KISS’ Paul Stanley On His Music, His Art And His Persona
By Jim Clash / Forbes
Kiss frontman Paul Stanley is a lot more than just a singer. He’s acted (played lead in a Canadian production of “Phantom Of The Opera”), written and co-written several Kiss hits including “Rock And Roll All Night” and “Black Diamond,” and yes, paints. On February 23, his first art show of 2024 opens at the Wentworth Gallery, Seminole Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, in Hollywood, Florida. The following day, he will also present his work at the Wentworth Gallery, Boca Raton Town Center Mall.
With the completion of Kiss’ final tour (at least that’s what they say), we thought it would be an appropriate time to chat with Stanley about his illustrious career. The 2014 Rock & Roll Hall Of Famer turns 72 later this week. Following are edited excerpts from a longer phone conversation.
Jim Clash: As research for this story, I watched you on Dan Rather’s, “The Big Interview.” You came across as thoughtful, polite, almost shy - a surprise to me. Onstage with Kiss, you’re raucous and boisterous, the polar opposite.
Paul Stanley: I hope people take into account that when you’re trying to connect with 20,000, 50,000 or 100,000 people, you have to be 20,000, 50,000 or 100,000 times as boisterous. I would hope that nobody would think that’s who I am offstage. All of us, to some degree, bring out different sides of ourselves in the appropriate situations.
Clash: Is the extraordinary makeup part of that?
Stanley: We were tied to a direct reflection and admiration for what was going in England, the glam scene, and how it pushed the limits. That was key for us. Also, we wanted to be the band you never saw, to put it in the most simple terms - the band we hoped to see. The makeup would magnify parts of our personalities and take us to a larger-than-life persona. We wanted to illicit the kind of mystique and power of superman, rather than Clark Kent.
