Kiss and Make-Up
by Gene Simmons
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Book Summary Information
Author: Gene SimmonsEdition: Paperback
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language); English (Published)
Published: 2002-10-22
ISBN: 0609810022
Number of pages: 304
Publisher: Three Rivers Press
Book Reviews of Kiss and Make-Up
Book Review: Funny, yet blunt book about the greatest band on the earth!
Summary: 5 Stars
Gene Simmons brings his experience with KISS to life in this book that begins with how Chaim Witz began life in poverty. It was this little boy's fascination with American culture that would eventually create a monster who knew how to market what would become one of the most visual and influential bands in history - KISS.
Overall, the book is honest and from the heart. Gene shows a side you would have never known existed if all you ever did was watch their performances and listen to the songs. But, underneath that "monster/demon" makeup was a man who had dreams and lived them in America. His story IS the American dream and it comes from his heart. You learn that Gene is a sensitive person so unlike his demon character. He loves his children to death and worships the ground his mom walks on. And he is definitely a VERY intelligent person and he knew he had to always have something to fall back on if his pursuit of a rock and roll band ever failed. BTW, he never had to resort to that backup plan if you didn't know already!
A lot of stories are told that are wild and unbelievable, including the 4,600 liaisons he had with women of all shapes and sizes. He also goes into plenty of stories about the other members of the band, with a lot of emphasis on how Peter and Ace were kind of the rebels that caused a lot of problems.
Unfortunately, I would have loved to also see the same kind of stories come from the other members of the band. Gene shows how much he cared about all the members of the band, but what you also learn is, Gene is blunt and to the point. He holds no punches when he's ready to criticize Ace or Peter, but he's also ready to praise them whenever he can and he was always there to help them, especially during their drunken and stoned years.
Paul may have been the leader on the stage, but Gene was definitely the brains behind it all. The man is a business-man pure and simple and he had in his mind how he wanted KISS to be marketed. He learned from the many different people during KISS' tenure (Bill Aucoin and others) and he observed everything. He always wanted to learn how and why things were done a certain way and he filed that away in his mind for future reference and it shows in how KISS became a multi-million-dollar "business" with all the KISS dolls, trading cards, comic books, etc.
What is so amazing is how this man has kept clean from alcohol and drugs. He got high on life (and once with a brownie by accident), but overall, the man has lead a drug-free life. His excuse? There's nothing better than getting high on life and the success you can obtain from hard work and perseverance. He believes in the American dream because he lived it.
Overall, this is an excellent book for any KISS fan or any non-KISS fan to learn what made this group rock and succeed, even when they began to falter in the late 70's/early 80's when rock was beginning to dwindle and pop/disco took center stage for awhile.
It's an excellent read that you cannot put down. It IS a story of one man's life living the American Dream.
Summary of Kiss and Make-Up
The God of Thunder returns in the New York Times Bestseller ? Now in paperback and hotter than hell!* More insight from the Demon ? Including the making of Destroyer and the truth behind the greatest rock band in the world
* Look for all four special collector's covers
* And more photos
You wanted the truth, you got the truth?the hottest book in the world!
Fueled by an explosive mix of makeup, costumes, and attitude, KISS burst onto the music scene thirty years ago and has become a rock institution. The band has sold more than eighty million records, has broken every concert attendance record set by Elvis Presley and the Beatles, stands behind the Beatles alone in number of gold records from any group in history, and has spawned more than 2,500 licenses.
There would have been no KISS without Gene Simmons, the outrageous star whose superlong tongue, legendary sexual exploits, and demonic makeup have made him a rock icon. KISS and Make-Up is the wild, shocking, unbelievable story, from the man himself, about how an immigrant boy from Israel studied to be a rabbi, was saved by rock and roll, and became one of the most notorious rock stars the world has ever seen.
Before Gene Simmons there was Chaim Witz, a boy from Haifa, Israel, who had no inkling of the life that lay ahead of him. In vivid detail Gene recounts his childhood growing up in Haifa under the watchful eye of his beloved, strong-willed mother, a concentration camp survivor; his adolescent years attending a Jewish theological center for rabbinical studies in Brooklyn; his love of all things American, including comic books, superheroes, and cowboys; and his early fascination with girls and sex, which prompted him to start a rock band in school after he saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show.
KISS and Make-Up is not just the classic story of achieving the American dream through the eyes of an immigrant boy making good, but a juicy, rollicking rock and roll read that takes you along for the ride of your life with KISS, from the 1970s, when they were the biggest band in the world, through the ?80s, when they took off their world-famous war paint, and into the ?90s, when they came back bigger and badder than ever to become the number one touring band in the world.
In his own irreverent, unapologetic voice, Gene talks about the girls (4,600 of them and counting); his tight bond with KISS cofounder Paul Stanley; the struggles he and Paul had with Ace Frehley and Peter Criss and their departures from the group; the new band members and Eric Carr?s untimely death; the enormous love and affection he has for the people who put him there in the first place?the KISS Army and the ever-loyal KISS fans around the world; his love life, including stories about his relationships with Cher and Diana Ross and with Shannon Tweed, Playmate of the Year, mother of his son and daughter, and his companion of eighteen years; and much more.
Full of dozens of photographs, many never-before-seen pictures from Gene?s private collection, KISS and Make-Up is a surprising, intimate look at the man behind the mask. For the first time Gene reveals all the facets of his complex personality?son, rock star, actor, record producer, businessman, ladies? man, devoted father, and now author.
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