Interview: Paul Stanley - Criss and Frehley wanted equal say when they didn't do equal work

(ocweekly.com) For KISS founding member Paul Stanley, living the past four decades in the spotlight has been the easy part. His autobiography, Face The Music, is different than many of the rock bios that populate the marketplace. Born Stanley Eisen, the singer/rhythm guitarist reveals his difficult upbringing in New York City and the traumatizing affects of being born with one ear, along with a dysfunctional, unsupportive family. Add to that being called "Stanley the one-eared monster" by the neighborhood children, the rocker was engulfed by insecurities even as his band was selling out stadiums across the globe.

Stanley's book completes the cycle of every original member of KISS penning his own take of what happened during the iconic outfit's formative years, which at this point, is Rashomon-esque. But Stanley's book traces his personal ups-and-downs even as the chaos that encompassed KISS swirled around him and the band hit peaks and valleys along the way. We caught up with the Arena Football team owning rock star shortly before his induction in the Rock N Roll Hall of Fame to hear about his book, his insight on the band's history and what it feels like to finally be accepted by the rock elite.

You didn't waste any time jumping right into things and setting to the tone with a dark, revealing intro. Why did you decide to start the book off that way?

Because there was no other way to write it. Autobiographies, especially in the entertainment field, notoriously have a tendency to go towards self-congratulatory filler, imaginary accomplishment and stories of dubious factual basis. I had no time to waste to do that. So for years, I had no intention of writing a book. But then I started thinking that my life could possibly inspire somebody else, and could give someone else some hope or reinforcement and I'd like to write a book that my kids could read as they get older to understand what it took for me to become successful. That was the redeeming goal that made me want to write a book. It was the idea of being able to reach out and do something for other people including giving my children a better sense of who I am.

Continue Reading >>