Kiss Off

Calling all members of the KISS Army! If you already bought your tickets to Sunday's Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, prepare to be disappointed. No, the powers that be are not rescinding their acceptance of your favorite band into that hallowed Hall, but the powers that be Gene and Peter are rescinding their acceptance of any particular lineup of the band that would perform to celebrate that long-awaited induction.
"Our intention was to celebrate the entire history of KISS and give credit to all members, including longtime present members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer, and additionally Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr all who have made this band what it is, regardless of the Rock and Roll Hall Of Fame's point of view," the band wrote on its web site. "Although KISS has moved forward far longer without them, Ace and Peter are at the very foundation of what we have built and this would all be impossible had they not been a part of it in the beginning." Hold on a second. "The band's web site?" Isn't that the disembodied voice of Gene Simmons I hear behind all that hubris? Tommy Thayer? Eric Carr or Singer? It sure is nice of The God of Thunder to consider the feelings of his fellow bandmates. Or maybe he just didn't feel like burying the hatchet when it came to all those bitter feelings that fester just beneath the Kabuki makeup of sixty plus year old rock and rollers.
The Spaceman, Ace Frehley had this to say on Eddie Trunk's radio show last week: "They just shot down any type of reunion with us," Frehley said during the broadcast. "It's very frustrating. It's what the fans wanted, it's what the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame wanted, and it's not gonna happen. You don't want to do something for the fans after forty years of them supporting you?"
Well, there is that part about showing up for the big dinner and picking up your trophy. That's pretty much what it's all about, isn't it? The partying every day? Don't you think these guys owe it to us all to rock and roll all night? After all those years, whining about not getting into the Hall of Fame. Really?