I Love Bands

[center][big]Band Feuds: Paul Stanley & Gene Simmons vs. Peter Criss & Ace Frehley[/big]
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The late '70s saw KISS at the height of their career, but it was also the point where dissension would arise within the original lineup for the band. KISS co-founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons found themselves at odds with Peter Criss and Ace Frehley as the latter two were displeased with their lack of input in the creative direction of the band. The public were largely unaware of the infighting with KISS until their October 1979 appearance on Tom Snyder's late-night talk show [i]The Tomorrow Show.[/i]

It's regarded as one of the most awkward and cringe-worthy interviews in rock and roll history. The majority of the interview is overshadowed by an inebriated Frehley's constant joking and laughter while a visibly irate Simmons' attempts at speaking are frequently interrupted by Frehley. There was a teddy bear on set that Frehley started playing with while Simmons was talking, prompting Stanley to snap at Frehley to put it down. Criss, an avid gun collector, makes a reference to his gun collection to the further annoyance of Simmons who tries to change the subject. The interview can be watched in its entirety here:
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It became perfectly clear to all who watched it that there were two separate camps within the band. It wouldn't come as a surprise to many when the original lineup ended up not lasting much longer. Peter Criss was the first to go shortly after the band's [i]Dynasty[/i] tour. The exact reasons for his release are uncertain, but during the tour, his relationship with the rest of the band was worse than ever. Criss admitted he would intentionally slow down or stop drumming during the tour just to anger his bandmates. Six months after the tour, Criss departed from KISS. His bandmates claim he was fired, but Criss has insisted that he quit. Although Criss' image would still be featured on the band's following album [i]Unmasked[/i] and he would even still be credited as the drummer, Criss would not perform with the band again for almost 17 years.

Frehley remained with the band for a while longer, but tensions between he and Stanley and Simmons only got worse as well. Peter Criss' replacement Eric Carr was not equal shareholder in the band, so Frehley often found himself being outvoted 2-1 in the band's decision-making. The final straw came with the band's decision to make a concept album [i]Music from "The Elder",[/i] when Frehley wanted to do a straightforward rock album. In 1982, Frehley left the band to embark on a solo career, though he would still be featured and credited on the band's next album [i]Creatures of the Night,[/i] even though his involvement was minimal.

In 1995, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley performed with KISS once again for their [i]MTV Unplugged[/i] concert and then the following year, they officially rejoined KISS where they embarked on a successful reunion tour. After the tour, the band began work on a new album [i]Psycho Circus,[/i] which was marketed as the first KISS album with the original members since [i]Dynasty.[/i] Though years later, it would turn out that once again, despite Criss and Frehley being credited, they had little involvement in the album's production. Frehley only provided lead guitar on three songs while Criss only provided drums on one. The reason for this was that, despite the reunion, there was still dissension between the Stanley/Simmons and Criss/Frehley camps. The latter again wanted more creative input but were denied by the former because according to Stanley: "Why would they be equal partners? The band had existed [for many years without them]."

After the [i]Psycho Circus[/i] tour, KISS then embarked on their Farewell tour, the last KISS tour to feature the original lineup. Despite the bittersweet feel of the tour, Stanley would later reveal that the tour was actually done to "put KISS out of its misery" following the troubles during the production of [i]Psycho Circus[/i] and the band's underwhelming live performances since the reunion. Before the tour concluded, Criss abruptly left once again following disputes over his contract salary. In his final concert during the farewell tour, Criss destroyed his drum set after the band's last song for the night. The audience, believing it was part of the show, cheered Criss on, but it was actually done in a fit of anger on Criss' part.
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When KISS announced they wouldn't be retiring after all, Criss wound up returning for one more tour before leaving again permanently. Frehley, however, opted not to return for that tour and left as well to resume his solo career. The original members would not reunite again until 2014 when KISS were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. All four original members appeared to accept their induction.
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Frehley's relationship with Stanley and Simmons has improved over the years. Both have even appeared as guest musicians on Frehley's solo music. While Criss remains at odds with Stanley and Simmons with him periodically badmouthing the two to the press and criticizing them for carrying on without him and Frehley.

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