the limos … and the other thing is, they had limos (laughs)! In the early days, KISS would be pulling up [to venues] in a station wagon (laughs). I don’t remember really them being in tour buses in those days. They would fly everywhere. They would fly and that was one of the other amazing things, that we would just ask for a plane ticket and we’d get it, you know. It was like, whoa. Call the travel agent (laughs).

 What do you remember from that first show at Madison Square Garden?
LC: Madison Square Garden, of course, touched my heart in a way no other venue could, because I grew up there. I saw the [Concert for] Bangladesh there, you know, George Harrison. I saw some of the biggest acts I will ever see at Madison Square Garden. And just to be able to see … I mean, the Rolling Stones were at the Garden.

You saw everyone.
LC: I saw Bianca Jagger. There was Bianca Jagger, and I was sitting in the same seats where she was sitting when the Rolling Stones played. And everybody asks me, “What was the best thing in your KISS life?” There’s not one; there are three. Madison Square Garden is one of them, the People’s Choice Awards was the other, and going to Japan was the other. At Madison Square Garden, I stood on the stage and there were people that knew my name and were calling me. I would go on the stage before the band, and I actually looked out into the crowd and saw a banner – actually, Jacques sold it in the last auction. And it said, “We love Lydia,” and I’m going, “Oh my God.” And then there was a little banner back by itself, hanging from the rafters in the back of the Garden, and all I did was cry. I could not stop. The tears were just pouring down my face. When they played, the ovation that the audience gave them, the claps for encores and everything … it was just amazing. I mean, my family was there, my friends, my relatives … it was just an amazing … I mean, Bill Aucoin was right near me, and I was crying on his shoulder (laughs).

After all you’d been through those nine years, hearing “Beth” for the first time must have brought out a flood of emotions.
LC: Well, that was more like 11 years by that time (laughs). It was more like ’76, I guess. They played the Garden in ’76 or ’77 … no, ’77. So maybe it was about 10 years. It was just unbelievable. Him singing “Beth,” every time he’d come out, he’d bow to me (laughs). He’d actually stop at the sound board, because I’d be standing at the sound board, and he would bow to me and then go. But he would never throw a rose to me. He would always want to give them to the fans. And he would never let me stand in the pit. That was another thing. I could have had a lot more photos if he would have let me be in the pit. The pit is right below the stage where all the photographers stayed. He would not let me go because it was too dangerous.

He did have a paranoid side to him, didn’t he?
LC: Very paranoid, yes.

I wanted to ask you about going overseas. What was your favorite memory of going to Japan?
LC: Just being in Japan. I’ve been to Japan twice – once in ’77 and once in ’78. But just being in Japan was
amazing because I never in my life ever thought … I never dreamed of being married to a rock star. I just dreamed of being a little Italian housewife that raised four kids and grew up and all I did was cook all day. I never dreamed of going to Japan. That wasn’t one of my dreams. I never dreamed of being an author. I never dreamed of publishing my own book – never dreamt that, but I did it, and I believe if I put my mind to anything, I can do it. Going to Japan was one of my favorite, favorite things because you just see how the other side of the world lives. And you think it’s so much different than the way you do, and sometimes it really isn’t. It’s like they still have the same … you think they’re so far behind the times, and really, they’re more ahead of the times than we are. I mean, just the fact that I could buy cameras so much cheaper than you can buy them here … you know, I bought my Nikon and that was my first camera that was a professional camera. I bought that there. Peter told me to go out and buy a $2,000 fur coat, so instead I went out and bought a $500 Nikon.

It paid off for you.
LC: I know it did, because eventually, I wind up working in a photo agency. She was also my agent. I was her friend. We used to travel together, the boss that owned the photo agency. And I was also her bookkeeper.

Oh, is that right?
LC: And now, I’m [rock photographer] Bob Gruen’s bookkeeper. You know, Bob Gruen? The John Lennon New York City t-shirt?

Sure, sure.
LC: You know, he did Dressed to Kill.

That’s right.
LC: I’m his bookkeeper. Well, actually, right now I’m panicking, because it is tax time and I have to get back to bookkeeping.

I have to ask you about the People’s Choice Awards. That must have been a nerve-wracking experience.
LC: That was such a nerve-wracking experience, you have no idea. Okay, they knew they were getting the People’s Choice Award. That’s one award that you’re told beforehand. That’s why everybody who gets it usually shows up. For some reason, KISS only found out 10 days before, so they couldn’t show up. They were already booked in Fargo, North Dakota. They said, what are we going to do, sit in the audience with makeup on? We’re going to feel ridiculous and blah, blah, blah … so I’m sitting at a table backstage in Detroit with Gene, Peter and Bill Aucoin, and I just said, “Well, I’ll accept the award,” just joking. And Gene turned out and said, “Okay.” And once I knew he said, “Okay,” I said, “Oh my God.” I lost 10 pounds in 10 days. I was a nervous wreck. I had to get a dress, I had to get hair, I had to figure out what to do with my hair, I had to get nails … I didn’t even have long nails. I had to get them, fake nails. I had to do the whole thing, and I was a nervous wreck. I had to give a speech. Not only that, but they stuck me in the audience and they never told me when to walk up. They never told us. There was nothing. They never told
"Beth" - Peter Criss
me anything. And Bill Aucoin was sitting next to me and he just pushes me out. I was sitting on the aisle. He just pushes me out, and he goes, “Good luck.” And I’m going, “Bill, I’m going to kill you (laughs).”

Were you able to do the entire speech as written?
LC: Yeah, yeah. I mean, I’ve done this speech so much, I know it by heart: “Honestly, ‘Beth’ is my favorite song, not only because it’s how Peter feels about me, but it’s how everyone feels when he’s away from the woman he loves. KISS is performing tonight and they just want me to thank you for this great honor, and I want to thank KISS.” And then I blew a little kiss.

That was a nice touch.
LC: Yeah, I think Carl Glickman or Howard Marks wrote it for me. He wrote that for me. And I practiced. I said it over and over again on the plane. The week before, I used to carry it around with me, practicing it for 10 days. All I ate for 10 days was an egg a day.

Is that right?
LC: I was nauseous. I couldn’t eat anything, and I was stuck … I would try to eat something, so I would have a hard-boiled egg, and I was like full just from eating that. And I was a nervous wreck. And I think I went down to 103 pounds the day of the People’s Choice Awards. 

What was the most frustrating thing for Peter about being in KISS?
LC: Well, he was frustrated because he couldn’t get enough songs on the albums, but the thing was, Peter’s songs are not as good as Gene’s and Paul’s. That’s the problem Peter doesn’t realize. He thinks his songs are great and they’re not. I mean, I’m sorry to say it, but I mean, “Beth” is good and some of the songs were good, but he also wrote them with Stan Penridge. And Penridge was really the writer. You know, for some reason I think you have to know music … not really, no – because Richie [Fontana, formerly of Piper] doesn’t. You don’t have to read music, but you know … playing guitar might help. I don’t know, but my boyfriend, Richie, he’s an amazing writer. Peter wasn’t – sorry, sorry.

How would you characterize your marriage to Peter? It seemed like you had to play psychologist quite a bit.
LC: Well, to be honest with you, I thought we had a good marriage. We did fight, but I thought everybody fought. And you know what it is? I realize now everybody doesn’t fight, because I think you fight when you’re younger because you’re just too immature. Richie and I, we’ve been together 11 years, and we’ve had two fights. That’s it. Two fights in 11 years. And they weren’t major … well, one was major, and one, neither one of us know what the fight was about (laughs). “Why did we have that fight?” We don’t even remember. Anyway, one was a major fight, but the thing is when you’re young, you fight a lot more. You’re jealous. You’re immature. Richie’s been through … do you know who Richie is?

Richie Fontana?
LC: Yes. He’s been on the road with a major band, Piper. He was with the Skatt Bros., which was Sean
Richie Fontana - Piper
Delaney. He’s had a great career. He was on Paul Stanley’s album, the solo album. And he was a drummer, but he also plays every other instrument. He’s like a McCartney, like a McCartney of the Aucoin people. You know, we don’t fight. We’ve both been through it all, we both know … hey, we’re mature. I know he’s gone out with girls. He knows I’ve gone out with guys. What are you going to do, fight about the past? But that’s the thing: Peter was always jealous, and he says I was jealous, but of course, I was jealous because he admits he was cheating on me. Why shouldn’t I be jealous?

Was it the drugs that changed Peter? Or was it the success? Or was it all of it?
LC: No, that’s what broke up our marriage. You know what I used to say to Peter? I’ll be honest with you. I used to say to Peter, “Look, I know you’re a rock star now. And I know you’ve got lots of girls all over, hanging all over you. And I’m sure you sleep with some of them. Just don’t take them to breakfast.” In other words, “Don’t flaunt them in front of your band members. Do your thing and get rid of them.” Debbie, obviously, he didn’t get rid of. And he wound up marrying her. I believe that it was all … at that point, drugs were a major part of our life, and that’s what really broke us up. I really believe that. It wasn’t the girls, because I knew he was with girls. It was the drugs.

It seems like him and Ace … I don’t know if they kind of ran together, but they seemed to be interested in the same things.
LC: The thing is … it’s not that they ran together, because they kind of didn’t. Yeah, Peter hung out with Paul a lot. We went on vacation together, twice. Once we went to Rockport, Mass., which is kind of like Martha’s Vineyard in a way. It’s near there. And then we also met in Hawaii together – me, Paul and Peter and whatever girl he was with at the time. I never actually went on vacation with Ace. So, it wasn’t like … I was closer to Jeanette [Trerotola, Ace Frehley’s former wife] than … well, actually, Paul had a girlfriend I was close to as well. But I’m not sure. I know we used to go out to clubs with Paul, because Paul lived in the city, but we were actually closer to Paul at one point. But I think that people think that Ace and Peter were close, but just because they both drank but it wasn’t necessarily that way.

Peter did have his wild friends like John Belushi.
LC: Yeah, we had John, but so did Ace. Ace knew John, but the thing is we were introduced by another friend of mine that used to do videos for KISS. We were introduced to John, and also, Sean Delaney worked with John Belushi. Yeah, Sean did work on “Saturday Night Live.”

What was the scariest moment for you with Peter?
LC: Um, when he would get violent. There were a few times. There was a time where I got hit by him. Three o’clock in the morning, we’re living in Brooklyn, KISS is doing their first album. Richie Wise and Kenny Kerner [the producers on KISS’s debut album] were joking with him, and they said, “Oh, Lydia’s flirting with Paul,” just because I was taking pictures and because they wanted to bust his balls. But he came home drunk and he wanted to beat me up, so he did. He punched me in the lip, and I had to go to work the next day and make an excuse for that one. That was scary. The other scary one was in my apartment in Manhattan, when we moved to the east side of Manhattan. I don’t know, we were having some sort of fight, and I wound up leaving and I checked into a hotel. And the other time was … there was another time he was hitting me, but basically … oh, we were on the road and I actually left the room and knocked on Bill Aucoin’s door and said, “Can I sleep in here,” and I did. At that point, Peter was wrecking the room, and I have photos of it.

In the end, you didn’t end up divorcing just Peter. You divorced KISS pretty much and your previous life.
LC: That’s the hardest part of getting divorced. You don’t leave a person. You leave their family, you end up losing their friends, and their business associates. Fortunately, I kept in touch with Ace. I’m not in touch with Gene or Paul. I see them occasionally, maybe once every 20 years … I don’t know (laughs). But I do talk to his family. I’m close to his family, his brother. I’m closer to his brother now than he is. He hasn’t talked to his brother in about 15 years. He only talks to one of his sisters, and the last time I saw Peter, which was at Bill Aucoin’s memorial, I had to tell him it was his sister’s … the one sister that he does keep in touch with I had to tell him it was her birthday.

Oh, is that right?
LC: I said, “You should call your sister.” The family is always complaining, “We don’t hear from him. We don’t hear from him.” So I tell him, and I have seen him in 16 years and I’m reprimanding him (laughs).

Learning how to be a photographer, did you ever think that would help you stand on your own two feet?
LC: Well, absolutely. I always loved being a photographer. My mother took pictures and my uncle was a professional photographer. My uncle actually built his own camera and he was in a photography magazine. He always had a Leica, which I wound up getting when he passed away. But my mother always used to go, “Oh no. Here comes aunt Mary with the camera.” And that was my mother. So I always had a camera, and when I finally was getting divorced, I’m going to go for lessons, because we had finally gotten professional cameras. And you know, you can learn a little bit through … you know, once we were in Japan they were telling me what to do with this camera and I’m going,”Ugh. I’m like lost.” But I went to school. I went to school, to the New School in New York City, and I took a couple of classes. Jeanette was supposed to go with me, but she bailed out. And so I took a couple of classes, and I learned how to use the camera. And I just said to myself … I just remember walking in my home in Greenwich, and I thought, “You know what? Your life is not over. You can do whatever you want to do, and you’re going to do it.” I just said, “I want to be a photographer.” And that’s what I became.

Who was your favorite band to photograph?
LC: Ah, Queen. Queen. Well, KISS would have been if they’d allowed me to be in the pit, but I wasn’t allowed because of Peter. It wasn’t KISS; it was Peter who didn’t want me there. But Queen has the best lighting. I loved their lighting. I mean, I’m not sure, but I’m sure KISS had great lighting also. I mean, I love to photograph KISS. They’re so visual. But other than KISS, it would be Queen.

Was there a photo that you’ve taken over the years, maybe of Freddie [Mercury] or somebody, that’s your favorite?
LC: Oh yeah. I got a picture of Freddie where he’s standing with his fist out and he’s standing sideways and the lights from something on the stage just keep going. It’s an amazing photo and the weirdest thing about it is [famed rock photographer] Barry Levine asked me for a copy of that photo.

Oh, is that right?
LC: So, you know who Barry is, right?

He taught you a few tricks, right?
LC: Barry is my inspiration, and so is Bob Gruen. They both inspired me. Barry inspired me with his professionalism and his creativity. Bob Gruen inspired me with respect to you can do anything and they’ll love it (laughs). I said to Bob Gruen, “I have a photo in my book … some of them are dark, some of them are out of focus.” He goes, “It doesn’t matter. They’ll love them anyway.” I didn’t want them in my book, but my editors said, “Put them in the book. They’re history. They’re part of history (laughs).”

Do you have a favorite Ace story you could tell? It seems like there is a lot of them.
LC: Well, you know the one of him with the girl on the balcony.

Right.
LC: Jesus, I don’t know. I think Ace is a story in himself. He’s a character. Oh, all right. I’ve got a story about Ace. I probably don’t have it in the book. Okay … well, maybe I do. I’m not sure. Anyway, Ace is here one day. He’s at my apartment, and he’s going over to see this girl Linda, who lives on 72nd. I’m like a couple of blocks away from there. A few blocks from the Dakota. So he’s going over to see Linda, and he goes, “Lydia, could you lend me $20?” I said, “$20? What the hell are you going to do with $20?” And he says, “Oh, you know, just in case I need $20.” I said, “Ace, I’ll give you $50.” So I went over the safe and got $50 out of the safe and I gave him $50, and he goes, “Hey, you got a lot of money?” And I said, “No, but I’ve got money.” And he goes, “Will you marry me?”

And he likes to gamble.
LC: Needless to say, I never got the $50 back (laughs). He loves to gamble. I was at his apartment once. It was me and Jeanette. We were at the apartment, and he took a Lear jet to Atlantic City, and he called up Jeanette. And he says, “Jeanette, I’m not coming home tonight.” She goes, “What do you mean?” We were in his Manhattan apartment. He had a house at that point I think up it was up in Irvington, New York. It was just a rental. Or maybe he owned it. I’m not sure. He might have owned it. I’m not sure, but it wasn’t the big house that he bought in Wilson, New York. He goes, “I’m not coming home.” And she goes, “Why not?” And he says, “Because I’m winning $40,000. I’m up $40,000. And I’m not coming home. We’re rained in.” And she goes, “Okay, fine.” He winds up … the next day he takes the plane out and comes home with $25,000. She goes, “What happened to the other $15,000?” And he goes, “Well, I lost it. And I also bought you a mink coat (laughs).” He’s hysterical.

He hasn’t changed much, except for the sobriety I suppose.
LC: Yeah.

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Look for more of our interview with Lydia Criss in the coming days. In the meantime, visit http://www.lydiacriss.com/ for more information on Lydia and the revised and expanded edition of her book, “Sealed with a KISS.”