Synopses & Reviews
Fueled by an explosive mix of makeup, costumes, and
attitude, KISS burst onto the music scene thirty years
ago and has become a rock institution. The band has
sold more than eighty million records, has broken every
concert attendance record set by Elvis Presley and the Beatles, stands behind
the Beatles alone in number of gold records from any group in history, and
has spawned more than 2,500 licenses.
There would have been no KISS without Gene Simmons, the outrageous star
whose superlong tongue, legendary sexual exploits, and demonic makeup
have made him a rock icon. KISS and Make-Up is the wild, shocking,
unbelievable story, from the man himself, about how an immigrant boy from
Israel studied to be a rabbi, was saved by rock and roll, and became one of
the most notorious rock stars the world has ever seen.
Before Gene Simmons there was Chaim Witz, a boy from Haifa, Israel, who
had no inkling of the life that lay ahead of him. In vivid detail Gene recounts
his childhood growing up in Haifa under the watchful eye of his beloved,
strong-willed mother, a concentration camp survivor; his adolescent years
attending a Jewish theological center for rabbinical studies in Brooklyn; his
love of all things American, including comic books, superheroes, and
cowboys; and his early fascination with girls and sex, which prompted him to
start a rock band in school after he saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan
Show.
KISS and Make-Up is not just the classic story of achieving the American
dream through the eyes of an immigrant boy making good, but a juicy,
rollicking rock and roll read that takes you along for the ride of your life with
KISS, from the 1970s, when they were the biggest band in the world, through
the 80s, when they took off their world-famous war paint, and into the 90s,
when they came back bigger and badder than ever to become the number
one touring band in the world.
In his own irreverent, unapologetic voice, Gene talks about the girls (4,600 of
them and counting); his tight bond with KISS cofounder Paul Stanley; the
struggles he and Paul had with Ace Frehley and Peter Criss and their
departures from the group; the new band members and Eric Carrs untimely
death; the enormous love and affection he has for the people who put him
there in the first placethe KISS Army and the ever-loyal KISS fans around
the world; his love life, including stories about his relationships with Cher and
Diana Ross and with Shannon Tweed, Playmate of the Year, mother of his
son and daughter, and his companion of eighteen years; and much more.
Full of dozens of photographs, many never-before-seen pictures from Genes
private collection, KISS and Make-Up is a surprising, intimate look at the
man behind the mask. For the first time Gene reveals all the facets of his
complex personalityson, rock star, actor, record producer, businessman,
ladies man, devoted father, and now author.