Sharp Ken - Nothin to Lose: The Making of KISS (1972-1975)

Before the beginning of great brilliance, there must be chaos. Before a brilliant person begins something great, they must look foolish in the crowd.
I C HING

Do not go where the path may lead, go instead where there is no path and leave a trail .
R ALPH W ALDO E MERSON

F orty years ago, in a perfect storm of attitude, oversize ambition, and plain old dumb luck, Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss came together for the first time, and KISS was born. Outfitted in black leather and studs, lipstick, and greasepaint, the thunderous sound they created, coupled with lyrics that resonated with teenage angst, frustration, rebellion, and lust, became the mighty soundtrack for generation after generation of fans.

KISS literally changed the face of rock and roll. They invented and defined the live concert experience. Youve heard it many times before: You wanted the best, you got the best, the hottest band in the land. That was their battle cry then, and it remains their battle cry today. Blazing their own trail to superstardom, persevering despite ever-changing musical styles, fashions, and fads, KISS is truly a great American success story, built of blood, sweat, and rock-and-roll glory. Today, KISS is much more than a successful rock-and-roll band; theyre part of the fabric of American pop culture, standing alongside such enduring legends as Elvis Presley, James Dean, and Marilyn Monroe.

Not only are the band and its members icons, KISS is a brand in itself. Boasting a catalog of over three thousand officially licensed productsfrom KISS koffins to pinball machinesthe band has grossed over $500 million in merchandising and licensing fees over the past thirty-five years. Spanning the globe from Tokyo to Moscows Red Square to New York City, KISS are universally recognized as larger-than-life music figuresa far cry from their humble beginnings.

On January 30, 1973, KISS performed their first concert at a seedy hole-in-the-wall called Coventry in Queens, New York. Tickets were a few bucks and the group was lucky that a handful of people showed up. But like the Beatles residency at the Cavern Club in Liverpool, it was inside the cramped and peeling walls of this ratty club where KISS first came alive onstage. Stubbornly confident, the band never doubted theyd make it, playing their early gigs as if they were headlining a sold-out show at Madison Square Gardena feat theyd achieve after a whirlwind four years. Hell-bent on making it at any cost, KISS dreamed big, and they had the drive and ambition to achieve those dreams.

Their mission was simple: they wanted to conquer the world. But the road to the top was a bumpy one. They were reviled by critics and designated public enemy number one by an army of concerned parents. Yet against all odds and enough roadblocks to frustrate lesser men, four ordinary musicians pulled off the impossible and became internationally renowned rock superstars. Long before KISSs initial rush of mega-fame that sold out multiple nights at New Yorks Madison Square Garden and packed outdoor stadiums in Australia and Brazil, the bands formative days playing local hauntsCoventry in Queens, the Daisy in Amityville, Long Island, and New York Citys Hotel Diplomatsowed the seeds for their emergence as one of rock and rolls most popular and enduring groups.

Think about it. The odds of becoming a big rock-and-roll star are a million to one. For a band whose members wear greasepaint and outrageous costumes and look like intergalactic aliens with guitars, the odds are even worse. KISSs extraordinary commercial breakthrough in 1975 was miraculous.

The saga of KISS is far from your classic overnight success story. Theirs is a story of struggle, of fortitude and determination, of resilience and a tireless work ethic, and of ambition and an unrelenting drive to succeed. Their success is an enduring testament to the American dream. In record speed, KISS pulled off the impossible. Denigrated by critics as a flash in the pan and viewed by many as a joke, the band soldiered on, confident that massive rock-and-roll stardom was theirs for the taking. In less than three short years, KISS went from playing to fewer than ten people in a shabby club in Queens to selling out arenas across America. Their fourth album, KISS Alive! , delivered on the promise of their first three studio records, selling over four million copies. The albums powerhouse single, a rousing live version of Rock and Roll All Nite, was a smash top-10 hit and a milestone in their career. Day by day, as the number of foot soldiers in the KISS Army grew, the band solidified their hard-won status as one of rock and rolls hardest working and most successful outfits.

Understanding an artists backstorywhether it chronicles the meteoric rise of a former Memphis truck driver named Elvis Presley or documents the Beatles formative years honing their chops in Hamburg, Germanylends insight into the essence of his artistry. And its no different with KISS. Theirs is a tale of four individuals with next to nothing in common who merged fiery hard rock with stylish theatricality and were deemed outrageous, confounding, and ridiculous for doing so. Yet despite their mistakes and blunders, missed opportunities and career missteps, KISS ultimately reached the heights of global superstardom.

We spoke to the band, to manager Bill Aucoin, to producers, engineers, road crew, club owners, fellow touring acts, concert promoters, booking agents, costume and stage designers, publicity reps, photographers, art designers, music writers, and to record company, radio, management, marketing, and retail personnel who populate the narrative of the bands meteoric rise. This is their remarkable story.

B Y THE END OF THE SEVENTIES , the Beatles were no more. The nightmarish residue of 1969s Altamont Music Festival, at which three hundred thousand fans witnessed the brutal stabbing of concertgoer Meredith Hunter by crazed Hells Angels midway into the Rolling Stones set, was the death knell of the peace-and-love generation and the beginning of a tougher, less forgiving decade. Richard Nixon was in the White House. Womens Lib swept across the nation, with Gloria Steinem out in front. The sitcom All in the Family a caustic TV show that commented on societal mores via the loudmouthed and bigoted patriarch, Archie Bunkerwas the top-rated show on TV.