What do you think?
Rate this book
Face the Music: A Life Exposed
In Face the Music, Paul Stanley—the co-founder and famous “Starchild” frontman of KISS—reveals for the first time the incredible highs and equally incredible lows in his life both inside and outside the band. Face the Music is the shocking, funny, smart, inspirational story of one of rock’s most enduring icons and the group he helped create, define, and immortalize.
Stanley mixes compelling personal revelations and gripping, gritty war stories that will surprise even the most steadfast member of the KISS Army. He takes us back to his childhood in the 1950s and ’60s, a traumatic time made more painful thanks to a physical deformity. Born with a condition called microtia, he grew up partially deaf, with only one ear. But this instilled in him an inner drive to succeed in the most unlikely of pursuits: music.
With never-before-seen photos and images throughout, Stanley’s memoir is a fully realized and unflinching portrait of a rock star, a chronicle of the stories behind the famous anthems, the many brawls and betrayals, and all the drama and pyrotechnics on and off the stage. Raw and confessional, Stanley offers candid insights into his personal relationships, and the turbulent dynamics with his bandmates over the past four decades. And no one comes out unscathed—including Stanley himself.
People say I was brave to write such a revealing book, but I wrote it because I needed to personally reflect on my own life. I know everyone will see themselves somewhere in this book, and where my story might take them is why I’m sharing it.—Paul Stanley
Stanley mixes compelling personal revelations and gripping, gritty war stories that will surprise even the most steadfast member of the KISS Army. He takes us back to his childhood in the 1950s and ’60s, a traumatic time made more painful thanks to a physical deformity. Born with a condition called microtia, he grew up partially deaf, with only one ear. But this instilled in him an inner drive to succeed in the most unlikely of pursuits: music.
With never-before-seen photos and images throughout, Stanley’s memoir is a fully realized and unflinching portrait of a rock star, a chronicle of the stories behind the famous anthems, the many brawls and betrayals, and all the drama and pyrotechnics on and off the stage. Raw and confessional, Stanley offers candid insights into his personal relationships, and the turbulent dynamics with his bandmates over the past four decades. And no one comes out unscathed—including Stanley himself.
People say I was brave to write such a revealing book, but I wrote it because I needed to personally reflect on my own life. I know everyone will see themselves somewhere in this book, and where my story might take them is why I’m sharing it.—Paul Stanley
480 pages, Unknown Binding
First published April 8, 2014
About the author
Paul Stanley
42 books87 followersPaul Stanley is a guitarist, singer-songwriter and painter. Since the early 1970’s he has been the guitarist, co-lead vocalist, flamboyant frontman, and “Starchild” of Kiss, one the most influential and successful rock bands. Paul Stanley and the original members of Kiss were finally inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014 after 15 years of eligibility.
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 608 reviews
May 25, 2014
This is by far the greatest KISS Book. And there are a lot of KISS Books. I have read every single one there is.
The reason that this is the best KISS book is because of the mystery of Paul Stanley. Rock 'n roll has lost its mystery. Everything every rock star does is known on the Internet and TMZ etc. KISS was the most mysterious band the land, as well as being quite hot. I thought I knew all there was to know about KISS. as it turns out, after reading this revelatory book, I didn't know the half of it.
Paul Stanley understands the magic of mystery in rock n' roll. Every page of this book was something that I, a longtime diehard KISS freak, did not know. Like about Paul's childhood. Paul's relationship w his family. How he felt behind the makeup & majesty of KISS. And oh yeah, guess what? Paul parties. After all this time, Paul Stanley is cool.
This book even had more than a few tear jerking moments. For me, it was quite touching to read about Bill Aucoin passing away. When Paul says " Goodbye" it is a sign of class and respect that even though he hadn't worked with Aucoin in years, Paul felt it appropriate to remember Bill in such a way befitting his contribution to the empire that is KISS.
This extends to the original KISS members too. Whereas some rock bios on the predictable booze & drugs & sour grapes story arc, Paul's book retains a sense of FUN which is sadly lacking in some rock bios. As much bad love is between the original band members, Paul makes sure to highlight the good times as well as the bad. He goes out of his way to detail the camaraderie evident in the original lineup, and explains how important that was to the success of KISS.
This is one of the best books I've ever read. KISS fan or not, this is a well written book with a great story. It is a pleasure to read.
The reason that this is the best KISS book is because of the mystery of Paul Stanley. Rock 'n roll has lost its mystery. Everything every rock star does is known on the Internet and TMZ etc. KISS was the most mysterious band the land, as well as being quite hot. I thought I knew all there was to know about KISS. as it turns out, after reading this revelatory book, I didn't know the half of it.
Paul Stanley understands the magic of mystery in rock n' roll. Every page of this book was something that I, a longtime diehard KISS freak, did not know. Like about Paul's childhood. Paul's relationship w his family. How he felt behind the makeup & majesty of KISS. And oh yeah, guess what? Paul parties. After all this time, Paul Stanley is cool.
This book even had more than a few tear jerking moments. For me, it was quite touching to read about Bill Aucoin passing away. When Paul says " Goodbye" it is a sign of class and respect that even though he hadn't worked with Aucoin in years, Paul felt it appropriate to remember Bill in such a way befitting his contribution to the empire that is KISS.
This extends to the original KISS members too. Whereas some rock bios on the predictable booze & drugs & sour grapes story arc, Paul's book retains a sense of FUN which is sadly lacking in some rock bios. As much bad love is between the original band members, Paul makes sure to highlight the good times as well as the bad. He goes out of his way to detail the camaraderie evident in the original lineup, and explains how important that was to the success of KISS.
This is one of the best books I've ever read. KISS fan or not, this is a well written book with a great story. It is a pleasure to read.
October 30, 2019
Loved it!
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
Mel 🖤🐶🐺🐾
August 6, 2017
I was pleasantly surprised how much I enjoyed this book. I laughed out loud a few times. Paul Stanley's view on family, life, his career was admirable.
December 18, 2021
This is a great book all about the life inside KISS. Paul does not pull any punches and tells it like it was. He seemed to be the hardest working man in the band and probably in Rock itself. Paul does a great job at explaining the relationships betwene the band members as well as there proclivities twards alchohol and drugs. Paul remained drug free throughout, however.
He looked at it more like a business than a party.
I highly recommend this book to all.
He looked at it more like a business than a party.
I highly recommend this book to all.
January 1, 2018
I was thrilled when I learned that my fave KISS member Mr. Paul Stanley had written his autobiography. I mean...just look at him. At 60 something, he's still hot!
I learned a lot of things while reading this book. The most important thing I learned is that Paul Stanley was the "Paul McCartney of KISS." What does that mean? I'll explain it for you. He loves his band, KISS, more than anything. He will do anything to protect it and keep it alive. When others in the band fail his expectations and don't produce, he will carry the load. He is the standard bearer of KISS. KISS might not still be around, alive and kicking if Paul Stanley wasn't nurturing and building upon it through the decades. I never realized that even his staunchest partner and ally Gene Simmons let his attentions stray from the band and let Paul bear the extra responsibilities. I always loved Paul Stanley, for his good looks, musical talent, and intelligence; but I respect him even more now after reading this book. He says in all his interviews that he wrote this for his children and also to inspire people. He was successful in this achievement.
Paul reveals that he was born deaf on one side, without an ear. This deformity haunted him throughout his childhood and adolescence. How unlikely that a paunchy teenager with one ear would wind up as one of the most recognizable and successful rock stars in the world, loved by women galore. How did he do this? He believed that all he had to do was want it and work for it. Such was his drive and endurance that not achieving this wasn't even an option.
Paul clearly lays out the facts of why Peter Criss and Ace Frehley were self-destructive and harmful to the business of KISS. As Paul says, KISS isn't only a band...it's a brand. In fact, when he feels he's too old and unable to perform the duties of KISS's Starchild, he would have no qualms having another capable person wear his makeup and take over the role. I was frankly disgusted as I read of the antics of Peter and Ace and the many chances they squandered to remain a part of KISS.
Paul covers the many facets of his life: KISS, romances, marriage and divorce, cooking, painting, performing in "Phantom of the Opera," to the fierce love of his four children. Throughout it all, he was just searching for happiness and fulfillment. He ultimately found that with his beloved wife Erin and his kids.
About the Paul McCartney comparison; as a diehard Beatle fan who has read countless books about them, I see the same qualities in Paul Stanley as Paul McCartney. McCartney was the biggest cheerleader of The Beatles. He would have done anything to keep them going, he loved his band so much. I see the same leadership qualities and positive force in Paul Stanley.
I learned a lot of things while reading this book. The most important thing I learned is that Paul Stanley was the "Paul McCartney of KISS." What does that mean? I'll explain it for you. He loves his band, KISS, more than anything. He will do anything to protect it and keep it alive. When others in the band fail his expectations and don't produce, he will carry the load. He is the standard bearer of KISS. KISS might not still be around, alive and kicking if Paul Stanley wasn't nurturing and building upon it through the decades. I never realized that even his staunchest partner and ally Gene Simmons let his attentions stray from the band and let Paul bear the extra responsibilities. I always loved Paul Stanley, for his good looks, musical talent, and intelligence; but I respect him even more now after reading this book. He says in all his interviews that he wrote this for his children and also to inspire people. He was successful in this achievement.
Paul reveals that he was born deaf on one side, without an ear. This deformity haunted him throughout his childhood and adolescence. How unlikely that a paunchy teenager with one ear would wind up as one of the most recognizable and successful rock stars in the world, loved by women galore. How did he do this? He believed that all he had to do was want it and work for it. Such was his drive and endurance that not achieving this wasn't even an option.
Paul clearly lays out the facts of why Peter Criss and Ace Frehley were self-destructive and harmful to the business of KISS. As Paul says, KISS isn't only a band...it's a brand. In fact, when he feels he's too old and unable to perform the duties of KISS's Starchild, he would have no qualms having another capable person wear his makeup and take over the role. I was frankly disgusted as I read of the antics of Peter and Ace and the many chances they squandered to remain a part of KISS.
Paul covers the many facets of his life: KISS, romances, marriage and divorce, cooking, painting, performing in "Phantom of the Opera," to the fierce love of his four children. Throughout it all, he was just searching for happiness and fulfillment. He ultimately found that with his beloved wife Erin and his kids.
About the Paul McCartney comparison; as a diehard Beatle fan who has read countless books about them, I see the same qualities in Paul Stanley as Paul McCartney. McCartney was the biggest cheerleader of The Beatles. He would have done anything to keep them going, he loved his band so much. I see the same leadership qualities and positive force in Paul Stanley.
March 2, 2016
Face the Music – A Life Exposed by Paul Stanley is a 2014 HarperOne publication.
I have always liked KISS because they are larger than life, fun, and highly entertaining. However, I’m not one of those die hard, “KISS Army” types. I’d say I was more of a casual fan, but of the four original members, Paul Stanley was always my favorite. Despite his face being hidden by all that makeup, there was something about him that I found sexy, way back in the day.
But, I have to confess, I really don’t much about the personal lives of the KISS members, so when I saw this book in my library, I decided to check it out. Audiobooks are not my first choice, but recently I have begun to use them a little here and there, so when I saw that Paul Stanley wrote the book himself, without a co-author, and also narrated the audio version personally, I decided to try the audio version.
The chance one takes, as a fan, hardcore or casual, when reading a rock biography, is that you may come away from it wishing you had stayed ignorant about this person’s life or attitude. I almost had that feeling with this one a time or two, but am able to keep it in perspective enough that it won’t have any bearing on how I feel about KISS as a unit or their music.
I’m not usually impressed with all the egos and infighting in rock groups, but, it doesn’t surprise me, or faze me. All the big bands especially those from the 70’s and 80’s, have over- inflated egos and have lived this life so long, they have no real concept of reality as most of us know it. So, it wasn’t just the big ego that left me with a bad taste in my mouth, it was that the author seemed incapable of saying anything nice about anyone, and at times still appears to carry around a big chip on his shoulder, when there doesn’t seem to be a reason to.
Mr. Stanley’s first victims are his parents, who did not buy him an expensive electric guitar, and didn’t baby or coddle him. Most families are dysfunctional to some extent, and I would hope no child of mine will ever write a book that throws all my parenting mistakes back in my face. He wasn’t beaten or abused, but was neglected, mainly due to his sister’s very troubled life.
He went on to suggest that Gene Simmons was selfish due to his being an only child, and since I’m an only child, I think that is a stereotype.
While, he bashed Gene repeatedly, his disdain literally oozed when it came to Peter and Ace. He never passed on an opportunity to give those two grief over their musical abilities or anything else he could think of to berate them with. I expected this to some extent, but it grew old after a while.
He bragged about his sexual conquest, while blaming his promiscuity on his insecurities, openly admitting he didn’t care about these women, only wanting to be seen with them in public because of how they looked. Again, that’s no big surprise, and these women were only with him because he was a rock star. But, while many think they would like to live that way, to me it seemed like a hollow and empty lifestyle.
Having said all that, he was quite honest about mistakes the band made career wise, such as making a ‘concept album’ and the disastrous made for TV movie, and the poor choices they made moneywise by trusting people who turned around and betrayed them, admitting they were not hands on enough with the business end of things. He was forthcoming about the music business as a whole, the changing tides in music and the band going through some pretty hard times before getting back to the basics and doing what it is they do best.
Paul did have more savvy than most when it came to marketing the band and seemed to understand early on that just playing music and waiting for someone to notice them was not good enough. He took smart steps and was a leader for the band, more so than Gene, who often gets credit for those moves.
I was happy to see that Paul finally began to mature later in life, did find his soulmate, and settled into a more normal life, as normal as can be expected when you are famous rock star, at least.
As far as the writing goes, this one is well organized, hits on the points most people will want read about, was in many ways brutally honest, and he didn’t always paint himself in the most positive light, although I think that was probably unintentional. Paul’s narration was very impressive, and he did a great job of telling his story with well- timed inflections and just the right amount of emotion. He is clear and concise and I think hearing the story told in his own voice made the experience more personal. The one drawback to choosing audio is that you miss out on all the pictures the author includes in the print version.
Overall, I found Paul Stanley’s life to be pretty typical of a rock star, with all the trite pettiness, and egotism, women, and life in the fast lane. But, in other ways it was atypical since Paul never fell prey to drug or alcohol addiction, was never arrested or exhibited signs of violence, or general recklessness. Although he had some hard times, he’s pretty much lived large, has the money, the fame, and all the fringe benefits that go along with that. No real surprises or startling revelations here, other than for one who preaches rock as a type of religion and swears by their positive messages, he was more negative than I would have thought and could be incredibly judgmental, and very hard on people, takes offense easily, and can hold a grudge for a long time. Of course, this is one side of the story, but I think the author told the truth without skimming over difficult subjects and honestly believes what he is saying here is the truth as he remembers it.
While staunch fans will love this book and will not find fault in Mr. Stanley, those with the ability to step back and see the big picture will perhaps come away with a different perspective on the man and his life. Either way, the book is interesting and very personal, obviously written with great care and is a quality read.
Overall 4 stars
I have always liked KISS because they are larger than life, fun, and highly entertaining. However, I’m not one of those die hard, “KISS Army” types. I’d say I was more of a casual fan, but of the four original members, Paul Stanley was always my favorite. Despite his face being hidden by all that makeup, there was something about him that I found sexy, way back in the day.
But, I have to confess, I really don’t much about the personal lives of the KISS members, so when I saw this book in my library, I decided to check it out. Audiobooks are not my first choice, but recently I have begun to use them a little here and there, so when I saw that Paul Stanley wrote the book himself, without a co-author, and also narrated the audio version personally, I decided to try the audio version.
The chance one takes, as a fan, hardcore or casual, when reading a rock biography, is that you may come away from it wishing you had stayed ignorant about this person’s life or attitude. I almost had that feeling with this one a time or two, but am able to keep it in perspective enough that it won’t have any bearing on how I feel about KISS as a unit or their music.
I’m not usually impressed with all the egos and infighting in rock groups, but, it doesn’t surprise me, or faze me. All the big bands especially those from the 70’s and 80’s, have over- inflated egos and have lived this life so long, they have no real concept of reality as most of us know it. So, it wasn’t just the big ego that left me with a bad taste in my mouth, it was that the author seemed incapable of saying anything nice about anyone, and at times still appears to carry around a big chip on his shoulder, when there doesn’t seem to be a reason to.
Mr. Stanley’s first victims are his parents, who did not buy him an expensive electric guitar, and didn’t baby or coddle him. Most families are dysfunctional to some extent, and I would hope no child of mine will ever write a book that throws all my parenting mistakes back in my face. He wasn’t beaten or abused, but was neglected, mainly due to his sister’s very troubled life.
He went on to suggest that Gene Simmons was selfish due to his being an only child, and since I’m an only child, I think that is a stereotype.
While, he bashed Gene repeatedly, his disdain literally oozed when it came to Peter and Ace. He never passed on an opportunity to give those two grief over their musical abilities or anything else he could think of to berate them with. I expected this to some extent, but it grew old after a while.
He bragged about his sexual conquest, while blaming his promiscuity on his insecurities, openly admitting he didn’t care about these women, only wanting to be seen with them in public because of how they looked. Again, that’s no big surprise, and these women were only with him because he was a rock star. But, while many think they would like to live that way, to me it seemed like a hollow and empty lifestyle.
Having said all that, he was quite honest about mistakes the band made career wise, such as making a ‘concept album’ and the disastrous made for TV movie, and the poor choices they made moneywise by trusting people who turned around and betrayed them, admitting they were not hands on enough with the business end of things. He was forthcoming about the music business as a whole, the changing tides in music and the band going through some pretty hard times before getting back to the basics and doing what it is they do best.
Paul did have more savvy than most when it came to marketing the band and seemed to understand early on that just playing music and waiting for someone to notice them was not good enough. He took smart steps and was a leader for the band, more so than Gene, who often gets credit for those moves.
I was happy to see that Paul finally began to mature later in life, did find his soulmate, and settled into a more normal life, as normal as can be expected when you are famous rock star, at least.
As far as the writing goes, this one is well organized, hits on the points most people will want read about, was in many ways brutally honest, and he didn’t always paint himself in the most positive light, although I think that was probably unintentional. Paul’s narration was very impressive, and he did a great job of telling his story with well- timed inflections and just the right amount of emotion. He is clear and concise and I think hearing the story told in his own voice made the experience more personal. The one drawback to choosing audio is that you miss out on all the pictures the author includes in the print version.
Overall, I found Paul Stanley’s life to be pretty typical of a rock star, with all the trite pettiness, and egotism, women, and life in the fast lane. But, in other ways it was atypical since Paul never fell prey to drug or alcohol addiction, was never arrested or exhibited signs of violence, or general recklessness. Although he had some hard times, he’s pretty much lived large, has the money, the fame, and all the fringe benefits that go along with that. No real surprises or startling revelations here, other than for one who preaches rock as a type of religion and swears by their positive messages, he was more negative than I would have thought and could be incredibly judgmental, and very hard on people, takes offense easily, and can hold a grudge for a long time. Of course, this is one side of the story, but I think the author told the truth without skimming over difficult subjects and honestly believes what he is saying here is the truth as he remembers it.
While staunch fans will love this book and will not find fault in Mr. Stanley, those with the ability to step back and see the big picture will perhaps come away with a different perspective on the man and his life. Either way, the book is interesting and very personal, obviously written with great care and is a quality read.
Overall 4 stars
May 16, 2014
First, let me be upfront about the fact that I was a KISS freak growing up. At age 15, they were the first rock concert I had gone to. It was their 1977 tour and absolutely spectacular.
But KISS was much more than pyrotechnics and blood spitting and smoking guitars. They frigging ROCKED.
To this day I am still a fan and will frequently use the Alive! album to get me through a workout. Meat & potatoes rock and roll, as Paul and Gene like to put it, but damn it sure gets my blood going.
I follow Paul Stanley on twitter because he's a very positive guy. It was via his tweets that I realized he had a brand new autobiography coming out, and this was one I was going to get in hardcover.
Well, I must say that this is the best autobiography I've read. Paul pretty much bares his soul here. I know all about the passion of music, but KISS meant something very special to him. KISS was the vehicle he used to break out of a shy and lonely life due to a birth defect and the teasing he had endured as a child.
Coming from a dysfunctional family, Paul got absolutely no support. The millions that he is now worth came from his own drive and determination to overcome his psychological and physical hurdles. KISS became his family and finally he found social comfort within his Starchild stage persona.
Unfortunately, dysfunctionality followed the band, as well. Understanding why KISS went through the turmoil it did because of Peter Criss and Ace Frehley (one of my guitar idols) is only one of the fascinating aspects of this book.
Okay, so I'm biased. There's probably no way this would rate a 5 star read if you aren't a KISS fan, but it's still worth reading this inspiring memoir to realize a rocker can be grounded with such gratitude and emotion.
For those who have ever dug the band, you must read this.
But KISS was much more than pyrotechnics and blood spitting and smoking guitars. They frigging ROCKED.
To this day I am still a fan and will frequently use the Alive! album to get me through a workout. Meat & potatoes rock and roll, as Paul and Gene like to put it, but damn it sure gets my blood going.
I follow Paul Stanley on twitter because he's a very positive guy. It was via his tweets that I realized he had a brand new autobiography coming out, and this was one I was going to get in hardcover.
Well, I must say that this is the best autobiography I've read. Paul pretty much bares his soul here. I know all about the passion of music, but KISS meant something very special to him. KISS was the vehicle he used to break out of a shy and lonely life due to a birth defect and the teasing he had endured as a child.
Coming from a dysfunctional family, Paul got absolutely no support. The millions that he is now worth came from his own drive and determination to overcome his psychological and physical hurdles. KISS became his family and finally he found social comfort within his Starchild stage persona.
Unfortunately, dysfunctionality followed the band, as well. Understanding why KISS went through the turmoil it did because of Peter Criss and Ace Frehley (one of my guitar idols) is only one of the fascinating aspects of this book.
Okay, so I'm biased. There's probably no way this would rate a 5 star read if you aren't a KISS fan, but it's still worth reading this inspiring memoir to realize a rocker can be grounded with such gratitude and emotion.
For those who have ever dug the band, you must read this.
April 17, 2014
Coming from a guy who's well-known for spitting out cliched answers to interview questions, I had really low expectations from this autobiography. The three preceding books by the original members of KISS had been variable forums for self-serving name-dropping (Gene Simmons),whiny accounts of how everyone else is wrong (Peter Criss), or just plain detached recollections of odd behavior (Ace Frehley.)
What a surprise to find that Paul Stanley's book is the most revealing account of what it's like to be a member of one of the biggest bands in the world. For Paul Stanley, that meant finding out that fame and fortune is not enough to be truly happy. Stanley's book is a quest of sorts. Having been born with a deformity of his right ear and being partially deaf, he learns from an early age that life is all about how you accept and deal with your limitations.
Stanley details the early days of the band up through the recording of "Monster" in 2011. KISS fans will no doubt find his stories about dealing with the quirks of Ace, Peter, and, surprisingly, Gene to be entertaining but, also, eye-opening. None of the other KISS biographies detail the dysfunction as well as Stanley's.
But "Face the Music" is less about the actual issues and more about how they are handled. Stanley is extremely candid about his shortcomings as well as acknowledging others' perceptions of his reality. That is what I liked most about the book.
What a surprise to find that Paul Stanley's book is the most revealing account of what it's like to be a member of one of the biggest bands in the world. For Paul Stanley, that meant finding out that fame and fortune is not enough to be truly happy. Stanley's book is a quest of sorts. Having been born with a deformity of his right ear and being partially deaf, he learns from an early age that life is all about how you accept and deal with your limitations.
Stanley details the early days of the band up through the recording of "Monster" in 2011. KISS fans will no doubt find his stories about dealing with the quirks of Ace, Peter, and, surprisingly, Gene to be entertaining but, also, eye-opening. None of the other KISS biographies detail the dysfunction as well as Stanley's.
But "Face the Music" is less about the actual issues and more about how they are handled. Stanley is extremely candid about his shortcomings as well as acknowledging others' perceptions of his reality. That is what I liked most about the book.
May 7, 2014
I am quite honestly shocked at the reviews this book is receiving. I WILL say that Paul has worked harder than all the original 4 put together. I found it very disappointing that Paul felt the need to put Peter and Ace down throughout the entire book, not to mention Gene. The odd comment would suffice however I felt it made Paul look bad when he would not quit with the harsh insults, literally every few pages! Paul was very honest about his insecurities surrounding his ear deformity, clearly his work later on in his life working with kids with facial deformities was commendable and his family life and children clearly made him into a better man. In the end Paul Stanley comes across as arrogant, self centred and completely insecure which is interesting because in the last chapter he prides himself on not judging others?? Hummmm, this after nailing others to the cross for 456 pages! Disappointed. (I am still glad I used to skip school to play the Kiss pin ball machine).
April 19, 2014
After reading Paul Stanley's autobiography "Face the Music" I have now read books by all four of the members of my favorite childhood band. Growing up, my favorite member of KISS was Gene Simmons. I loved the demon persona and what 12 year old boy isn't drawn to spitting fire and blood? But after reading all of these books, I have to admit Paul Stanley comes across as the sanest and I liked his book more than all the others.
Stanley not only tells his story with a refreshing (and at times brutal) honesty but along the way he offers what I considered some great life advice - and since I'm a DJ for a living, some great entertaining advice as well. In fact I'm sure my next article for The Disc Jockey News will be a synopsis of some of the great wisdom Stanley imparts (example when Stanley talks about performing in a large, packed arena he says "I wasn't playing to a mass but to each and every one of those people").
Stanley is unforgiving as he rips Peter Criss and Ace Frehley for "wasting" their talents with drugs, alcohol and overall neglect. I loved when he wrote of them, "being inept,unreliable and marginally capable didn't make you rock and roll. It made you inept, unreliable and marginally capable." Yet even with all the underlying anger I still felt Stanley wished things had worked out differently. As he explains, the band was all he had for many many years (I'll let you read the book to discover why) so seeing these two take it for granted, or even seeing Simmons persue other avenues in entertainment like movies or producing other bands was tough for Stanley to handle. And during the reunion tours, you can tell Stanley hoped that Criss and Frehley had changed, only to be disappointed once again.
"Face the Music" was an enjoyable read and I'd highly recommend it for anyone who went through a "KISS phase" as a kid.
Stanley not only tells his story with a refreshing (and at times brutal) honesty but along the way he offers what I considered some great life advice - and since I'm a DJ for a living, some great entertaining advice as well. In fact I'm sure my next article for The Disc Jockey News will be a synopsis of some of the great wisdom Stanley imparts (example when Stanley talks about performing in a large, packed arena he says "I wasn't playing to a mass but to each and every one of those people").
Stanley is unforgiving as he rips Peter Criss and Ace Frehley for "wasting" their talents with drugs, alcohol and overall neglect. I loved when he wrote of them, "being inept,unreliable and marginally capable didn't make you rock and roll. It made you inept, unreliable and marginally capable." Yet even with all the underlying anger I still felt Stanley wished things had worked out differently. As he explains, the band was all he had for many many years (I'll let you read the book to discover why) so seeing these two take it for granted, or even seeing Simmons persue other avenues in entertainment like movies or producing other bands was tough for Stanley to handle. And during the reunion tours, you can tell Stanley hoped that Criss and Frehley had changed, only to be disappointed once again.
"Face the Music" was an enjoyable read and I'd highly recommend it for anyone who went through a "KISS phase" as a kid.
April 13, 2014
Easily the best of the KISS biographies.
July 2, 2015
Caution: lotsa F and even C words.
Stuff I liked, better yet, what got my attention and interest:
1. The bits about the actual music-making and how some of the records were made. What they did in the studio, what the producer came up with, why that certain album was an absolute disgrace and bombed hard;
2. Sex, drugs, alcohol, antics, debauchery, etc.;
3. Ace was a pain in the ass because he was lazy and constantly off his face, he was funny at first, and blahblahblah, oh well, fuck you, you fucking fuck!;
4. Peter was a pain in the ass because he was constantly intoxicated, bitter, bitching and moaning, also blahblahblah, oh well, you can't play, you suck at drums, we had to call Anton Fig to record Dynasty and Unmasked, well, fuck you, you fucking fuck!;
5. Vinnie Vincent was a pain in the ass and a full on wacko, he also played a 20 minute guitar solo which was fucking boring as shite;
6. Mark St. John played 20000 notes a minute because that was the fashion back in the eighties, he got a serious tendonitis and couldn't play for shite so we let him go, fuck him.
What I didn't give a flying squirrel's chuff about:
1. I was a poor jewish kid, everybody would take the piss out of me because I was born without an ear;
2. I got married but she was in love with some frog-eating twat in France, the bastard would ring her all the time and when I told her to stop talking to him she basically told me to get fucked and mind my own business. I got a divorce in the end and she got a fuckload of money. My money.;
3. Met another girl, the right one, we got married and have three kids; we're family. Family rocks!;
4. I was depressed so someone suggested I should paint. I painted. My paintings sell, I'm a talented artist, hey!;
5. I was in Phantom of the Opera. I loved it. People loved me. Gene couldn't care less;
6. Gene is a fucking cunt. I hate his guts but I've known him for over 40 years so we're friends, he didn't come to my wedding because I didn't invite the bastard as he'd tell me weddings are for twats, and that annoyed me no end. He got married too eventually, in 2011, ha!;
7. Charity.
Three stars.
Stuff I liked, better yet, what got my attention and interest:
1. The bits about the actual music-making and how some of the records were made. What they did in the studio, what the producer came up with, why that certain album was an absolute disgrace and bombed hard;
2. Sex, drugs, alcohol, antics, debauchery, etc.;
3. Ace was a pain in the ass because he was lazy and constantly off his face, he was funny at first, and blahblahblah, oh well, fuck you, you fucking fuck!;
4. Peter was a pain in the ass because he was constantly intoxicated, bitter, bitching and moaning, also blahblahblah, oh well, you can't play, you suck at drums, we had to call Anton Fig to record Dynasty and Unmasked, well, fuck you, you fucking fuck!;
5. Vinnie Vincent was a pain in the ass and a full on wacko, he also played a 20 minute guitar solo which was fucking boring as shite;
6. Mark St. John played 20000 notes a minute because that was the fashion back in the eighties, he got a serious tendonitis and couldn't play for shite so we let him go, fuck him.
What I didn't give a flying squirrel's chuff about:
1. I was a poor jewish kid, everybody would take the piss out of me because I was born without an ear;
2. I got married but she was in love with some frog-eating twat in France, the bastard would ring her all the time and when I told her to stop talking to him she basically told me to get fucked and mind my own business. I got a divorce in the end and she got a fuckload of money. My money.;
3. Met another girl, the right one, we got married and have three kids; we're family. Family rocks!;
4. I was depressed so someone suggested I should paint. I painted. My paintings sell, I'm a talented artist, hey!;
5. I was in Phantom of the Opera. I loved it. People loved me. Gene couldn't care less;
6. Gene is a fucking cunt. I hate his guts but I've known him for over 40 years so we're friends, he didn't come to my wedding because I didn't invite the bastard as he'd tell me weddings are for twats, and that annoyed me no end. He got married too eventually, in 2011, ha!;
7. Charity.
Three stars.
April 26, 2015
One of the best autobiographies I've ever read.
Not only does Paul Stanley regale us with stories from KISS-tory, he also provides a truly inspirational account about dealing with his birth defect and deafness. He's honest and doesn't hold back with regard to his former and current KISS band mates, but there's no underlying malice toward anyone as he tells his story. He owns his own mistakes, too, and I always appreciate that when reading autobiographies.
Oh, and I tried his brussel sprout recipe - highly recommend.
You don't have to be a KISS fan to enjoy this one.
Beth
www.myelegantmusings.blogspot.com
Not only does Paul Stanley regale us with stories from KISS-tory, he also provides a truly inspirational account about dealing with his birth defect and deafness. He's honest and doesn't hold back with regard to his former and current KISS band mates, but there's no underlying malice toward anyone as he tells his story. He owns his own mistakes, too, and I always appreciate that when reading autobiographies.
Oh, and I tried his brussel sprout recipe - highly recommend.
You don't have to be a KISS fan to enjoy this one.
Beth
www.myelegantmusings.blogspot.com
April 9, 2014
I am now in total awe of this man. I grew up listening to KISS. My brother was and is the biggest fan ever so I really had no choice in the exposure I had to them. I saw that this book was coming out and for some reason, just knew I had to read/listen to it. I am so glad I did. This man was dealt the suck ass card as far as a family life went. But he was bigger than that. I highly recommend this book. You don't even have to be a KISS fan. This book is about life and how to live it to the fullest no matter which route you choose.
April 14, 2014
I'm generally not into reading memoirs/autobiographies. As a longtime KISS fan, I was actually resistant to reading this one, having read Ace's (love ya man, but how much do you really remember?) and Gene's (seriously, dude, get over yourself) I was a bit leery, as well as being tired of the original members taking constant potshots at each other. But this was an enjoyable, revealing, self-effacing, sometimes heart breaking, and most importantly, human, read. Well done, Starchild, well done.
April 21, 2014
By far the best book from a rock star so far. Paul Stanley comes across as a human being with real feelings. Absolutely no rock star, blowhard bullshit in this book. He empathizes with his audience and puts a real life story out there that most of us can empathize with as well.
He not only bares his soul but he also shows you that he is a human being with the same feelings, struggles and pain that we all face. He's a really down to earth person that knows he's no better than the rest of us. He wasn't born a millionaire rock star. He was just another kid with a really tough life that saw what he wanted and worked hard to get it.
Great book Paul. Thanks for the honesty. I've been a KISS fan since I saw the "In Concert" performance late night on an old black & white TV back in 1975. KISS will always be number one in my book.
He not only bares his soul but he also shows you that he is a human being with the same feelings, struggles and pain that we all face. He's a really down to earth person that knows he's no better than the rest of us. He wasn't born a millionaire rock star. He was just another kid with a really tough life that saw what he wanted and worked hard to get it.
Great book Paul. Thanks for the honesty. I've been a KISS fan since I saw the "In Concert" performance late night on an old black & white TV back in 1975. KISS will always be number one in my book.
April 22, 2014
Get your hands on a print copy so you can check out the pictures but listen to this on audio! If it had not been read by Paul Stanley, I wouldn't have bothered with the audio but his narration made this so much more personal. This feels genuine and sincere. It is fascinating both as a KISS fan and as a music fan in general. It's almost a text book of making it in the music business as well as a tell-all. While telling his version of KISS's history he is not mean-spirited or bitter or even particularly negative when talking about past members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. I have read autobiographies by the other three original members of KISS but this is by far the most balanced and enjoyable.
March 8, 2019
Was pleasantly surprised by this one. Not only was it well written and entertaining throughout but Paul Stanley did a great job with the narration. If you're a fan of Kiss or even just mildly interested I'd suggest giving this book a chance, it's an interesting look at Kiss and the music industry in general.
July 13, 2022
Alternative titles for this book:
Complaints and Grievances
Paul Stanley: Pointing The Finger
Paul Stanley: The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived
Complaints and Grievances
Paul Stanley: Pointing The Finger
Paul Stanley: The Greatest Man Who Ever Lived
February 9, 2015
There are a multitude of ways to look at each autobiography written by the original memebers of Kiss. If these were the solo albums from '78 Ace would be the better of all four releases and Gene would be the worst simply because he's a boring asshole. I have yet to read Peter's and if Paul is to be believed I should skip it because Peter can barely read or write.
Paul's book is entertaining and revealing. He overcame a disability and became a rock God. At times he does come off as bitter and a bit of a dick but this is Paul Stanley the frontman of Kiss so you should expect a great deal of ego to shine through. The problem is that If you're a Kiss fan you know the Kisstory, you know that while Gene was off making movies Paul was the unhappy housewife making Kiss records.
While the book doesn't offer much new insight into Kisstory it does give you a Paul Stanley that no one knew existed. While onstage he's able to entertain an arena full of people but the Paul off stage is insecure and appears to have low self esteem due in part to a birth defect and parents that won't win any parent of the year awards.
Of course you get a ton of dirt and smack talking. This is Kiss and at times it feels less like a band and more like a bunch of kids with massive egos and too much money. Ace and Peter are made to appear as if they're talentless hacks that allowed drugs and alcohol to ruin their creativity and Gene is a self absorbed man who for wasn't truly invested in Kiss for a few years. For awhile it was just Paul Stanley being 100% involved in the band.
Paul's biography is readable and you get a lot of honesty even if it's mean spirited. Kiss fans will read it and complain that Paul was quite mean to Ace and Peter but we weren't there so we can't verify any of it. Non Kiss fans will probably not like it as much because this is a book about Kiss but it's well written and gives some insight into the man behind the face paint.
Paul's book is entertaining and revealing. He overcame a disability and became a rock God. At times he does come off as bitter and a bit of a dick but this is Paul Stanley the frontman of Kiss so you should expect a great deal of ego to shine through. The problem is that If you're a Kiss fan you know the Kisstory, you know that while Gene was off making movies Paul was the unhappy housewife making Kiss records.
While the book doesn't offer much new insight into Kisstory it does give you a Paul Stanley that no one knew existed. While onstage he's able to entertain an arena full of people but the Paul off stage is insecure and appears to have low self esteem due in part to a birth defect and parents that won't win any parent of the year awards.
Of course you get a ton of dirt and smack talking. This is Kiss and at times it feels less like a band and more like a bunch of kids with massive egos and too much money. Ace and Peter are made to appear as if they're talentless hacks that allowed drugs and alcohol to ruin their creativity and Gene is a self absorbed man who for wasn't truly invested in Kiss for a few years. For awhile it was just Paul Stanley being 100% involved in the band.
Paul's biography is readable and you get a lot of honesty even if it's mean spirited. Kiss fans will read it and complain that Paul was quite mean to Ace and Peter but we weren't there so we can't verify any of it. Non Kiss fans will probably not like it as much because this is a book about Kiss but it's well written and gives some insight into the man behind the face paint.
January 24, 2022
I’m not really a true fan of KISS, I just grew up as a teen with them bursting onto the scene and they were just there. Obviously noticeable because who didn’t want to know what was behind the makeup, and I always was kind of fascinated with the Starchild looks and moves. I couldn’t really be a true KISS fan as I don’t like heavy metal music, but as with a lot of those types of bands, they do put out music that is more widely liked than just that genre. I have always loved Hard Luck Woman and I remember I Was Made for Loving You was, along with My Sharona, one of the two biggest songs of the year in Australia in 1979. I still bop along to IWMFLY if I hear it. There are a few other songs, in the 90s, which I liked also. And, looking back, they were ground breaking. I remember when there was the big unmasking in the 80s and thinking, yeah, I knew this guy, Starchild, had some looks behind that mask, and Gene, yep, he’s no girl’s dream that’s for sure, about what I expected! If you look at any of the song videos in the 80s unmasked he totally cracks me up, he looks so out of place, but still enjoying himself, it's actually really quite funny! I went to a lot of concerts in the late 70s/80s, but I regret I didn’t get to experience them, I know I would have loved the spectacle of it.
I happened upon Kisstory Part 1 on TV the other day with Paul and Gene and thought, oh, this will be interesting. It was. I loved it. Had to track down Part 2. It’s always interesting to find out what was going on behind the scenes, what made them successful and how they’ve all fared through time. I tend to shy away from autobiographies because I quite often end up not liking someone I’ve liked for years and years. Anyway, once I’d seen the TV documentary, I wanted a bit more, so I found this book and read it … really quickly. I have “read” quite a few autobiographies and I usually skip huge portions of them as just uninteresting, but this one I read the whole lot from start to end. I suspect in real life I would quite like him - now. He is a bit arrogant, the sort of arrogance a lot of successful Americans have, but, hey, he is regarded as one of the best frontmen of all time, one of the most successful in his field, so it’s hardly surprising. He was quite self-depricating as well. He admitted his mistakes and learned from them. He understands he isn’t perfect, he owns that. I like his outlook on life and he is a bit on the snarky side and made me laugh out loud quite a few times. He really does hit the nail on the head. I read a few of the reviews for this book afterwards and some complain he and Gene are business all the way around the Ace and Peter issues … well, hello, this is how they made their living, it IS a business and Peter and Ace didn’t cut it on any level. Not only that, KISS is Stanley's life’s work, he was the one who started it, held it together through the years, and obviously it’s his life’s calling. He LOVES Kiss, he protects it and he worked HARD at being successful.
I was thinking to read the other biographies, but I have decided not to. Gene isn’t someone who interests me in the slightest, I don’t see the point of reading Ace’s account as he was drunk/drugged out pretty much for most of it and probably made up most of his and Peter, well, after reading this and then the reviews on his book, that bloke seems to have an Antisocial Personality Disorder, and it sounds like his book is a venge-fest, so not interested. I’m not interested in whiney people who blame everyone else for their own poor decisions. I was not happy he apparently kept implying or stating Stanley is gay or bi. I couldn’t care less if he was, but Stanley himself has stated plainly in his book he isn’t, so that’s an end to that. I mention this purely as it’s a pretty gross thing to do and I can’t respect Criss for it as I don’t believe in outing people, it’s up to them to say, if they want to, if they are gay. I can totally understand the contempt Stanley holds for Criss, it must have been a trial living through it. I can well imagine a concert of that magnitude many things can go wrong, but having to worry about whether half the band was even going to perform must have been incredibly stressful. For my part, I’m glad, if there was hinky sex stuff, which apparently Criss implies, Stanley didn’t write about it, I certainly don’t want to know what goes down in detail in the bedroom, especially since there was obviously so much of it, thousands of women it would seem, so I can well imagine it wasn't vanilla. Yeah, I really don't want to know!
I appreciated that Stanley really wanted it to work with Ace and Peter, all together they were KISS and had magic, he understood that, understood Criss and Ace were part of the original magic and success, but in the end they weren’t cut out for it. They had to go for survival of the band. It seemed to me that if Stanley hadn’t been the driving force, KISS would have died the first time in the early 80s, if they even got that far, never to be heard from again. It must have been incredibly frustrating for him to work so hard for success to sit by and watch these two try to wreck it, inadvertely by Ace and deliberately on Criss’s part. Fancy just stopping playing right in the middle of a concert, what a fucker! I know people are sympathetic to Criss and Frehley, but I’m not one of them. I totally understand the Stanley perspective. I have my own business and am proud of what I’ve achieved, I don’t have employees, but I work with others and sometimes it can be very frustrating when they don’t do the right thing or don’t pull their weight. I like to give people chances too, but I will jettison people in the end if they don’t perform. It’s business, it’s survival, you don’t want to be sucked down by them. Those two even got a second chance, and they squandered that as well, so that’s on them. Ace was better off out, he obviously couldn’t cope with it and didn’t want to put the work in.
I really enjoyed the story and I enjoyed the way it was written. It is a fascinating look back to a different time that I loved and, holy cow, surviving for over 50 years in that crazy business shows they had the goods, and Stanley seems to have been the one to keep that going. To be honest, if someone had have asked me a week ago I would have thought KISS had broken up years ago so it was with surprise I realised they are still touring and, in fact, coming for one last time to Australia in a few months!
This was an enjoyable read, I couldn’t put it down. I haven’t read many rock star books - to be honest, I don’t really like those type of people generally, the way of life is totally foreign to me, not being interested in groupies, drugs, alcohol and wholesale sex, but after seeing Kisstory and reading this, Stanley didn’t come across as the usual arsehole rock star, he worked hard and didn’t do drugs and alcohol (that’s a surprise, isn’t it!) and I was interested to know more. I was pretty relieved I came out of reading it still liking him, probably more than I did before actually, which was really nice. I am now going to check out a bit more of their music in the later years. I’m really glad I read this.
I happened upon Kisstory Part 1 on TV the other day with Paul and Gene and thought, oh, this will be interesting. It was. I loved it. Had to track down Part 2. It’s always interesting to find out what was going on behind the scenes, what made them successful and how they’ve all fared through time. I tend to shy away from autobiographies because I quite often end up not liking someone I’ve liked for years and years. Anyway, once I’d seen the TV documentary, I wanted a bit more, so I found this book and read it … really quickly. I have “read” quite a few autobiographies and I usually skip huge portions of them as just uninteresting, but this one I read the whole lot from start to end. I suspect in real life I would quite like him - now. He is a bit arrogant, the sort of arrogance a lot of successful Americans have, but, hey, he is regarded as one of the best frontmen of all time, one of the most successful in his field, so it’s hardly surprising. He was quite self-depricating as well. He admitted his mistakes and learned from them. He understands he isn’t perfect, he owns that. I like his outlook on life and he is a bit on the snarky side and made me laugh out loud quite a few times. He really does hit the nail on the head. I read a few of the reviews for this book afterwards and some complain he and Gene are business all the way around the Ace and Peter issues … well, hello, this is how they made their living, it IS a business and Peter and Ace didn’t cut it on any level. Not only that, KISS is Stanley's life’s work, he was the one who started it, held it together through the years, and obviously it’s his life’s calling. He LOVES Kiss, he protects it and he worked HARD at being successful.
I was thinking to read the other biographies, but I have decided not to. Gene isn’t someone who interests me in the slightest, I don’t see the point of reading Ace’s account as he was drunk/drugged out pretty much for most of it and probably made up most of his and Peter, well, after reading this and then the reviews on his book, that bloke seems to have an Antisocial Personality Disorder, and it sounds like his book is a venge-fest, so not interested. I’m not interested in whiney people who blame everyone else for their own poor decisions. I was not happy he apparently kept implying or stating Stanley is gay or bi. I couldn’t care less if he was, but Stanley himself has stated plainly in his book he isn’t, so that’s an end to that. I mention this purely as it’s a pretty gross thing to do and I can’t respect Criss for it as I don’t believe in outing people, it’s up to them to say, if they want to, if they are gay. I can totally understand the contempt Stanley holds for Criss, it must have been a trial living through it. I can well imagine a concert of that magnitude many things can go wrong, but having to worry about whether half the band was even going to perform must have been incredibly stressful. For my part, I’m glad, if there was hinky sex stuff, which apparently Criss implies, Stanley didn’t write about it, I certainly don’t want to know what goes down in detail in the bedroom, especially since there was obviously so much of it, thousands of women it would seem, so I can well imagine it wasn't vanilla. Yeah, I really don't want to know!
I appreciated that Stanley really wanted it to work with Ace and Peter, all together they were KISS and had magic, he understood that, understood Criss and Ace were part of the original magic and success, but in the end they weren’t cut out for it. They had to go for survival of the band. It seemed to me that if Stanley hadn’t been the driving force, KISS would have died the first time in the early 80s, if they even got that far, never to be heard from again. It must have been incredibly frustrating for him to work so hard for success to sit by and watch these two try to wreck it, inadvertely by Ace and deliberately on Criss’s part. Fancy just stopping playing right in the middle of a concert, what a fucker! I know people are sympathetic to Criss and Frehley, but I’m not one of them. I totally understand the Stanley perspective. I have my own business and am proud of what I’ve achieved, I don’t have employees, but I work with others and sometimes it can be very frustrating when they don’t do the right thing or don’t pull their weight. I like to give people chances too, but I will jettison people in the end if they don’t perform. It’s business, it’s survival, you don’t want to be sucked down by them. Those two even got a second chance, and they squandered that as well, so that’s on them. Ace was better off out, he obviously couldn’t cope with it and didn’t want to put the work in.
I really enjoyed the story and I enjoyed the way it was written. It is a fascinating look back to a different time that I loved and, holy cow, surviving for over 50 years in that crazy business shows they had the goods, and Stanley seems to have been the one to keep that going. To be honest, if someone had have asked me a week ago I would have thought KISS had broken up years ago so it was with surprise I realised they are still touring and, in fact, coming for one last time to Australia in a few months!
This was an enjoyable read, I couldn’t put it down. I haven’t read many rock star books - to be honest, I don’t really like those type of people generally, the way of life is totally foreign to me, not being interested in groupies, drugs, alcohol and wholesale sex, but after seeing Kisstory and reading this, Stanley didn’t come across as the usual arsehole rock star, he worked hard and didn’t do drugs and alcohol (that’s a surprise, isn’t it!) and I was interested to know more. I was pretty relieved I came out of reading it still liking him, probably more than I did before actually, which was really nice. I am now going to check out a bit more of their music in the later years. I’m really glad I read this.
April 24, 2014
I have read some folks criticizing Paul for his "I was so unhappy even though I had a different woman every night and all the money I could spend" approach to the story. [Incidentally, I looked up photos of Donna Dixon. . .yowza!] But I found it fascinating and painfully honest. If you start off as an unhappy person, getting more "stuff" isn't going to make you happy. I liked his journey to fulfillment, especially the way singing in Phantom played a role.
A few other random things that stand out:
So in Paul's opinion, Gene is not necessarily the business genius we all think he is? (instead he's the supreme opportunist) I know I have always bought into the myth of Gene as the business guy and Paul as the creative guy. (Lots of accepted wisdom is challenged in the book, including Ace as Guitar God.)
Ace may be a self-destructive fool, but Peter is literally stupid? Wow.
The band have always sold Eric Carr as being everyone's little buddy. Paul kind of shatters that story.
I saw KISS in 1996 and in 2000 or 2001. Despite what Paul said, they didn't play the same setlist in both tours. I wonder if Ace and Peter were even at the latter show? I don't recall.
"Psycho Circus" is 16 years old!
Finally, this is a great story about living your dreams and not giving up when things get tough. Whatever happened over the decades, Paul seems to have kept his eye on the prize. And when he and the band did some dumb stuff, such as the "Let's Put the X in Sex" song and video, he's not afraid to admit it. He feels very honest and very real. It's a terrific read.
A few other random things that stand out:
So in Paul's opinion, Gene is not necessarily the business genius we all think he is? (instead he's the supreme opportunist) I know I have always bought into the myth of Gene as the business guy and Paul as the creative guy. (Lots of accepted wisdom is challenged in the book, including Ace as Guitar God.)
Ace may be a self-destructive fool, but Peter is literally stupid? Wow.
The band have always sold Eric Carr as being everyone's little buddy. Paul kind of shatters that story.
I saw KISS in 1996 and in 2000 or 2001. Despite what Paul said, they didn't play the same setlist in both tours. I wonder if Ace and Peter were even at the latter show? I don't recall.
"Psycho Circus" is 16 years old!
Finally, this is a great story about living your dreams and not giving up when things get tough. Whatever happened over the decades, Paul seems to have kept his eye on the prize. And when he and the band did some dumb stuff, such as the "Let's Put the X in Sex" song and video, he's not afraid to admit it. He feels very honest and very real. It's a terrific read.
June 26, 2014
There have been a few great rock star books over the years: Nikki Sixx's The Heroin Diaries, Motley Crue The Dirt, and I also liked Gene Simmons' Kiss and Makeup quite a bit. But where Gene's book lacked some of the "behind the scenes" events within Kiss, especially during the '80s, this is one of the places where Paul's book shines. And once you read that part, the reason why Gene's glosses over this period becomes very clear.
I've been a Kiss fan since I was 14 and I've always found Paul as the mysterious frontman, and his story explains why. Which is exactly one of the reasons I was so drawn to this story in the first place. It's a story about Paul's life journey.
Paul Stanley is - maybe unsurprisingly - much deeper than fans may realize. There are many lessons and experiences in his story for readers to glean wisdom from, and hopefully when you read it, you'll be in an emotional and mental place to take advantage of them.
I love this book and I highly recommend it, even for non-Kiss fans.
I've been a Kiss fan since I was 14 and I've always found Paul as the mysterious frontman, and his story explains why. Which is exactly one of the reasons I was so drawn to this story in the first place. It's a story about Paul's life journey.
Paul Stanley is - maybe unsurprisingly - much deeper than fans may realize. There are many lessons and experiences in his story for readers to glean wisdom from, and hopefully when you read it, you'll be in an emotional and mental place to take advantage of them.
I love this book and I highly recommend it, even for non-Kiss fans.
April 15, 2014
The best of the KISS autobiographies. Part memoir, part self-help/motivational book, Stanley delves deep into a lifetime of chasing what could/would make him happy, from youth to adult. You would think that 40 years of fame/success would be enough to make anyone happy, but that's not the case. Rather, a physical deformity (no right ear/deafness) and a tough home life set the stage for a lot of emotional, as well as physical challenges that took him years to overcome.
No book on KISS would be complete without fingerpointing and some backbiting, and this book has plenty of that! However, that's not the focus of the book, nor is it any attempt to deflect blame for problems and issues the band had.
Like I usually do with these books, I would have loved more details on various albums and tours. That said, its a great history of one of the greatest bands in rock n'roll, as well as their founding member and frontman.
No book on KISS would be complete without fingerpointing and some backbiting, and this book has plenty of that! However, that's not the focus of the book, nor is it any attempt to deflect blame for problems and issues the band had.
Like I usually do with these books, I would have loved more details on various albums and tours. That said, its a great history of one of the greatest bands in rock n'roll, as well as their founding member and frontman.
May 27, 2021
2.5
Boring. So self absorbed. So mind numbingly shallow. This book was exciting at first, but just became so disgustingly bland and one sided. Honestly, he failed to mention a number of things about his fellow band mates, left out anything that might hurt his precious ego or image. Overall, what else could I expect from a very self absorbed, greedy, insecure, whiney and at times fucking annoying rock n roller?
Yes this is totally just my opinion. I dont give a fuck. This book was a heap of shit. Void of any depth whatsoever. This book is the very definition of surface level "show bizz" hollywood bullshit.
Time to read something completely different, as this book has turned me off all musician biographies.
Boring. So self absorbed. So mind numbingly shallow. This book was exciting at first, but just became so disgustingly bland and one sided. Honestly, he failed to mention a number of things about his fellow band mates, left out anything that might hurt his precious ego or image. Overall, what else could I expect from a very self absorbed, greedy, insecure, whiney and at times fucking annoying rock n roller?
Yes this is totally just my opinion. I dont give a fuck. This book was a heap of shit. Void of any depth whatsoever. This book is the very definition of surface level "show bizz" hollywood bullshit.
Time to read something completely different, as this book has turned me off all musician biographies.
April 18, 2014
Having just read Gene Simmons autobiography I was interested to see how their accounts would differ. Kiss have always been my favourite band & have always had a soft spot for Paul and nothing I read in this book has changed that. He is obviously a much more emotional person than Gene and reading how he has now overcome his own feelings of inadequacy after being bullied as a child was very moving. In my mind Kiss are still 'the hottest band in the world'!
April 8, 2019
Five stars because he drags Gene Simmons every 4 pages.
May 23, 2014
I've given fairly short shrift to ol' Paul Stanley. I'm a KISS fan from childhood. I saw them on that first reunion tour and it was a dream come true. Through the entire concert, I sang along and screamed like a school girl. I've fallen into the camp that Ace and Peter were robbed, that they should be the ones on stage playing those classic songs, that Tommy Thayer is an opportunist, that Gene and Paul are tyrants and so on and so forth.
I had the opportunity to catch Stanley on his book tour in San Francisco. Part of the ticket price included a copy of his new autobiography, Face The Music. I would have bought and read the thing, anyway, but here was a chance to get my hands on it with the added bonus of seeing him speak about the book and about his life. I thought the interviewer left something to be desired, but I found the whole experience very rewarding.
Having been to that event and having read the book, I can say my entire view of the situation with Frehley and Criss has changed. Where I used to think they were short changed, now I can't imagine how they lasted as long as they did. To be part of a band as enormous and enormously successful as KISS and to let it slip through your fingers is a far bigger crime than anything I have attributed to Stanley or Simmons. I can honestly say, in the shoes of the ousted members of the original lineup, I would have made different choices.
All that aside, I found Face The Music inspiring. Sure, Stanley is speaking from the tail end of a massively successful career with one of the biggest rock groups in history. Sure, he has tons of money. I understand the obstacles he overcame and the trials and tribulations he endured. But, more than any of that, the guy just has a really good attitude and outlook on life and he worked exceedingly hard to get where he is today. That's what inspired me. Figure out what you want and go for it, full on, all the way. You will fail, you will fall down, but you can do whatever you want to do.
It's bittersweet because, as a kid, I wanted to be a "professional" musician. Years ago, I had to accept that I didn't put in the time, energy and effort to make that happen and that my life and priorities had changed and it was no longer an option. I had kept that fantasy flame burning but, ultimately, I had to accept that my musical endeavors would have to be on the garage band level and that I had to be okay with that. Regardless, what Stanley has to say about life in general in this book goes beyond dreams of making a living as a musician, never mind superstardom. To some degree, your life really is what you make it. We aren't born equal, as some would have us believe, but what we do with what we have is our choice.
And aside from that, Face The Music is just plain interesting, but especially to KISS fans and even more so to KISS fans who have read Gene, Ace and Peter's autobiographies. Stanley's claims that this is not a KISS book notwithstanding, within these four volumes lies the story of KISS. You'll have to read between the lines but it's there for the taking. Kind of like life. KISS fans will eat this up, but I'd recommend this book to anyone.
I had the opportunity to catch Stanley on his book tour in San Francisco. Part of the ticket price included a copy of his new autobiography, Face The Music. I would have bought and read the thing, anyway, but here was a chance to get my hands on it with the added bonus of seeing him speak about the book and about his life. I thought the interviewer left something to be desired, but I found the whole experience very rewarding.
Having been to that event and having read the book, I can say my entire view of the situation with Frehley and Criss has changed. Where I used to think they were short changed, now I can't imagine how they lasted as long as they did. To be part of a band as enormous and enormously successful as KISS and to let it slip through your fingers is a far bigger crime than anything I have attributed to Stanley or Simmons. I can honestly say, in the shoes of the ousted members of the original lineup, I would have made different choices.
All that aside, I found Face The Music inspiring. Sure, Stanley is speaking from the tail end of a massively successful career with one of the biggest rock groups in history. Sure, he has tons of money. I understand the obstacles he overcame and the trials and tribulations he endured. But, more than any of that, the guy just has a really good attitude and outlook on life and he worked exceedingly hard to get where he is today. That's what inspired me. Figure out what you want and go for it, full on, all the way. You will fail, you will fall down, but you can do whatever you want to do.
It's bittersweet because, as a kid, I wanted to be a "professional" musician. Years ago, I had to accept that I didn't put in the time, energy and effort to make that happen and that my life and priorities had changed and it was no longer an option. I had kept that fantasy flame burning but, ultimately, I had to accept that my musical endeavors would have to be on the garage band level and that I had to be okay with that. Regardless, what Stanley has to say about life in general in this book goes beyond dreams of making a living as a musician, never mind superstardom. To some degree, your life really is what you make it. We aren't born equal, as some would have us believe, but what we do with what we have is our choice.
And aside from that, Face The Music is just plain interesting, but especially to KISS fans and even more so to KISS fans who have read Gene, Ace and Peter's autobiographies. Stanley's claims that this is not a KISS book notwithstanding, within these four volumes lies the story of KISS. You'll have to read between the lines but it's there for the taking. Kind of like life. KISS fans will eat this up, but I'd recommend this book to anyone.
May 11, 2014
But in truth, I would be the Wizard of Oz: the awkward little man behind the curtain operating the huge persona.
So, here it is. The autobiography from my favourite member of KISS. I got sucked into Gene Simmons' Kiss And Make Up (the less said about Sex, Money, Kiss the better), and had never gotten around to reading Peter and Ace's accounts, mainly because I figured it'd be whiny or filler for periods of time they'd blacked out (apparently I was right).
Paul, to me, was the most private, and the one who was diplomatic in interviews compared to the others. I thought he often said the right things, not necessarily the wholly true things when I read back. And here, I really liked him speaking out. He called out Ace's behaviour, Peter's attitude, and - most surprisingly, to me - Gene's ego, need to promote himself above the band, and taking credit for pretty much everything.
The latter is something I credited Gene for in his own book. I thought he had an astute business mind - and yes, he does - but I'm starting to realise that I'd been sucked into his bravado more than I'd realised.
The backstory of KISS hasn't changed - the ups and downs are as thoroughly documented as ever, and his book is more about how to deal with them and move on, rather than bitch about it. But what I enjoyed about it was putting some real stories to the Starchild.
He felt neglected as a child and came from a dysfunctional home, he was born with one ear, half deaf, and was bullied. He thought fame would bring acceptance, that wealth would bring him security - what he realised is they were just paths that led him to to solving it all, ending with quite a nice snippet of his family life. From anxiety to his drive to succeed, Paul's book was really interesting, as someone who literally used a mask to create a new person, to shield himself behind it.
Sure, many of the career points were well-trodden before, he even skipped over much of the debauchery in a matter-of-fact way so it was more of an acknowledgement it happened rather than a part of the tale. It felt like the Starchild was finally opening up, without breaking his private leanings.
I mean, as private as KISS can be.
The one thing - one thing - I disagree with is his notion that anyone in KISS can be replaced. KISS is just bigger than the band, yes, it is a brand, and 50% have been replaced thus far, but I think he underestimates the smack both he and Gene have on the b(r)and.
He talks of knowing his limits and looking forward to when he's replaced as a final proof that what he created was something bigger than himself. With that in mind, I think it's time to save up for that elusive meet and greet, because I'm now worried that next time - if there is a next time - may be my last chance.
So, here it is. The autobiography from my favourite member of KISS. I got sucked into Gene Simmons' Kiss And Make Up (the less said about Sex, Money, Kiss the better), and had never gotten around to reading Peter and Ace's accounts, mainly because I figured it'd be whiny or filler for periods of time they'd blacked out (apparently I was right).
Paul, to me, was the most private, and the one who was diplomatic in interviews compared to the others. I thought he often said the right things, not necessarily the wholly true things when I read back. And here, I really liked him speaking out. He called out Ace's behaviour, Peter's attitude, and - most surprisingly, to me - Gene's ego, need to promote himself above the band, and taking credit for pretty much everything.
The latter is something I credited Gene for in his own book. I thought he had an astute business mind - and yes, he does - but I'm starting to realise that I'd been sucked into his bravado more than I'd realised.
The backstory of KISS hasn't changed - the ups and downs are as thoroughly documented as ever, and his book is more about how to deal with them and move on, rather than bitch about it. But what I enjoyed about it was putting some real stories to the Starchild.
He felt neglected as a child and came from a dysfunctional home, he was born with one ear, half deaf, and was bullied. He thought fame would bring acceptance, that wealth would bring him security - what he realised is they were just paths that led him to to solving it all, ending with quite a nice snippet of his family life. From anxiety to his drive to succeed, Paul's book was really interesting, as someone who literally used a mask to create a new person, to shield himself behind it.
Sure, many of the career points were well-trodden before, he even skipped over much of the debauchery in a matter-of-fact way so it was more of an acknowledgement it happened rather than a part of the tale. It felt like the Starchild was finally opening up, without breaking his private leanings.
I mean, as private as KISS can be.
The one thing - one thing - I disagree with is his notion that anyone in KISS can be replaced. KISS is just bigger than the band, yes, it is a brand, and 50% have been replaced thus far, but I think he underestimates the smack both he and Gene have on the b(r)and.
He talks of knowing his limits and looking forward to when he's replaced as a final proof that what he created was something bigger than himself. With that in mind, I think it's time to save up for that elusive meet and greet, because I'm now worried that next time - if there is a next time - may be my last chance.
February 14, 2022
Paul Stanley is officially my favorite famous person. I'm a KISS fan. Have been ever since I was a little boy in the '70s. These days, as a 47 year old man, I still enjoy them, warts and all, (pop culture, and culture in general, has changed leaps and bounds since the days when KISS were essentially an American Beatles.) For someone who has zero investment in KISS as a pop culture phenomenon, I can't imagine there would be much interest in reading Paul's book. For me, it was a goldmine. Particularly since Paul shared his story with such openness, honesty, and extreme vulnerability.
Paul spent many years of his life afraid, ashamed, and ubiquitously uncomfortable, due in part to his microtia birth defect that left him without an ear and partially deaf, to simply being an awkward young person from a tempestuous family who could never find a sense of belonging. Even later in life, when KISS's popularity was surging, Paul struggled with shame and loneliness. He shared many painful things in this book, and was very honest about his own shortcomings and decision making. He had to relearn gratitude and appreciation for simple things in life, regardless of his wealth and fame.
Paul deserves immense credit for dealing with his difficult bandmates. Gene's mammoth-sized ego, Ace's laziness and descent into addiction, and Peter's whininess, negativity, and propensity towards sabotage whenever he didn't get his way, (which seemed to be pretty much always.) Paul essentially carried the band on his own throughout the '80s, a time when KISS was on the verge of being dismissed forever as a thing of the past. He knew when to swallow his pride, when to turn the other cheek, and when to step up and make tough decisions that would benefit the band.
I was happy to see that, as Paul aged, he grew out of his chauvinistic womanizing, (a prevalent attribute for rockers in the '70s and '80s.) He embraces kindness and respect for everyone. He believes in giving people chances while also knowing when to establish boundaries, (as he did with former bandmates.) Probably his most valuable lesson was knowing when to find, and truly recognize, love and understanding, for his wife, Erin, for his children, and for himself. These days Paul seems happier cooking dinner for his family than he does performing in front of thousands of people.
The last thing I'll say in praise of the Star Child, is that he has a wonderful heart and cares deeply for people. He knows when to reel in his judgements, and knows how to focus on the greater good in society, (something a certain fire-breathing, blood spitting bandmate of his could stand to learn.) Even if I didn't have the lifelong fan investment, I'd still honor Paul Stanley.
Paul spent many years of his life afraid, ashamed, and ubiquitously uncomfortable, due in part to his microtia birth defect that left him without an ear and partially deaf, to simply being an awkward young person from a tempestuous family who could never find a sense of belonging. Even later in life, when KISS's popularity was surging, Paul struggled with shame and loneliness. He shared many painful things in this book, and was very honest about his own shortcomings and decision making. He had to relearn gratitude and appreciation for simple things in life, regardless of his wealth and fame.
Paul deserves immense credit for dealing with his difficult bandmates. Gene's mammoth-sized ego, Ace's laziness and descent into addiction, and Peter's whininess, negativity, and propensity towards sabotage whenever he didn't get his way, (which seemed to be pretty much always.) Paul essentially carried the band on his own throughout the '80s, a time when KISS was on the verge of being dismissed forever as a thing of the past. He knew when to swallow his pride, when to turn the other cheek, and when to step up and make tough decisions that would benefit the band.
I was happy to see that, as Paul aged, he grew out of his chauvinistic womanizing, (a prevalent attribute for rockers in the '70s and '80s.) He embraces kindness and respect for everyone. He believes in giving people chances while also knowing when to establish boundaries, (as he did with former bandmates.) Probably his most valuable lesson was knowing when to find, and truly recognize, love and understanding, for his wife, Erin, for his children, and for himself. These days Paul seems happier cooking dinner for his family than he does performing in front of thousands of people.
The last thing I'll say in praise of the Star Child, is that he has a wonderful heart and cares deeply for people. He knows when to reel in his judgements, and knows how to focus on the greater good in society, (something a certain fire-breathing, blood spitting bandmate of his could stand to learn.) Even if I didn't have the lifelong fan investment, I'd still honor Paul Stanley.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 608 reviews