Controversy sells! It’s not too shocking that Kiss guitarist/singer Paul Stanley’s new memoir, Face The Music: A Life Exposed, contains some headline-grabbing allegations. Among them, Paul says that former bandmates Ace Frehley (guitar) and Peter Criss (drums) resented himself and bassist/singer Gene Simmons for their control over the band’s creative direction. “Ace, and particularly Peter, felt powerless and impotent when faced with the tireless focus, drive and ambition of me and Gene,” wrote Paul. “As a result, the two of them tried to sabotage the band — which, as they saw it, was unfairly manipulated by [us] money-grubbing Jews.”
When the New York Post asked Paul about that exact comment, Paul affirmed he believes that Peter and Criss are anti-Semitic. “It’s based on years and years of interactions,” he said. “It’s not pulled out of thin air.” VH1 caught up with Ace and asked about Paul’s claims. “We say good things about each other and we say bad things about each other [in our memoirs], but it is what it is,” Frehley said. “It’s rock and roll. I mean, if all we did was pat each other on the back for every book, people would say, ‘That’s a boring book.’ They want to hear the dirt. I’ve got plenty of dirt.”
Kiss were also featured in Classic Rock magazine recently, dishing on their long careers and having a go at each other. Said Gene, “Paul is the soul of Kiss and I’m . . . the c*ck. Paul is much more emotional, and I’m drier. Paul will go see romantic movies, I’ll throw up at them.”
Added drummer Eric Singer, “Gene loves the sound of his own voice, we all know that. But nothing happens in Kiss unless Paul Stanley says it does.” Paul was asked who had bedded more women, Gene or himself? Joked Paul, “I think I had more that would qualify as women. With him, you were also throwing in cattle. But we both did very well. Gene likes to stand up and say: ‘Look at me, and look at what I’ve done.’ And that’s okay. But who had more? I don’t know. He certainly had ones that I didn’t want.”
Just before Faster Pussycat was about to perform “Bathroom Wall” at a recent gig in Murietta, CA, it’s clearly incapacitated bassist Danny Nordahl took a header straight into the drum kit and had to be replaced for the rest of the show.
You can see it (including a handy short clip of just the fall) here. Don’t miss singer Taime Down’s (pictured) seamless mic stand grab.
UFO bassist Pete Way was diagnosed with prostate cancer last summer and is currently undergoing treatment. Wrote Pete on his Facebook page last week, “I am halfway through my cancer radiotherapy treatment. Feel so low and tired. Love reading all your comments and messages. They have helped me so much and keep me going. Please keep posting them. I just want to play my new album Walking On The Edge for you which has been delayed due to this. Love you. Pete.”
Pete talked about his diagnosis last year with Classic Rock magazine, explaining it was discovered during a routine scan of his liver (Pete suffers from hepatitis). “I was lucky,” he said. “They were checking my liver, not my prostate. They found it by accident. I didn’t think I had any symptoms, but when I spoke to the doctors, and they were asking me all those questions, I did have the symptoms. I just didn’t know what they were.” He added, “This is prostate cancer. It’s not lung cancer. It’s not pancreatic cancer. If you’re going to get cancer, this is the best one you can have — and they caught it early.”
Will Black Sabbath eventually reunite with estranged drummer Bill Ward? In 2012, Bill backed out of the band’s recently-announced reunion due to contractual issues.
Says Sabbath guitarist Tony Iommi, “Funnily enough, I had an email off Bill a few days ago. It’s a shame he didn’t want to do it at that time. No one was more upset than us. We wanted him to do it, but we had to carry on. Otherwise we’d still be waiting now. It threw us, we were shocked. But who knows, one day we may play together.”
Get your balls to the wall…eyeballs, that is. And maybe not to the wall…that would hurt. BUT you can adorn your peppers in this cool new line of eyewear from Accept. The German metal band has partnered with Hellbrecht Optics for the band’s own line of glasses. Says guitarist Wolf Hoffmann, “Once you wear these, you’ll want no other.”
While we’re on the subject, check out the just-released cover art for Accept’s new album, Blind Rage, due out on July 18. It’ll be the third album featuring singer Mark Tornillo, who replaced the classic lineup’s Udo Dirkschneider in 2009.
Aerosmith is headed out on the road this summer, kicking off on July 10 in Wantagh, New York (check out the band’s full itinerary on the HOH website). Open the dates will be Slash featuring Myles Kennedy and the Conspirators.
Ted Nugent is also heading back out on the road this summer for his aptly-named Shut Up & Jam! Tour. A new album (of the same name), expected out later this year.
“Though we can all agree that music is the ultimate communication, killer rock-n-roll is also the ultimate soul cleansing distraction from everyday life,” says Ted. “I predict the most fun tour of our lives. Politics be damned! SHUT UP & JAM!” Check out the tour dates on our HOH website.
Here’s your first look at “Tin Soldier,” a brand-new video for a song off Winger’s upcoming studio album, “Better Days Comin” (due out on April 22).
Poison frontman Bret Michaels has released the video for a new solo single, “A Beautiful Soul.”