Book Review #2: Kiss And Make-Up

 Kiss And Make-Up (2001)

I purposely avoided this book for years. I really didn't have any desire to read this given that I already knew more about KISS than Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley combined. But out of sheer boredom and nothing else to read, I decided to give this one a shot at long last. My first impression when picking the book up and holding it in my hands was how small the book looked. For a band like KISS and it's author Gene Simmons, I would expect nothing less than 500 pages. But this looked like a book that I would finish in just a few days (3 days to be exact).

Upon reading the book, I quickly realized that I wasn't going to get anything new from the man himself. Everything that you have ever heard about KISS and its humble beginnings, and you KISS fans know exactly what I'm talking about, you have seen and heard the stories told a million times over from Gene himself either in on-camera interviews or print from magazines and other books over the years.

I was hoping to get a more detailed account of most of the pivotal moments of the band's history. But that was not the case here. Most of the back history from his days as a child all the way to the Farewell Tour is pretty much glossed over, recounting stuff that most KISS fan's already know. And when the band isn't being talked about in the book, Gene is bragging about his sexual exploits. But the way he paints the picture of each woman he banged, it comes off as a bad cliché of a porn plot. After awhile it just becomes laughable every time he talks about yet another conquest. I'm not saying that none of this happened or that it didn't happen the way he describes. It's just left me laughing more than admiring his  ability to get any woman he wants.

The only thing that I found fascinating within the pages of KISS And Make-up was the dirt he dishes on Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. These are the only things that came off as "new" to me that I had never heard about. Sure I have heard both Gene and Paul slam both Ace and Peter for years and years. But getting first hand accounts of what Ace and Peter did to incur the wrath of Gene was somewhat eye opening here. But after awhile, it just seemed a bit harsh and started to feel more and more like character assassination on them for the sake of just getting back at them. I'm not saying that none of what Gene described didn't happen. But there are two sides to every story and it's why I anxiously await the release of Ace's book to hear what he has to say on the matter.

All in all, I would recommend this book only to those that know nothing about KISS and need a quick crash course on the band. For everyone else, I would just get it from the library, which is what I did here.

Rating: 3 Stars out of 5

Review by Chiprocks1