KISS ARMY NEWS: Paul and Peter....Going for a latte together? And what it mean if they did it again.

I just re-read Paul's book, and was once again struck by the story of Paul and Peter, just going to Starbucks together one day.......just CAUSE!

It's so sad to hear about Paul and Peter getting along, having dinner together, Peter flying to Toronto just to see Paul in "Phantom" than seeing them fall apart again, It's almost surreal to think of Paul and Peter just going to Starbucks together to grab a coffee.

I'm sure Peter made the mistakes Paul accuses him of but I think Paul made a few of his own that he forgets to mention.

 That's my issue with this book, it is so far and above all the other books in every way, that the first instinct is to take it as gospel. Because Paul put in the effort to write a detailed thoughtful introspective and at times even courageous book, it exposes Gene and Ace's books as "fluff" and Peters as lacking in insight,

 But never forget: THIS IS PAUL'S BOOK. He is the hero of his own narrative and the winner of his lifelong love/hate battle for the spotlight with Gene, what he neglects to mention is his REAL mistakes, how much of what he writes is born from envy of Gene's "natural" star power, 

Paul came off as trying too hard many times (as Peter mentions in his book) Gene never needed to try, he oozed star power and would dominate any room he walked into, leaving Paul seething with jealousy. To his credit, I think Gene was largely oblivious to this, it never occurred to him that Paul would resent him for commanding so much attention.

 That's only the tip of the iceberg, Paul has musically handicapped this band for decades, trying to turn it into an 80's metal band, a late 80's hair band and finally a smeared replica of what he believes the original KISS was all about sonically speaking. 

The problem is, like many painters, he's INSIDE THE PAINTING when he looks he sees what he wishes was there, not what actually WAS or IS there. He has a very skewered understanding of what makes great KISS  music. This myopic vision is revealed in his repeated slagging of records and musical aspects of the band that their fans LOVE.

For example, his trashing of the production and overall sound of records like DRESSED TO KILL, ROCK N' ROLL OVER, UNMASKED, even the first record, who's trashy New York Dolls/Rolling Stones/ Slade inspired Glitter rock is beloved by millions and regarded as the TRUE sound of KISS shows that though he may have been a big part of creating it, he doesn't truly UNDERSTAND IT. 

Quotes like: "we weren't that Rock n'' Rolly" when describing the first record leaves the average KISS fan scratching their head. Yes, Paul, YOU WERE that Rock n' Rolly.  And THAT is what people want to hear from a KISS record.

We get it, you love Led Zepplin, but Paul's 40-year quest to try and make KISS SOUND like Zep is a tiresome refrain for most KISS fans to hear about. 

Would Paul be surprised to learn the average KISS fan generally DOESN'T LIKE  Zepplin? The average KISS fan didn't want a Bonham sound-alike drummer in the band? That they regard Peter's unorthodox, big-band-inspired "Ahead of the beat" drumming to be a crucial component of KISS's sound?

It's on these and many other more personal issues, I'll leave alone for now, that Paul is incapable of clear vision,

 Unfortunately, in these final days, he has grabbed a stranglehold of all things KISS and controls the band with Machiavellian tyranny. 

It was Paul who told the great record producer Bruce Fairburn that he didn't know how to do his job, took over and gave us the unfocused mishmash of Psycho Circus.

 Paul alone cannot tell the story of KISS or write effective new chapters in its history, let's hope he realizes it before it's too late.