Kiss and Make-Up

by Simmons, Gene

• ISBN13: 9780609608555
• ISBN10: 060960855X
• Format: Hardcover
• Copyright: 2001-12-01
• Publisher: Crown

Summary

You wanted the truth, you got the truththe hottest book in the world! 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-Upis 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-Upis 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 Carr's 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 Gene's private collection,KISS and Make-Upis 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.

Author Biography

Gene Simmons has acted in movies and television, has written and produced albums for other recording artists, has managed the recording career of, among others, Liza Minnelli, and was founder and president of his own record label, Simmons Records/RCA. He has recently launched his movie and television producing career with Detroit Rock City for New Line Cinema. He is also the creator and publisher of his own magazine, through Sterling/Macfadden, called <i>Gene Simmons’ Tongue</i>. Gene Simmons lives in Beverly Hills, California.

Table of Contents

Overture	1	(5)
Great Expectations
Israel (1949-1958)	6	(16)
Rocket Ride
Coming to America (1958-1963)	22	(14)
Crazy Crazy Nights
The Sixties and the Beatles (1964-1969)	36	(14)
Flaming Youth
My College Years (1970-1972)	50	(16)
Let Me Go, Rock and Roll
Hard Times in New York City (1972-1973)	66	(14)
Nothin' to Lose
The Birth of Kiss (1973-1974)	80	(10)
Shout It Out Loud
On the Road and on the Rise (1974-1975)	90	(18)
Rock and Roll All Nite
Alive! and Destroyer (1975-1976)	108	(18)
I'm a Legend Tonight
Love Gun (1976-1977)	126	(14)
Then She Kissed Me
Life with Cher (1978)	140	(20)
Dirty Livin'
Dynasty and Unmasked (1979-1980)	160	(12)
Just a Boy
A New Member Meets the Elders (1980-1982)	172	(16)
All Hell's Breakin' Loose
Lick It Up and My Stint as a Movie Star (1983-1984)	188	(18)
Trial by Fire
A Death in the Kiss Family (1985-1993)	206	(18)
Reason to Live
Face to Face with the Kiss Army (1993-1995)	224	(16)
Forever
Reunions and Farewells (1996-2001)	240	(21)
Discography	261	(2)
Photograph Credits	263	(2)
Index	265