Formed in 1973, KISS became one of the biggest bands in rock and roll history. Whether they wore their signature makeup or not, the band drew massive crowds on tour and sold millions of albums. However, the band experienced several breakups and lineup changes over the years with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley being the only constant members of the band. Recently, former guitarist Bruce Kulick reflected on his departure from the band.
Kulick replaced Mark St. John on guitar for KISS in 1984, shortly after they took their makeup off. He remained in the band throughout the rest of the ‘80s even after Eric Carr left the band for medical reasons and Eric Singer took his place behind the drumkit. Finally, when Simmons and Stanley decided to get the original lineup back together for a reunion tour, Kulick and Singer found themselves booted from the band.
[RELATED: Bruce Kulick Gets Honest About His Place in KISS and Receiving No Invite to Farewell Tour]
In a recent interview with Guitar World, Kulick looked back on being ousted from the band after a successful run.
Bruce Kulick on Being Ousted from the Band
KISS embarked on their reunion tour in 1996, bringing back all four original members and putting the makeup back on. However, the band kept Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer on retainer, paying them their full salary for the year while the tour drew crowds around the world.
“Paul and Gene did the right thing by keeping us on salary for a year, but they had to do that because they could go back if the reunion blew up,” Kulick said. “Once success came and Ace and Peter did their jobs, the writing was on the wall,” he added.
“What kiss would make with Eric and me was like five million, but with Ace and Peter, we’re talking about netting 50 million, that’s truly obscene,” he explained. “I’ve always looked at it as I was never fired from KISS, I was left behind for a wildly successful commercial venture. You don’t have to be an accountant to understand Paul and Gene,” he added.
However, the happy reunion didn’t last long. Kulick pointed to the 1998 album Psycho Circus as proof. “All the cracks reopened,” he said of the tensions in the original lineup. “If you look at Psycho Circus, that was not a band album. It’s got Tommy Thayer on guitar, and Kevin Valentine on drums. I’m playing some bass—Ace and Peter are barely there,” he recalled. “Sure, the four of them toured in support of it and did that ‘final tour’ but the truth is that putting the makeup back on at the time was a purely commercial decision.”
Kulick Reflects on ‘90s KISS
“Our version of KISS had a lot of promise. We clicked, got along, and shone brightly. It’s a shame it was killed,” he said. “I understand why it happened, but it took me time.”
Simmons and Stanley have had unkind things to say about the band’s output in the ‘90s. Kulick shared his thoughts on that as well. “Musically speaking, we were as good as any KISS era. I’ve heard Gene pick on Alive III and it’s like, ‘Dude, give me a break. We were killing it then.’ Here’s the truth, we could play the old sh-t right, and we played the new sh-t right,” he recalled. “I’m not saying we had the magic of the original band, but don’t put that era down because you’re trying to sell the makeup,” he added.
“I also don’t buy Paul putting down some of that stuff,” Kulick continued. “He was there. He sang his heart out, he worked hard on it. Is Paul entitled to his opinion? Of course. But to reduce an era to nothing? I don’t buy it.”
Featured Image by Ethan Miller/Getty Images
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