Kiss will play their final two shows ever (supposedly) this December at Madison Square Garden. Of course fans are hoping that original guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss might make an appearance at the final shows, but don't hold your breath – Paul Stanley has some pretty strong opinions on why it shouldn't happen.
In an interview with The Howard Stern Show, Stanley said the reunion with Frehley and Criss won't happen now is the same reason that Kiss didn't perform during the 2014 induction ceremony for the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame. Stanley said he feels the band's current lineup is the one that did all the work and got Kiss to where they are now, that the current Kiss is an accurate representation of the band, and that a reunion "would be demeaning to the band." He then adds that Kiss should change their name to Piss if they reunited with the duo… ouch.
"The hypocrisy is that we're not a band they like. They purposely kept us out for 15 years. And other bands that they embrace, they induct people's moms and songwriters and all these people. And with us, it truly was unfair. Because we had too much pride in this lineup, which is Kiss, and has been Kiss for 20 years. It’s not newcomers. … This is the band that has carried the flag and taken it, really, to another level. This is the band I always dreamed it would be."
"They were demanding, quite honestly, that we play with the two original guys, Peter and Ace, and at this point, that would be demeaning to the band, and also would give some people confusion. 'Cause if you saw people onstage who looked like Kiss but sounded like that, maybe we should be called Piss."
Still, Kiss was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2014 as Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss. Drummer Eric Singer and guitarist Tommy Thayer were both left out despite being members of the band for quite some time at that point. But hey, that's the Rock Hall, right? It never makes much sense.
