PAUL STANLEY: 'Even If I Wanted To Destroy KISS, I Couldn't'

Kevin Eck of The Baltimore Sun recently conducted an interview with KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

The Baltimore Sun: "Live To Win" is your second solo album, but your first since 1978. Why did you choose to do another one at this time?

Stanley: I've always seen myself as the caretaker for the band in the sense that, if everybody was running off doing side projects throughout the years, then we might all come back to an empty dock where there was once the Good Ship KISS. There were times when somebody needed to be bailing water, and I volunteered. It has reached a point where the band has achieved kind of an iconic status, and it's pretty solid. And there comes a time when you just have to say, "It's my turn."

The Baltimore Sun: Were there things musically that you wanted to do on this album that wouldn't have fit into the Kiss sound?

Stanley: I really never thought of it like that. When I write for a KISS album, I write for the strengths and weaknesses of the band and the musicians. When I do a solo album, I write the songs and then bring in the musicians that are best suited to play the songs. I think there are certain things that perhaps wouldn't be appropriate for KISS. But I don't think this album is that much of a stretch in terms of songs as much as it is maybe sonically. The sound of it certainly is much bigger and broader than something that KISS would do.

The Baltimore Sun: Will KISS tour and record again?

Stanley: KISS will tour. Even if I wanted to destroy KISS, I couldn't. It has a life of its own. We're very fortunate that people still want to see us. Will we record? That's a question that I'm not really sure about, mainly because KISS songs at this point are much bigger than music. They're snapshots of a time in a person's life. No matter what I write today for KISS, no matter how good it is, people will hear it and go, "That's really great. Now play 'Detroit Rock City'." And I understand it. ... I don't know that I really want to put so much effort into something to know that it probably will fall short in terms of acceptance.

The Baltimore Sun: Last August, a couple hundred KISS fans protested outside the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and Museum in Cleveland because the band has yet to be inducted. What are your thoughts on the snub?

Stanley: Honestly, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame is a joke, and it always has been. I think they should be ashamed and embarrassed by some of the people that they've inducted. It's a popularity contest for a small group of judges or whatever they want to call themselves. They induct bands that they like that have sold less albums in their careers than I've sold in a week, and that have influenced a handful compared to what KISS has done. KISS is a virus that has infected music from rock to country and back. So if they choose not to induct us, I'm not sure it's a club I want to be a member of.

The Baltimore Sun: KISS is used to playing large arenas and stadiums. Is it a difficult transition for you to play clubs?

Stanley: It's not an adjustment. It just means the intensity gets captured in a smaller environment. If anything, it should be more powerful. When I see how fast the tickets have gone, it only makes me raise the bar that much more. I don't think it's that I have a lot to prove, but I have a lot to thank people for. And I want to make sure that they walk out of there with something they're going to remember for a long time. I'm pretty confident that this "thank you" is going to be big and loud.

The Baltimore Sun: You had two hip surgeries in 2004, including a hip replacement. How are you doing physically?

Stanley: I'm fine, other than setting off metal detectors worldwide. I have to say that when KISS did our last shows [this past July], it really struck me how much more I could move than I had on previous tours. I was in tremendous pain during the last three or four tours. Toward the end I could barely get up to the stage from the stairs. But when you hit the stage and people have paid for tickets, they don't need a disclaimer at the front of the show. If you can't do what people paid to see than you shouldn't be there. So you bite the bullet. But everything's fine. Is it perfect? No. But believe me, I was working on far less.

The Baltimore Sun: How would you describe your relationship with KISS co-founder Gene Simmons? From the fans' standpoint, there seems to be two schools of thought. One is that you two are as close as brothers, and the other is that your relationship at this point is strictly business.

Stanley: I think that when you saw BEATLES movies or even THE MONKEES, I think that was kind of a parody or satire, the idea that they were all in this house together. It may be fun for people to imagine that you spend all your time with your bandmates, but I think it's insane. I think that the best relationships last the longest because you don't expect anything of the relationship that it doesn't have to offer. Gene and I are like family. Regardless of how much time we spend together, we have a mutual respect, although I would not say that I'm a big fan of a lot of [projects] that he does on his own. That's really his choice. It's unfortunate when some of it can impact the band, but he's certainly earned the right to do what he feels he wants to.

The Baltimore Sun: Have you watched his reality show? Would you ever consider doing one?

Stanley: No, I haven't watched it, and I wouldn't do one if I had a gun to my head. You have a choice of two things: You can have reality or television, but you can't have them both. I've always been somebody who's kept my private life private. Whether it's an imagined private life or a real private life, I'm not interested in sharing it.

Read the entire interview at www.baltimoresun.com.