PAUL STANLEY: 'If We Did A New KISS Album, I Would Want To Control It'

Philthy Phil of KNAC.COM recently conducted an interview with KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

KNAC.COM: This is your only solo album since the 1978 KISS solos, right? Why so long in between?

Stanley: Yeah. Good question. You know everybody was always running off to do their own projects on the side...I always thought that KISS needed some attention and, you know, if everybody's running around, who's minding the store? There have been times where I think the band was in some danger, and some trouble and somebody needed to be there to bail water, otherwise I think the "good ship KISS" could have sunk. So, I saw that as my responsibility and I did it, and finally it reached a point where I think that the band is solid and will do what it needs to and can do whatever it wants to. And I felt it's really my turn and my time to go do an album. It won't be another 28 years before the next one. (Laughs) Otherwise the next one I told people instead of being called "Live To Win" it'll be called "Hope To Live" (Laughs).

KNAC.COM: You said you're doing a great deal of practicing, so tell me about the touring plans?

Stanley: Our first show is on the 21st. and, we're just doing 18 shows. And then probably I'll go home and reassess what I feel like doing and more than likely go out and do more shows. I've got an amazing band, I got the house band from the TV show "Rock Star" which, whether you like the show or not, is good enough reason to watch it. The band is amazing, and we're just tearing it up every day. The songs we're playing are everything from the first solo album, to the KISS classics, to some really cool KISS songs that have never been played that I really like and things from "Live To Win". So, it's a full, full evenin'.

KNAC.COM: During the '80s you almost produced albums for GUNS N' ROSES and POISON, but it never happened. Why?

Stanley: All kinds of reasons: politics, personality clashes with some of the people involved, but everybody's done very well and I'm happy for everybody. It's great to see other people succeed and it's nice to be a part of people's success but when you can't, you know, it's really not the end of the world. Everybody has managed to do quite well with me and without me.

KNAC.COM: Gene's done a lot of producing…is that something you want to do?

Stanley: I'm pretty selective in how I use my time. The idea of just producing for the sake of producing is not of any interest to me. For something to take up my time it has to be something that I feel is worth sacrificing something else. (If) the right project comes along, sure, but just to, you know, to me there's a way people can seem to be busy and it's not that different from being on a stationary bike. You're pedaling a whole lot but you're not going anywhere. That's not to draw a comparison to Gene, it's more about the idea that I'm real selective in what I do and you only have so many hours in the day and the time you spend doing one thing means you're not doing something else.

KNAC.COM: Speaking of Gene…I know he's got to be like a brother to you…but he doesn't even hide it any more…the blatant "if I can make a buck, I'll do it" attitude… Do you think it helps or hurts KISS…and your efforts to be your own artist?

Stanley: I don't think it helps. But, you know, he's certainly entitled to say what he wants. We don't always agree, and I think that there are certain things he does that don't reflect well on the band, but, that's life. It's important for people, as much as possible, to realize that the squeaky wheel doesn't always have to get the oil. In other words, the person who is the most vocal isn't necessarily saying things that are reflective of the band or the point of view of the band. I think Gene often says things to get a rise out of people or to get press space, and that's fine. But it really doesn't necessarily mean it's more accurate.

KNAC.COM: Will KISS record again?

Stanley: It's possible. You know the problem with KISS recording is that the songs that everybody thinks of as the classics are much more than music at this point, they are really, I guess like snapshots of a point in somebody's life. People remember what they were doing when they heard a certain song. People remember who they were with, who they were screwing, whatever they were doing, so it makes those songs much bigger than just playing music. The problem with that is that no matter what, KISS would go in and record today, it's never going to measure up to that. Not because it's not as good, but because it doesn't have the history. I mean, you go to a (ROLLING) STONES concert, and truthfully, you tolerate the news songs, but you're not there to hear them, you're waiting to hear "Brown Sugar", you're waiting to hear "Honky Tonk Woman". It's just a matter of whether or not you're willing to accept that. Some bands want to continue making new music for their own creativity. I respect that. I just wonder if I'm up to putting that amount of effort into an album only to have people listening to say, "Oh, well, that's really nice. Play "Love Gun". (Laughs) So if I can reconcile that then I'd go back in, but I would want, you know, I would pretty much at this point, if we did a KISS album I would want to control it. You know, I'm not really in a place now where I want to compromise or dilute an album for anyone's quota of songs or anything like that. At this point I'd really want, I'd pretty much want to steer it.

Read the entire interview at KNAC.COM.