Paul Stanley spoke to SiriusXM‘s Ozzy’s Boneyard about KISS‘s new A&E documentary “Biography: KISStory”, which is set to premiere with a two-night event on June 27 and June 28 from 9 p.m. ET to 11 p.m. ET.
“It’s a real personal look at the band and Gene [Simmons, KISS bassist/vocalist] and I,” Paul said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET). “‘Cause Gene and I were there; we were together since we lived in our parents’ homes, and we’re there today. So that kind of bookends the whole story of the band. And it’s much more intimate and personal than anything we’ve done before. It lacks a lot of the razzmatazz and the bigger-than-life. It’s more almost like sitting with us. There’s a lot of conversations in it of just Gene and I on my sofa, hanging out. Kudos to Gene. He was willing to let down the guard and show a different side of him — a side that, over years, has become much more pronounced.
“People have all these ideas about he and I butting heads all the time,” Paul continued. “And we’ve never really butted heads. We’ve certainly been very competitive at different times, and that healthy competition is what helped make us what we are. So, I think the spats have been exaggerated. But I think one thing you see at this point is we couldn’t get along better. We have so much to be grateful for and so much to look back on, and to sit around and share memories or reminisce, it’s a very different feel to this.”
Stanley also addressed the fact that original KISS members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss did not get involved in the making of the documentary.
“Some people might take exception to it… Some KISS fan might say, ‘Well, how come there isn’t more of Ace and Peter?'” Paul said. “Truly, those guys didn’t want to be a part of it without certain… I think there was talk of final approval of footage and editing, and that’s fantasy — that’s fantasy. It’s really a story of the band.
“I keep saying we couldn’t be here today had it not been there for Ace and Peter being there in the beginning. We also couldn’t be here today if they were still here. I try to put that into perspective.
“We live by a template that the four of us started, but everybody isn’t built to go the distance, and everybody isn’t built for the marathon,” Stanley added. “So this really is ultimately the story of me and Gene, and KISS, and the story of the band from the beginning till today.”
Last September, Frehley confirmed during an appearance on SiriusXM‘s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk” that he had been approached by the KISS documentary producers about taking part in the film. “They offered me a small fee to be involved with it, and I turned them down,” Ace said. “I thought the fee was embarrassing, because I know how much money they’re gonna make on it. So, either share the wealth, or c’est la vie. So I decided not be involved. But they have plenty of old footage of me, and they’ll probably use that and get by. But it won’t be the same as if they get current footage. Unfortunately, I decided the money that they offered me wasn’t anywhere near what I felt I deserved, so I turned it down. The footage you’re gonna see of me in this documentary is only gonna be old footage.”
Directed by D.J. Viola, “Biography: KISStory” chronicles the band’s five decades in the business as founders Stanley and Simmons reflect on their historic career. Current members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer as well as guests Dave Grohl (NIRVANA, FOO FIGHTERS), Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), manager Doc McGhee, music producer Bob Ezrin (ALICE COOPER, PINK FLOYD) and more tell the wild story of the most successful and influential band in the world.
“Biography: KISStory” is a Leslie Greif production, produced for A&E Network by Critical Content and Big Dreams Entertainment with Leslie Greif and Jenny Daly serving as executive producers and D.J. Viola serving as director. Elaine Frontain Bryant and Brad Abramson serve as executive producers for A&E Network. A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights for “Biography: KISStory”.
To promote the documentary, KISS took the stage on June 11 for a special performance at the 2021 Tribeca Festival in New York City. For the first time ever, the band played at the festival directly following the screening of part one of “Biography: KISStory”. The two-part documentary event was part of the festival’s 2021 TV lineup.
