I met Peter in 1994 and he was really cool, he signed all my stuff and even had a bit of a chat, he let us take a couple photos, he couldn't have been nicer. It was great to see him back on top in Kiss a couple of years later.
For people who call him a liar, Peter just protect the image of KISS with saying the drinking was moderatly and no drugs. Just like KISS Didnt say Peter was a drug addcit and get fired. Its call self respect. And of course people and fans dosent need to know all behind those guys its something call privacy. The situation was to soon to tell people the truth.
He’s thinking of the kids as were the members of kiss they had a lot of fans who were kids even in 79’ tom said “we’ll get into the drugs and all of that” they all said “no drugs no drugs” even then
@frank dreben , yes, Hard Luck Woman was written to Rod Stewart, but he didn't want it. And as you say, Peter Criss' voice has a huge resemblance to Rod's, so it fits very well 😊👍
Back in 1980 I was in a band that practiced at the Cambridge Music Complex in Mass. It wasn't uncommon to see the Cars, Boston, Areosmith etc. I was on the payphone with the wife and in comes Peter Criss with a few big guys. I was shocked because just the night before I'd seen the interview above. Had I not caught the show I would've never knew it was him. We exchanged pleasantries and he said he was there to see a band called Luna. Nice guy, very weird coincidence...
The thing that destroyed KISS is treating two members like employees instead of equal partners. Gene and Paul without the two integral members are just like a cover act...interesting but ultimately far short of great. Peter may not have been the best drummer, but he was the best drummer for KISS. It wasn't just his musicianship it was his distinctive voice fool! All it takes is 30 seconds of a great KISS song to understand how important their chemistry was. Value the talent.
It was their way of sticking it to Peter because by firing Peter they F ed themselves and had to continue to pay him 25% for years after including the money from the polygram deal. The nasty money grubbing bastards savored making it right in their twisted minds when the made him an employee.
Peter didn't do anything to sabotage Kiss's career, the tv movie, the four solo albums and the 1979 sell out to disco sabotaged Kiss's career. The original band was unable to recover from the blow.
Yes Eric Singer and Eric Carr and most other good rock drummers can play circles around Peter. However Peter's unique and stylistic playing drove Kiss in such a way that can never be duplicated, plus the cat character worked with the other guys so well. Kiss Alive (the first "live" album) shows how Peter drove this band much like Springsteen's drummer drives his band.
@smitchix1Peter may not have been drumming in Kiss, but when this was done he was still part owner of Kiss, the band still wanted to protect it's image. It's not as if Peter was in a position to blow the lid off Kiss at the time, Kiss was still his bread and butter.
@@joshuamack342 Peter and Ace's contract, said they were allowed each one song on the albums if they wanted too, to their credit, they didn't make a stink of it and were basically silent partners until the contract ended in the 80's. I personally would have thrown a song on every album post leaving, just to spite Gene and Paul.
There are still people who say Peter was forced out of KISS even though there's plenty of evidence that he didn't care anymore and wanted to leave when they finally asked him to, such as this video. It's wasn't by chance that Peter released his second solo album within months of leaving KISS and titled it "Out of Control". Also, Peter initially had the rights to the Catman makeup, which is why he was able to use it in various imagery during his solo career.
I know Gene and Paul like to say he was fired, but the reality was, he was asked to leave. He could not be fired because of his contract, he was an equal member. Even though Gene and Paul formed the band, Bill Aucoin made everyone equal partners to avoid money problems. Peter could have easily said, "F-you, I am not going anywhere!" but to Peter's credit, he stepped down amicably with no messy legalities.
@FunWithFlipCam I don't think anyone said Peter Criss is a proliific songwriter, but he did score the original bands highest USA charting single. That's a fact.
When someone has a substance abuse problem, something either triggers it or it becomes worse when the addict is pushed. I hate to say it, but Gene and Paul contributed to Peter's problem when they would not let Peter contribute his material to the band because "it was not KISS like". Peter and Ace had stuff that was good, yet Gene and Paul suppressed what they had to offer.
In the interview, Peter mentioned John Bonham's death which was September 25, 1980, so it must have been one of the following months of 1980 after that date.
@@LB-br8hn Funny, I remember the playground rumors that Peter tried out for Zeppelin and sucked so bad, he was thrown out of rehearsal. I knew it was all untrue and just rumors, but I thought it was comical that these rumors spread around so fast! I remember all the hardcore KISS fans defending Peter and hardcore Zep fans, saying Peter could never replaced Bonham! Peter was so delusional at this point, who knows if the rumor had some truth to it?
I joined the kiss army in 1977 and Peter and Ace are as much of a reason of Kiss's success as Paul and Gene. I am not thrilled with the Imposters wearing their makeup, no matter how talented they may be. I love Kiss in all its versions, however seeing Tommy and Eric dressed as Peter and Ace leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Vinnie and Eric Carr were given their own identities and i think the same should be true with Tommy and Eric.
@yakadiyak71 Peter admitted later in his life that because he was young he thought he had to live the Keith Richards rock 'n roll lifestyle where you do a lot of drugs and have a lot of sex and unfortunately learned the hard way that thats not a way of life and will really mess you up. He never wanted to fuck anything up but because he was young he felt that to be a rock star you had to take up the lifestyle of other rockers of the time which of cousre will lead to things being fucked up.
I Loved Boozy Peter back in the day.....he was 35 here, not 33, liar liar pants on fire....still love ya though, would love to have done a few lines with this man and Ace....
@kissarmyquickpicks Sure-a novelty song that Bob Ezrin had to completely rework into an actual song. Look, I started playing drums because of Peter-he was a huge influence. But the fact of the matter is, I am an adult now and see things as they are. Peter was moderately talented and lucky to be where he was. And instead of appreciating it, he was a jerk. My opinion-and one shared by many who have met or worked with him. Sorry you dont agree.
I m fond of the band but without make up, bombs etc they would not have hit it so big. They are ALL moderate musicians. Bobby Rondinelli was asked to join after Criss left. He took the offer from Ritchie Blackmore to join Rainbow which wasnt as big commercially as KISS. Why did he do that ?
i love KISS. Have for a very long time. In the last few years, as books have come and gone... Ace is so far the only one I have finished their book and not thought, wow what a dick.
Peter was pretty nice looking without the makeup. Gray hair and dark beard…and that accent. Gene has traditionally been my favorite but damn Peter was pretty hot
What really destroyed Kiss was their transformation from the band who did Alive! to the band who became a watered down kiddie band doing disco songs. Peter and Ace lost interest in being in the band because it became a circus act, and when Peter and Ace lost interest in Kiss, it was over. Gene says he wished the original band would have stayed together but that would have meant remaining a hard rock band but when the money came rolling in Gene & Paul wanted to sell out and that destroyed th band
As the 1980's began no one could have guessed that just two musicians, both from groups and now solo, would dominate the musical landscape and redefine music: Michael Jackson and Peter Criss.
@FunWithFlipCam Actually it's Paul and Gene who owe Bob and Stan the thank you. Beth was a bigger USA hit song than anything they've written. Case closed. Have a nice day.
@FunWithFlipCam Elvis Presley didn't write a lot of songs either, but it never hurt his career. Peter Criss didn't need to be a songwriter to have hit songs, he had a great voice that could make any song his own. Being a songwriter is great, but it's not a requirement for most drummers if they have a great voice, and very few do, Peter is an exception. You're entitled to your opinion, but the fact is Peter and Kiss made it on their own talent and the music is a testament to that.
Interesting to see this rare interview, I'd only seen the classic 1979 make-up one with Snyder (RIP). Guess this was before Lennon was shot in 1980, or they'd surely talked about that as Kiss was all big Beatles fans obviously, though Ace was more into Stones.
@kissarmyquickpicks WORLD of difference between the two. Paul collaborated with Ponica on an idea that was largely Paul's and completed. Peter had a melody...and stupid joke lyrics. To quote Bob Ezrin himself "The version of Beth you know and love didnt become that way till it came to my house and stayed for awhile." I love when you KISS fans get so blinded by your devotion that you caqnt see the truth. I love KISS too-I also love the truth.
Archie Gamble Well...the demo had the melody but only like two chords. But the hook ”Beth, What can I do?” was there. (Or Beck or whatever). A producer’s job is to get the songs to sound like a cohesive song with the right feel for melody, chords and the right lenght of verse/chorus/bridge etc. The Detroit Rock City demo isn’t particulary great, it sounds rushed and not like the rock n roll train it is on the record. God of thunder demo sounds pretty terrible. Beth demo is actually a pretty nice tune. Ezrin made it a bombastic string ballad. It’s about taste. Sean Delaney write the three best songs on Rock n Roll over (Take me, Making love and Mr Speed). Collaborations was key to Kiss’ success. Ace’s guitar parts and tasty and melodic solos gave the group an unique sound. Peter’s swing style made the songs groove. A great band is always better than it’s individual parts.
@kissarmyquickpicks You are right but it's actually funny when you have Ace & Peter ramble on for the past 25 years about their writing talents being one of ther reasons for leaving KISS when that wasn't exactly the case. If they are indeed so talented then they should be bigger than KISS since they were in fact carrying the band. LOL
@kissarmyquickpicks Nice way to twist my words-read again. I said the ORIGINAL version of Beth that Peter wrote and brought to Bob Ezrin was a parody song-you know this. The original is a parody about an ex bandmate's GF hassling him. The version that Bob Ezrin finished was a classic. .A classic Peter had very little to do with at all, I might add.
@FunWithFlipCam A "novelty song"? You sound like the critics who dismissed Kiss entirely as a novelty act. Let's deal with facts; Peter scored a bigger hit song than Gene or Ace, even Paul at the time had no bigger hits than Beth until, wait for it, A "novelty disco song" called I Was Made For Lovin' You, LOL. Ace's biggest hit was New York Groove, a cover song. Peter Criss gave Kiss a tremendous boost of success they needed in 1976, thus giving the band a boost in popularity and success.
@FunWithFlipCam I believe in giving credit where credit is due; If that makes me a "fanboy" in your eyes, so be it. The fact is, Peter Criss was a founding member of the band who contributed to their success and popularity, Beth became original Kiss' highest charting single in the USA. That propelled Kiss to a higher level of success. You seem to have a difficult time accepting facts that run counter to your opinion of Peter being a "hack"; A hack who helped make Kiss successful.
@FunWithFlipCam Bob Ezrin's involvement with the creation/writing of Beth is no different than Vini Poncia's involvement/writing with Paul on I Was Made For Lovin' You, sometimes with Kiss that what a producer's job is. But we all know this, it's only you who does not. Try to know what you're talking about before hitting the reply button again.
Although none of the originals in kiss were great musicians. Obviously they would've never made it without a gimmick or on talent alone. That being said this was Paul and Genes baby, their idea. So just the sheer idea that Peter Criss made it to that level he should be thankful. I can tell you as a drummer he wasn't gonna make it on talent alone without Gene or Paul coming along. That's just common sense
@kissarmyquickpicks I would rather be an idiot, as you say, than a grown man who cant take the blinders off and see reality for what it is. Peter Criss brought in the melody for a joke song that he 'wrote'. This is fact. It is also fact that it bore very little resemblance to the finished song called BETH that we know and love. Thank Bob Ezrin and Stan Penrideg for that.
@FunWithFlipCam Peter & Ace are the most genuine of all of them, Peter being the nicest & most appreciative of all. I have met him on numerous occassions & he's done nothing but go above & beyond what he has to to be generous with his time & attention. Maybhe your experience with him is the fact he didnt kiss ur ass as a fan as u probably feel he should, like he owes u something. (9% of any "story" u hear about Pete being a prick are to Gene & Paul, NOT fans. Sorry Peter is great!
@FunWithFlipCam Peter had a bigger hit than Ace OR Gene. Beth was the highest charting single in the USA. Even here on RU-vid, Peter's song get millions more hits than most of Ace's and many of Gene's.
Eric was way ! WAY !! over rated.The Chemistry that made them,was over when Pete exited.His style was the right fit for their music.R&R over was their best album & peak,the rest was the Kiss brand. I'm not a Kiss fan but this ia all clear from my non bias view.IMO, the one & only orig drummer change that ever worked with out removing a vital ingredient, was Peart.
If anyone wonder's why his career didn't take off after kiss, all you have to do is listen to his stuff 🤢🤢🤢 he's a good guy and I respect him but I'm sorry but if it wasn't for Gene and Paul he would have been nothing.... How many times has kiss made him Rich ? But he's broke, even to this day
Not trying to throw shade at vinnie vincent or the fox 🦊 it was awesome with the space man and cat man after that the band just looked weird I think Paul Stanley had a lot to do with the descion making with gene.
@FunWithFlipCam The least u can do if ur gonna trash someone is be a little more specific as to how bad he was. And Im sure the good experiences far outweigh the bad by miles, prerhaps u met him at a time when a fan was an ass to him wich for all celebs is hard to deal with, maybe before you say he's an ass in general you might wanna consider what may have happened to him before he met u and also realize we all have our bad days, doesnt make us assholes.........
@FunWithFlipCam They say when your argument is out of gas, you reduce yourself to attacking important issues such as usernames on RU-vid. LOL. Thanks for the laugh.
@kissarmyquickpicks As for not knowing what Im talking about, Im a professional musiciaan and have been for over 25 years. Think what you want about me-I dont care. But acknowledge the truth about your idol. Peter never wrote a song in his life. ALL his songs are co-writes. Know why? Cause he would take material from other writers and bands (M. Benvenga, S. Penridge and others) and offer them 50% of the publishing money-which on a KISS album amounted to a nice chunk of change.
