Kiss and Make-Up
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- Create Date：2021-07-05 09:53:49
- Update Date：2025-09-06
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- Author：Gene Simmons
- ISBN：0099436140
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Summary
KISS has released thirty-seven records and sold 80 million albums worldwide。 Gene Simmons has also acted in films and on television， has written and produced albums for other recording artists， has managed the recording career of， among others， Liza Minelli， and was founder and president of his own recording label， Simmons Records/RCA。 He also launched his film and TV producing career with Detroit Rock City for New Line Cinema。 Gene Simmons lives in Beverley Hills， California， and was recently the rock star teacher on Channel 4's Rock School。
Here for the first time Gene Simmons， the notorious mainman of the explosive rock and roll group KISS， tells his story。 Delivered in Gene's own honest， outrageous and uncensored voice， he tells of his early beginnings in Israel， of his arrival in New York at the age of eight， his first taste of 1950s pop culture and his developing thirst for fame， fun and girls。 Undoubtedly one of the most infamous rock and roll legends alive， Gene tells the never before revealed story of KISS's reign as the biggest and most popular band in the world。 Finally， the real story of the man behind the make-up。
Here for the first time Gene Simmons， the notorious mainman of the explosive rock and roll group KISS， tells his story。 Delivered in Gene's own honest， outrageous and uncensored voice， he tells of his early beginnings in Israel， of his arrival in New York at the age of eight， his first taste of 1950s pop culture and his developing thirst for fame， fun and girls。 Undoubtedly one of the most infamous rock and roll legends alive， Gene tells the never before revealed story of KISS's reign as the biggest and most popular band in the world。 Finally， the real story of the man behind the make-up。
Reviews
Hunter
，
Not much to review。 I was hoping to get a more detailed account of the pivotal moments of the band's history。 But that was not the case here。 2。5 stars Not much to review。 I was hoping to get a more detailed account of the pivotal moments of the band's history。 But that was not the case here。 2。5 stars 。。。more
Lietke
，
Gene Simmons knows what he is and owns his shortcomings - mostly。 His indiscriminate womanizing is acknowledged， as well as his not being a drinker or drugger （mentions both about 5 times）。Goes long on beating up Peter and Ace， but not as harsh as Paul is of them。Most amazing thing is him talking about his early years in Israel and New York and stories of his mom。
Gloria
，
Very interesting and funny book。
Diego Leal
，
Gene Simmons is such a character。 He narrated the audiobook， and it was fascinating to hear his stories。 One of those books that you just don't want them to end。 Awesome。 Gene Simmons is such a character。 He narrated the audiobook， and it was fascinating to hear his stories。 One of those books that you just don't want them to end。 Awesome。 。。。more
Rebecca Rogers
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What a ho！ Lol！ And he is so so full of himself！ He is apparently responsible for everything in this world！ He's a very smart man and he knows it and definitely looks down on people。 Not sure if this book made me like him more or not。 What a ho！ Lol！ And he is so so full of himself！ He is apparently responsible for everything in this world！ He's a very smart man and he knows it and definitely looks down on people。 Not sure if this book made me like him more or not。 。。。more
Nowhere Fast
，
Interesting book。 As a Kiss fan， I enjoyed this book very much。
Jay Crawford
，
I would have never thought that Gene Simmons' life would have been so interesting。 From growing up a Israeli refugee to becoming The Demon in Kiss， it was a whole lot to take in。 I would have never thought that Gene Simmons' life would have been so interesting。 From growing up a Israeli refugee to becoming The Demon in Kiss， it was a whole lot to take in。 。。。more
Augusto Bernardi
，
One of my earliest memories as a person or of my relationship with my father is listening to Kiss。 My favourite band member has always been Gene Simmons， with his awesome theatrics and he simply wrote the songs I liked best。 But as an adult I kept hearing over and over again how much of a rude dick he is。 Sometimes from other Rock musicians or even his own band members。 So that kind of put my image of him in a weird purgatory。 So this book helped me reach my own conclusion。 I thought that Gene i One of my earliest memories as a person or of my relationship with my father is listening to Kiss。 My favourite band member has always been Gene Simmons， with his awesome theatrics and he simply wrote the songs I liked best。 But as an adult I kept hearing over and over again how much of a rude dick he is。 Sometimes from other Rock musicians or even his own band members。 So that kind of put my image of him in a weird purgatory。 So this book helped me reach my own conclusion。 I thought that Gene is a man that is extremely successful， driven man that is brutally honest with his goals and objectives which are actually the same goals as most other people but he is just more clear and successful about it。 He wants power， money and women。 Can you blame him？ No。 It doesn't diminish any of his musical achievements and doesn't distinguish his achievements from others either。 Which is something that he makes clear。 I was fascinated by his childhood in Israel， born to Hungarian parents that suffered in concentration camps during the war。 His father left his mother for another woman， which gene discovered and was the last time he's seen him as a young child。 He has no brothers or sisters so his protective mother was the only real family he had。 This made him sorry of a native nerd as a child but later on in life he would admit that the lack of a father figure would play a big part in his arrogance and confidence as he was never put in his place。 His conservative， organised， goal orientated way of life with a strong awareness of money is something that's heavily influenced of course from his Jewish community which he also got in New York， once his mother and him moved to America。 I was deeply interested in his details about his Israeli and new York life， learning several languages， religious schooling and his obsession and influence from tv and the movies。 I found that even in this part of his life， Gene is suprisingly honest about embarrassing childhood stories and fears。 Gene's sexual escapades in his teen years sound like something out of an American pie movie and he takes full advantage of his famous long tongue。 I was amazed to hear that he was no fan of Elvis as he somehow "missed the train" but he liked how the women love the Beatles despite them being short of cute。 So this had a major influence over him want to become a musician。 He explains wanting to be different from others so thereby choosing to play the bass guitar instead and then the few bands and band members that eventually lead up in 1974 to Kiss。 Gene always speaks highly of long time band member and co founder of kiss because I guess they've always shared the same vision despite having different personalities。 Not a single part in the book does he talk well about Peter Criss which is very interesting。 Infact quite the opposite。 Ace Frehley is also portrayed as weird and an unprofessional alcoholic but being still talented。 A particularly shocking story which is amazing that gene even admits this in this book was that in the audition period to get a guitarist for the band， an incredible talented black guy played for them but they rejected him solely on the reason that he was black and didn't fit with the image of the band。 This is the type of story that regardless of perspective， would be really hard to hold up for a general audience。 Which brings me to my next point which is how important their image was to them。 I mean this as the highest compliment but Kiss are the McDonald's of the music industry。 They had a huge focus on the live performance with the big banner in the back， makeup and outfits and the incredibly pyrotechnics。 Even the name of the band is easy and recognisable everywhere。 They would study other live performances to see what would be better， especially in the American market。 Even suggestions from the band that didn't for good and Paul's vision， wouldn't fly like Peter Criss's drum solo on the second album。 This focus on the image is also how they got contracts， bigger shows and not have anyone follow them。 Their first album was so good！ Reading this book makes me revisit their songs which is always a pleasure。 Their third album cover， dressed to kill， is my favourite but neither this not the second one said very well despite having one of their all time best songs， rock'n'roll all night。 "Alive！" Was their fifth album and their first live album which might seem early but that's such an important part of the band and was actually their most successful album to date and their real breakthrough。 Destroyer， their next album， is widely considered their greatest album that really cemented who the band was and their classic hits。 The cover was inspired by Frank frazetta but was to expensive to be done by the great artist so was done by a cousin of his。 Gene wanted the 4 band members not to be holding any instruments on the cover， so it could be more than just music and focus on the personas like super Heroes。 This is when they truly become super rockstars in a league of their own at the time， doing arenas and making a lot of money。 Gene explains how the music was just a means to the end of building an empire like Disney， where they could sell merchandise and open other businesses。 Destroyers biggest hit single was actually Beth， of all fucking songs， sung by Peter Criss。 I don't consider it being even remotely the best song of that album。 I personally like God of thunder best which was apparently written by Paul。 In this chapter in particular， gene is ruthless with Peter， describing him as being an cheating， incompetent， poor musician。 If he was so bad， it makes me question why he was even in the band in the first place。 Not to mention the drums are infinitely harder to play than the bass guitar and all of them are self taught musicians so it's hard to understand the constant disdain for Peter and Ace。 Someone that Gene gives plenty of credit on the step up of Destroyer is the producer， Bob Ezrin， that Porter and Ave apparently didn't like。 Gene details on how much influence he had over the mixing and the songs and the band members musical skills。 Even the lyrics and subject of the songs were supposed to be easy in order to be anthems and the subject not a story but rather the way they were feeling。 Of course throughout the book there are many many scenes of Gene's sex life which I thought would be annoying but because he isn't crass about it， is fairly light hearted and some of them even impressive。 What was though absurd and makes me have huge sceptical eyes is Gene claiming that he invented the rock'n'roll Devil horns sign。You see how things must have gotten bitter later on because Gene practically said that Ace was a Neo Nazi with all his Nazi memorabilia and off the cuff jokes。 Goes in length about how dumb and superstitious he is as opposed to any friendship or talent。 It reminds me a lot of how Trump is with people who just turned against him。 Love gun was the next album and alive 2 next。 He talks about their tour to Japan and more conflict within the band in regards to side projects that gene often got the better end of the deal， not surprisingly。 They took then a break to work on their solo stuff。 The book takes a different turn as he meets Cher and has a serious relationship with her and moves in with her in California。 For a man that lives a superstar life， I found it interesting how he still didn't quite fit in the California celebrity community as Kiss have always been sort of separate to other stars。 The cultural differences between California and new York in the late 70s were also something that Gene adjusted to with apparent fondness。 But he talks about Cher in the highest regard and fondness which I was also surprised because these celebrity relationships rarely are long lasting or very friendly。 During this time each member recorded their solo albums with the same record company and had the same artist for their album covers with their face on it。 Gene's solo album sold the most but it was Ace that actually said it the most and he gained more confidence。 Gene admits to his talent but still makes clear how lazy and distracted he is。 After this they got together again to record their next album， Dynasty， which had one of their greatest hits， I was made for lovin' you。 During the recording of Unmasked in 1980 is when things got apparently really complicated with Peter and his erratic behaviour and drug problem and he was voted out of the band by apparently all band members。 I understand Gene's intense annoyance with Peter in this aspect at least because it must be infuriating having to rely on a drug addict when you are a sober businessman。 So they hire another drummer who they name Eric Carr。 Eric is regarded as young and more naive to their Rockstar lifestyle but am incredible talent and a step up from Criss。 Their tour to Australia has been the biggest yet but this was a bad time for the band。 Ace was not present part of the recording which eventually lead to him even leaving the band for his solo career despite Paul trying to make him stay， gene was not a very beloved part of the band either as he had become to Hollywood， which want cool or more importantly part of the image of the band as he was in a serious relationship with Diana Ross。 They also had some awful albums at the time as well that didn't do very well either including Music from the Elder and Creatures of the Night。 Ace was replaced by Vinnie Vincent which gene didn't like either and thought was unmanageable and annoying but contributed to their more popular songs on the next album。 The eighties was a different time in the music industry and other artists like Michael Jackson were bigger and more importantly， hair metal， so kiss being a business， they followed the trend and finally took their makeup off which was a big shift in the band with their music and crowd。 It was this time that Paul became a bigger star in the band。 This album， Lick it up， was another success but I preferred the algum after which was Animalize。 Gene then at the Playboy mansion meets playmate Shannon Tweed which he has a serious relationship with and they end up having 2 kids together。 Gene has a big philosophical explanation on why he did not want to get married with Shannon for decades， but eventually I think he did get married with her。 It's closely related on how would and free he wanted to be which is understandable from his perspective。 As other rockstars had vices like drugs， his thing was women。 But being a father is something that Gene speaks with great passion。 This comes from wanting to be better than his father was to him。 Paul later got married too and Gene was the best man。 During the late 80s up to mid 90s， Kids was in a weird place， trying to find where they fit especially with the grunge music being popular。 Gene was heavily involved in movies trying to get some roles and also trying to get other business ventures up and running like his own record label。 The guitarists throughout this period were also up and down and the relationship with Vinnie went sour as well eventually being replaced by Bruce Kulick。 In a rather sad turn of events， Eric got cancer and died soon after。 Something really amazing that gene recounts is when Eric met Peter for the first time and said that he's sorry。 His kindness the Peter of that to this day he speaks of Eric well。 Eric was then replaced by Paul's drummer Eric Singer。 The kiss fans started holding these kiss conventions that were like a great get together which the whole band would attend and then make a national tour out of it where they would play an acoustic set for the fans， answer questions and let fans， from multiple generations share their heartfelt stories that actually were very touching， especially this one with a man's dying wish was to be buried with his Kiss albums。 This is a sort of very special love and adoration that I think few bands truly get to see。 What is fascinating to me is that for even these sort of get togeethers， Gene takes advantage of it and somehow makes business out of it。 That's truly impressive because ultimately， Kiss is a band of the 70s， that practically didn't make a good song in the 80s and 90s and STILL manages to make millions of dollars and sell out stadiums。 That's a business thing and not a music thing。 Anyway， it was during this meet and greet tour that they planned to do a set with Peter again and that eventually lead to Peter and Ace rejoining the band。 But this was no easy matter。 Gene goes on in length on how difficult the negotiations especially with Ace were to get him to play and act professionally in the band as he still wasn't sober and his managers were a nightmare。 Gene makes it clear things were not the same， especially in the cut each of the band members would get。 Surprisingly there were some good moments， especially with Peter because I guess lots of the immature stuff and drug related stuff was behind him now but ultimately， a person doesn't change their personality completely so Peter for one reason or another missed out on major international tours， was replaced again by Eric Singer and left the band。 This book was written in the early 200s。 So almost 20 years ago to when I'm writing this review and Kiss were technically still touring but Gene ends this book as if Kiss is already hanging it up so there is a lot of story still left untold I guess because by the time this book was finished， Kiss's last album was Psycho Circus。 I liked that album but the production was apparently a headache and Ace was extremely unreliable and all round problematic and unprofessional。 In conclusion， I really glad I read this book and it made me like Gene even more than I did， especially his work ethic。 The stories with the ladies is fun and the rock and roll stuff is a wonderful bit of nostalgia。The stuff with the other band members was definitely a major part of the book and was very gripping but I know there is clearly another side of the story to this。 。。。more
David Clapham
，
Interesting。 I thought the passive aggressive descriptions of some of the band a bit malicious though。
Michael Citro
，
Gene's autobiography is the third I've read of the four original members of KISS and so far it's the driest。 That's probably to be expected since the others were from Ace and Peter。 Gene's antics don't involve boozing or drugs so there are fewer wild stories and it's interesting to get his side of the conflicts with Ace and Peter。 Like the others， he does dive into his "look how much sex I was having" stories， which。。。fair play， I guess， but it's what I find least interesting。 Overall it's an in Gene's autobiography is the third I've read of the four original members of KISS and so far it's the driest。 That's probably to be expected since the others were from Ace and Peter。 Gene's antics don't involve boozing or drugs so there are fewer wild stories and it's interesting to get his side of the conflicts with Ace and Peter。 Like the others， he does dive into his "look how much sex I was having" stories， which。。。fair play， I guess， but it's what I find least interesting。 Overall it's an interesting perspective on one of the biggest grossing bands in rock history by one of the main guys that shaped its destiny。 。。。more
Cameron Fairless
，
This book was an interesting look into the life of Gene Simmons and KISS up until the end of their reunion tour in 2001。I enjoyed the stories he told， especially from a straight point of view （with him being teetotal and anti-drug）。 It also delved into the issues arising from Peter and Ace's substance abuse from a perspective that wasn't their own。I gave this book a 4 star rating as I felt like this book was written to give you a base knowledge of the band， but then the rest of it was him just s This book was an interesting look into the life of Gene Simmons and KISS up until the end of their reunion tour in 2001。I enjoyed the stories he told， especially from a straight point of view （with him being teetotal and anti-drug）。 It also delved into the issues arising from Peter and Ace's substance abuse from a perspective that wasn't their own。I gave this book a 4 star rating as I felt like this book was written to give you a base knowledge of the band， but then the rest of it was him just shitting all over Peter and Ace （whether or not that was fair or not， I'm not sure）。 。。。more
Guilherme Zeitounlian
，
It is nice to get to know more about the people who made KISS what it is。I know tens of their songs， but until now knew nothing about the band。The beginning of the book is interesting - the part where Gene talks about his childhood and first years in America。However， the rest of the book is a mix of （non-linear） storytelling of what he decides to put a highlight on - be it his business ideas， be it the misbehaving of Ace and Peter。 All things considered， it is a quick read - but it left me eager It is nice to get to know more about the people who made KISS what it is。I know tens of their songs， but until now knew nothing about the band。The beginning of the book is interesting - the part where Gene talks about his childhood and first years in America。However， the rest of the book is a mix of （non-linear） storytelling of what he decides to put a highlight on - be it his business ideas， be it the misbehaving of Ace and Peter。 All things considered， it is a quick read - but it left me eager to hear the other sides of the story。 。。。more
Andrew Alvis
，
I absolutely loved this book。 Gene recounting his early days in Israel to moving to the USA and forming differents band till striking gold with Kiss and said bands journey was a revelation。Long have I been a fan of Kiss， thanks to my Dad and now I feel I understand the bands struggles between members leaving， money troubles and trying to forge an identify people could wrap their heads around。 This book was a blast and I will continue this trend by reading Paul Stanleys' book。 I absolutely loved this book。 Gene recounting his early days in Israel to moving to the USA and forming differents band till striking gold with Kiss and said bands journey was a revelation。Long have I been a fan of Kiss， thanks to my Dad and now I feel I understand the bands struggles between members leaving， money troubles and trying to forge an identify people could wrap their heads around。 This book was a blast and I will continue this trend by reading Paul Stanleys' book。 。。。more
John Carlsson
，
Gene Simmons berättar om sitt liv och hur hans uppväxt var innan Kiss。 Det mest irriterande är att han berättar oftast enligt schemat ny skiva -> ny turné -> nya sexuella erfarenheter。 Bristen på analys och fördjupning förvånar， det mesta han företar sig beskrivs som succéer trots att andra källor påvisar motsatsen。 Det mest sympatiska är väl hans orubbliga respekt för sin mor。 Ändå måste-läsning för Kiss-fans， men man ska vara medveten om att historien slutar 2001。
Stacy
，
Exceeded ExpectationsAudio read by Gene Simmons; which provided a great listening experience。I like reading my rock biographies， but sometimes not unsurprisingly will find myself disgusted by vulgar details。 Simmons had a way of making his classy … the book stayed classy and didn't become trashy and to that I say thank you。 Exceeded ExpectationsAudio read by Gene Simmons; which provided a great listening experience。I like reading my rock biographies， but sometimes not unsurprisingly will find myself disgusted by vulgar details。 Simmons had a way of making his classy … the book stayed classy and didn't become trashy and to that I say thank you。 。。。more
Bárbara
，
I've been a fan of KISS's music （I phrase it like that over saying I've been a fan of KISS per se because for most of my life I knew little about the band beyond their music- and I can't stress enough how that needs to be normalised， as opposed to knowing up to the band's pooping schedule） since I was a kid。 Ever since I first heard a song， I liked the band's sound。 That song must have been Rock n Roll All Nite， I'm almost sure。 I always liked their music， even when I couldn't understand （due to I've been a fan of KISS's music （I phrase it like that over saying I've been a fan of KISS per se because for most of my life I knew little about the band beyond their music- and I can't stress enough how that needs to be normalised， as opposed to knowing up to the band's pooping schedule） since I was a kid。 Ever since I first heard a song， I liked the band's sound。 That song must have been Rock n Roll All Nite， I'm almost sure。 I always liked their music， even when I couldn't understand （due to language barier） their lyrics， even when I had very little idea of who exactly was behind that killer sound。 Growing up， I grew acquainted with the particulars more closely: namely， the identities each member had created。 Even though （true to my drummer-loving nature） I would grow up to be a Catman girl through and through， I was always intrigued by the Demon。 Although I was aware of the fact that his character didn't necessarily have to match his actual personality， I still couldn't help but feel intimidated， to some level， by Gene's onstage persona。 Reading this book was one big step into unveiling the "mystery" I had grown up cherishing as a child （even though the reading process was a culmination of something that had started ever since I got in touch with a thing called the internet）。 The Demon was a great figure to get to know while growing up， getting familiar with his antics onstage was a fabulous experience （one that will come full circle once I see the band live at last， not half a year from the time this review is being written）。 As an adult， I wanted to see more of Gene。 This book caters to all my needs as a reader: there's a great job that was put into "character building"， both within the human factor of the contextual build， as well as the more unreachable aspect， namely everything that has to do with the unique experience as a member of *The Hottest Band In The World*。 Gene Simmons has no time for bullshit: he says what he means， he means what he says- and even when he is an asshole， he owns it completely。 Love him or hate him， you can't help but still respect him for it。 He is a complex man through and through， and it's been a pure delight to see all the little elements （some of them gloriously contradictory） that make up his personality。 Extra kudos for the impressive work that was put into this account of Gene's world。 It was both informative， entertaining。。。 In escence it was a biography， but it was written in such a way that it feels unfair to just reduce it to the genre and that's it。 It's fair to say that， what's true in terms of the band- that you can't just reduce KISS to being one thing， because it doesn't really fit into preexistent molds- can be said about its members。 It can also be said about this book。 I enjoyed reading this way more than I was anticipating。 I'm always a sucker for discovering the human side of "big" personalities， such as rockstars。 And when there is such a character， that seems even bigger （in image） than the average rockstar， coming face to face with the man behind the Demon， with the considerable shock such a contrast may entail， the ride gets even more exciting。 。。。more
Patricia
，
I read this book last in my exercise of reading all the KISS member autobiographies。 I rank them Paul， Gene， Ace， Peter。 It's not surprising that I enjoyed the books written by the smarter members more。 I felt like Paul's was the most objective， and that all band members sort of fell into their stereotypes given to them by other band members。 Gene went a little overboard talking about his experiences with women， but that's to be expected。 I don't think anyone really needs to read all four books。 I read this book last in my exercise of reading all the KISS member autobiographies。 I rank them Paul， Gene， Ace， Peter。 It's not surprising that I enjoyed the books written by the smarter members more。 I felt like Paul's was the most objective， and that all band members sort of fell into their stereotypes given to them by other band members。 Gene went a little overboard talking about his experiences with women， but that's to be expected。 I don't think anyone really needs to read all four books。 Paul's was by far the most comprehensive， so I knew the story each time it was told。 It's interesting because this book was written in 2001， during their first "final" tour， and I felt like it ended kind of abruptly， talking about that being the last time he'd take the stage being in the near future。 。。。more
Francesco Ficco
，
I'd like to read it first， please。 I'd like to read it first， please。 。。。more
Patty Maier
，
Beginning Was Good。Gene Simmons is defiantly not a good role model for kids， which is sad because he claimed to never drink nor do drugs。 His drug however， was sex， and the revolting manor in which he engaged in the lifestyle choice， without restraint of who or what he had sex with leaves no doubt the STD’s he had to contract。 It seems is only redeeming quality is the father he became for his children， for they truly loved him and clearly he loved them。 Hopefully， he is as good as a husband to S Beginning Was Good。Gene Simmons is defiantly not a good role model for kids， which is sad because he claimed to never drink nor do drugs。 His drug however， was sex， and the revolting manor in which he engaged in the lifestyle choice， without restraint of who or what he had sex with leaves no doubt the STD’s he had to contract。 It seems is only redeeming quality is the father he became for his children， for they truly loved him and clearly he loved them。 Hopefully， he is as good as a husband to Shannon。 Sadly， with a husband addicted to the lust of sex as Gene Simmons was， remaining true to his wife could be impossible。 To his shame for sure。 。。。more
Ilena Holder
，
Pretty good book。 I don't think Gene tells all， but does tell some shocking details。 If you are a "KISS Army" member you will love it。 Gene loves himself， but he loves his wife and （now deceased mother） more。 he worships both these women。 He has a knack for making money and tells you in the book that they are the only band that maintains tight control on all their merchandise。 Parts I found interesting were that he abstains from alcohol and drugs。 The reason: he felt his mother had enough suffer Pretty good book。 I don't think Gene tells all， but does tell some shocking details。 If you are a "KISS Army" member you will love it。 Gene loves himself， but he loves his wife and （now deceased mother） more。 he worships both these women。 He has a knack for making money and tells you in the book that they are the only band that maintains tight control on all their merchandise。 Parts I found interesting were that he abstains from alcohol and drugs。 The reason: he felt his mother had enough suffering in her life （Nazi concentration camps） and he did not want to put her through more。 One time he did ingest cocaine by mistake （in a recording studio）， it was a funny story。 If you want more on him， read Star Man by Michael Francis former bodyguard to the stars。 Gene has a really rotten side， which you probably know by now。 。。。more
Candice
，
I started with Paul Stanley’s Face the Music because I ASSUMED it would be more stomach-able than a memoir by Gene Simmons。 What I got was a mopey martyr with an axe to grind。 So I decided to read Gene’s interpretation of Kiss’ journey。 Ok， yes， Gene is a pig who fat-shames and objectifies women and that is gross。 BUT I was amazed that I was taken with him in other respects。 He came across as honest and fair， whereas Paul was only too eager to say how HE was the soul of the band and without him I started with Paul Stanley’s Face the Music because I ASSUMED it would be more stomach-able than a memoir by Gene Simmons。 What I got was a mopey martyr with an axe to grind。 So I decided to read Gene’s interpretation of Kiss’ journey。 Ok， yes， Gene is a pig who fat-shames and objectifies women and that is gross。 BUT I was amazed that I was taken with him in other respects。 He came across as honest and fair， whereas Paul was only too eager to say how HE was the soul of the band and without him there would have been no Kiss。 Gene repeatedly gives Paul credit and repeatedly asserts that being a rockstar was but one of his aspirations。 And I agree！ If the man wants to try his hand at acting and creates opportunity to that end， why shouldn’t he？ Paul comes across as a Bitter Betty: if he wanted to make Kiss his everything that’s his choice but to be sour because Gene had extracurricular ambitions isn’t copacetic。 Gene states many times， and Paul corroborates this in his book， that Paul should live his dreams and if he wants to be a solo artist or pursue other interests he SHOULD。 There was no double standard。 Paul seems to not understand that he’s imposing his will and preferences。 I really loved how Gene’s book ended。 He wanted to bow out gracefully instead of flogging a dead horse the way Paul continues to try to do with Kiss reunion after Kiss reunion。 Though in Paul’s book he makes it seem like it’s so unfair that he’s the only one working toward keeping Kiss alive: as if that’s even a good idea。 Maybe he should have taken a page from Gene’s book and let Kiss run its course。 Speaking of taking a page from Gene’s book， that’s what half of Paul’s book did anyway， at least for the first half。 He shared the EXACT same memories and usually they were similar in sentiment; except when he felt that he didn’t get the credit he felt he deserved。 He spent so much of his book slagging Gene off that I felt I needed to get Gene’s MO。 Paul’s whiny bitch-fest pushed me into Gene’s arms。 It wasn’t supposed to happen this way but I must accept my fate。 。。。more
Kerrie
，
I really enjoyed this book。 There’s more to Gene than his narcissistic personality。 He is the narcissistic man I like。。。and that’s rare！
Marsha Fouts
，
Gene's writing style is much drier than the other members of KISS。 He is absolutely the most self centered member of the band and loves taking credit。 This is the ego that drives the merchandise and money making endeavors。 For him， its not all about the music。 Gene's writing style is much drier than the other members of KISS。 He is absolutely the most self centered member of the band and loves taking credit。 This is the ego that drives the merchandise and money making endeavors。 For him， its not all about the music。 。。。more
Ciro Strazzeri
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BELLISSIMO
Michael Jolls
，
It’s interesting how this book compliments many parts of Paul Stanley's "Face the Music"。 The stories （i。e。 the history of KISS） are told with similar perspective， although Simmons seems harder on Ace Freely and Peter Criss。 Additionally， similar to Stanley， Simmons writes with such an openness about himself and his opinions that it’s refreshing。 Sometimes， a celebrity’s autobiography/memoir can be rather helter-skeltor， yet Simmons recaps his life in a concise， easy-reading manner rather intere It’s interesting how this book compliments many parts of Paul Stanley's "Face the Music"。 The stories （i。e。 the history of KISS） are told with similar perspective， although Simmons seems harder on Ace Freely and Peter Criss。 Additionally， similar to Stanley， Simmons writes with such an openness about himself and his opinions that it’s refreshing。 Sometimes， a celebrity’s autobiography/memoir can be rather helter-skeltor， yet Simmons recaps his life in a concise， easy-reading manner rather interesting。。。 considering I'm not a KISS fan。 。。。more
Caryn
，
Gene Simmons’ life and career has been laid out in this autobiography but not in a condescending or arrogant manner。 That is what I expected but， to my delight， didn’t get！ I expected a lot of the same backstabbing I read in Peter and Ace’s books but， like Paul Stanley， Gene was much more diplomatic！ Gene came from very difficult and humble beginnings which did not detract from his personality or determination to be a successful man。 Many may not like him very much but he deserves respect for ma Gene Simmons’ life and career has been laid out in this autobiography but not in a condescending or arrogant manner。 That is what I expected but， to my delight， didn’t get！ I expected a lot of the same backstabbing I read in Peter and Ace’s books but， like Paul Stanley， Gene was much more diplomatic！ Gene came from very difficult and humble beginnings which did not detract from his personality or determination to be a successful man。 Many may not like him very much but he deserves respect for many reasons not least of which is his drug and alcohol free lifestyle。 Admirable in the life he led。。。maybe not so much in the sexual department！ I was even touched on an emotional level when Gene describes the birth of his children， especially the first time as the shock and awe set in！Overall a well written story of fame and fortune。 。。。more
Cathy
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This is pretty much what you would expect Gene Simmons biography to be like （to be fair I’ve only read the first edition when it came out years ago） it’s pretty much how Gene was/is the be all and end all of KISS， still and interesting read though。
Timothy Herritt
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Good book， recommend。 Read the Paul Stanley book and thoroughly enjoyed it， this book is just as good。
pianogal
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I'm not a fan of Kiss's music， but I thought this book was really interesting。 I'm gonna read a bio by the others guys to and compare and contrast。 Not sure Gene and I would be friends， but I respect his work ethic。 I'm not a fan of Kiss's music， but I thought this book was really interesting。 I'm gonna read a bio by the others guys to and compare and contrast。 Not sure Gene and I would be friends， but I respect his work ethic。 。。。more
Jeanette Brickner
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My dad bought this book for me for Christmas several years ago。 I thought it was so cool because my dad and I always connected through music。 This book started my desire to read a whole list of rock n roll books。 I was on a roll and I'm far from finished！ Trashy rock star books are a guilty pleasure and some are way better than others。 My dad bought this book for me for Christmas several years ago。 I thought it was so cool because my dad and I always connected through music。 This book started my desire to read a whole list of rock n roll books。 I was on a roll and I'm far from finished！ Trashy rock star books are a guilty pleasure and some are way better than others。 。。。more
Reference
google book https://www.google.com/search?tbm=bks&q=Kiss and Make-Up
hathitrust digital library https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/ls?q1=Kiss and Make-Up&field1=ocr&a=srchls&ft=ft&lmt=ft
The British Library https://bll01.primo.exlibrisgroup.com/discovery/search?query=any,contains,Kiss and Make-Up&tab=LibraryCatalog&search_scope=Not_BL_Suppress&vid=44BL_INST:BLL01&lang=en&offset=0