Makeup to Breakup: My Life In and Out of Kiss Hardcover – October 23, 2012

Since I was a little kid growing up in California during the 70's I have been a kiss fan. Along with my mom's old Elvis and Beatles records, listening to my Kiss albums as a child was always fun. I remember them at their height. Peter and Ace were my favorites because in my view they were the most talented and creative. At that time, Kiss were: Gene "the monster" Simmons, Paul "the star child" Stanley, Ace "the space man" Frehley, and of course, Peter "the cat man" Criss. Noone played the drums and guitar like Peter and Ace did at the time. Paul was also a gifted singer and frontman. Gene was cool with his wierd sometimes scary stage presence.Classic Kiss were amazing, their music from 1973 up until their 1979 Dynasty album was fresh, exciting, simple, and fun. Their super hero/space alien image had not just teens but little kids and adults digging them. But again, In the late 70's they just fell apart musically and as a band. My friends and I never understood why they declined, they just did and we quickly moved on to other artists. Over the years, Kiss would still make a handful of solid albums sporadically that I liked and quite a few catchy songs. They just could not create anything with the power and the consistency like they did in their heyday of 1973-1978.This book tells the colorful and often tragic story of Peter "cat man" Criss and his co-founding of Kiss, their rise and fall, as well as the relationships both in and out of the band from Peter's perspective. It really is a heartfelt and genuine account. Like all personal accounts, it is also flawed and subjective. However, you can tell that Peter put a lot of work and research into writing this book so I can confidently say it is the most honest "kisstory" book so far. I have read parts of Paul's book which was self serving. I also read Gene's book. It was so narcissistic that it made Paul's seem humble in comparison! These personalities all came into play in the history of Kiss. While they all were like brothers and had great fun and lots of interesting adventures both in the studio and on the road in the beginning, slowly but surely Gene and Paul began to let success go to their head. Like many greats before them, they began to believe their own hype and abuse others that helped get them where they were. Specifically and in a variety of ways that the book details, they began to manipulate and abuse Peter Criss who was at that time a very vulnerable and sensitive artist. This pushed him farther and farther away from the group and Peter foolishly looked for solace in increased and harder drug use. Of course this only made his problems worse. They ganged up on Ace as well and Ace also tried to find his peace of mind in drugs.Peter's "Makeup to Breakup" grabs you from the first page and you learn things about Peter's life that are interesting, exciting, and at times disturbing. I appreciated reading about both the good qualities and the fatal flaws of Peter and his bandmates. Early on even before joining Kiss, Peter was a talented but very self destructive young man. Ace's portrayal is that of a crazy but humorous and fun loving guitar genius. Ace fell apart shortly after Peter did due to drugs. Gene and Paul? Well again, as much as I have always liked their singing and playing, they come out as manipulators who will do anything to be successful financially even if it means destroying their close friends and the creative direction of the band.God only knows for sure what happened behind the scenes but having already read many of the books out on Kiss, Peter's seems to be the most reliable and entertaining account published so far. I am inclined to believe his version of events. Especially considering all of his sources and interviews that he lists in the book. He isn't out to demonize the other guys or promote himself the way that Paul and Gene's books do. He lays lots of both blame and credit on everyone connected with Kiss. Noone not even himself is spared.I would recommend this book only to older readers because it has quite a bit of graphic language and stories about the band's sex and drug experiences. You'd think that by now Peter is a typical rock and roll burnout but he actually has learned a lot from his past mistakes and now he is a mature Christian family man. His book describes in detail his own rehabilitation and "growing up" process outside of Kiss and it's almost as interesting as his decription of life in the band. He has been sober for many years now and you can see his current state of lucidity and sobriety for yourself if you watch his interviews on youtube.Another reason why I enjoyed this book is simply because it takes you back to a time when rock and roll was still young and Kiss ruled the rock world. That time was wild, innocent, and always fun. It's amazing that Peter survived so many trials and overcame his battles with drugs, divorce, and depression. He came out a stronger man and a better musician. You can't help but admire the guy after reading his story. I dont blame him for continuing to dislike Gene and Paul after all the abuse and backstabbing they have dealt him over the years. I do think he should patch things up better with Ace though. I won't spoil how they had a partial falling out on the last reunion tour together.It saddens countless Kiss fans that Gene and Paul mistreated Ace and Peter so badly for so long. Even today they are trashing them in the press. I think this cycle of maltreatment and abuse destroyed Kiss as a group. When Peter and Ace left, Kiss morphed from a legendary rock band into just another merchandising entity like Beyonce, Katy Perry, One Direction etc. Or as Gene Simmons puts it they are now a "brand not a band"To this day, aside from their last reunion tours with Peter and Ace, Kiss never really have gotten their magic back. Without these two artists, Kiss are just impersonators while someone else wears their makeup. We might not ever see the "real Kiss" again but if you want to take a good look back and see how cool it used to be, then pick up "Makeup to Breakup". This book does a superb job explaining how Kiss conquered the world, how they lost their crown, and how there can only ever be one "cat man".

I had a bit of trepidations with reading this book. KISS has always been one of my favorite bands of all time, I have been a fan since 1975, and seen the band 15 times all in make up. To that end I have read the other autobios from Paul, Gene and Ace and with the exception of Ace's book, Paul and Gene's were all about how great they each are and all the troubles, Ace's was a fresh account of what an autobio should be by one of the originals of the Hottest Bands in the World. Peter's book was excellent to say the least. Honest straightforward no bars hold. Peter opens up with a freshness and you cannot put this book down. From his earliest bands to the start and rise of KISS and beyond, you are in for a major treat with this book. Way to go Peter!!!!

Let's face it, we all edit our own pasts in one way or another. We might believe we're being utterly truthful, we might even work very hard to "tell it like it was." But memories are selective critters. Spend a single afternoon listening to "eye witness" testimony at a trial and you will immediately see that even after a relatively short time each person's account of what happened will be unique and different. Many years ago I saw a tv movie (maybe a pilot for a show called, "The Rookies?) that showed the classroom and field training at a police academy. During one lecture, a man burst through the classroom door, fired several shots at the teacher, and then ran out. As the cadets jumped up to react, the professor popped up from behind his desk and told everyone to relax. It had all been pre-planned and staged. He then started asking questions about what color shirt the man had on, what color hair he had, how much he weighed, etc. No two police cadets gave the same description although the event had occured just moments before. Is Peter Criss telling the truth in this book? Yes, as far as he knows. But there are so many inconsistencies and just plain impossibilities as it all unfolds that it quickly becomes clear that some things are jaded, others are amalgams of several events blended together, and so forth. That isn't meant to imply dishonesty or duplicity on Peter's part. As I said, each and every one of us edits his or her own past to some extent. It's human nature. So what we have here is the most honest accounting according to Peter Criss, eyewitness to the (pardon the pun) lion's share of the life of the band Kiss. I was a witness to a very small part of it... a view from the cheaps, if you will.I first saw the band at their very first concert outside of the NY/NJ metro area. It was in May of 1973, as best MY memory can recall. What I AM certain of are the following facts:1. I had purchased tickets to see Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson who were trying out songs for what would eventually become Ian's first non-Mott the Hoople album. He opened with "Once Bitten Twice Shy" and people booed and threw stuff at the stage. Kiss was the reason.2. The show was at either the Orpheum Theater (80% certain) or the Boston Music Hall (20%). The confusion is because the venues were within a couple of blocks from each other in the Boston Theater district.3. No opening act was listed on the ticket.4. The lights went down and this maniac in what looked like kabuki face paint ran out from stage left, grabbed the mic at center stage and screamed at the top of his lungs. He then yelled, "We're KISS and we're gonna take you away with us! You got nothin' to loose!" Seconds later the band kicked into what I later learned was "Deuce." I asked an usher what was going on and was told that the band was indeed named Kiss and they were doing their first show outside of NY. They were just signed to some new label. They did their entire first album (the REAL first album, not the one with "Kissin' Time" on it that was actually a reissue when the first pressing went out of print and "Alive" was saving both the band and Casablanca Records.5. After playing "Deuce" and "Strutter" Gene took the mike and apologized to the crowd. He was very hard to understand because he had the mic too close to his mouth. He said that they usually had a much bigger stage show with fire stunts but the Boston Fire Marshall had said the venue was too small. He promised that when they came back to Boston they'd do their whole show. To put it bluntly, without their pyros to rely on (the only real stunt they did was Gene vomiting blood during the into to "100,000 Years." the guys were forced to win the house over with musicianship.6. They closed with "Black Diamond" and "Let Me Go, Rock & Roll" and the house went freaking insane. Roughly 30 minutes later, when Hunter and company took the stage and began the anemic intro to "Once Bitten" the house started screaming, "we want KISS! WE WANT KISS!"Within weeks I had not only bought the debut album, but every other record I could find on the Casablanca label, including "Light of Love" by T-Rex and "Rock & Roll Survivors" by Fanny. If you can find the Fanny album, get it. It kicks bigtime.I went to see KISS perform again just after "Dressed to Kill" was released. The album was a moderate hit and this was the same tour that rolled through Cobo Hall in Detroit for several nights where "Alive" was recorded. Once again, they were incredible.The third time was just after "Destroyer" came out. The tickets cost 3X as much, the band played for less than 40 minutes INCLUDING encores, and Gene & Peter were yelling at each other constantly by the middle of the gig. Finally, Ace staggered off and didn't return. The rest soon followed. The band came out, played some truncated mess version of "Rock & Roll All Nite," and then Paul yelled, "GOOD NIGHT NEW YORK! WE LOVE YOU!" Again, I was in Boston. I'm almost certain Peter references this exact gig in the book because I know several of the members of Aerosmith and both Joe Perry and Joey Kramer were there, as was, I believe, Seth Justman from the J. Geils Band. I knew then that the good times were over with Kiss.Now, after over 30 years, I have some semblance of an explanation regarding what went down. Gene's book is whitewashed with several coatings of ego-driven varnish and most true fans of the band (or people that ever met Neal Bogart (I worked at a radio station in Boston and spoke with both him and Aucoin several times) know that Gene sold his soul to greenbacks and bootie early on. Almost everything Gene says is motivated to ensure that a steady stream of both continues to flow in his direction. I don't for one second believe that Peter's take on things is 100% accurate, but it's probably as close as we're ever going to get. (To be fair, I've purchased, but not yet read Ace's book.)One problem that Peter has is an almost laughable gift for finding a way to blame anyone and anything for his troubles and woes. Even when begins by accepting his own role in a situation, within a paragraph or two he's found a way to shift it to another person.The other biggee is the frequency with which he contradicts himself. He constantly holds Gene's feet to the fire for being money motivated and insisting that KISS is a "brand" and not a "band." Peter will swear that for him it was all about the music and that Gene's avarice destroyed the band while at the same time talking about how he threatened to quit because he found out Ace was getting XX more dollars per gig and so on.As I said, I don't believe that Peter's being deliberately deceptive or hypocritical, nor is he lying. He's laying out the truth as he remembers it. What actually occurred is most likely somewhere in the midst of the memories of all concerned - including the band members that came later. By NO means should that fact hinder you from picking up this book. It's more articulate than many celebrity "tell all" tomes. It's fairly obvious that Peter is trying to tell "his side" of Kisstory. If you are, or were ever, a fan of the band or the man, this is a must-read. If you've ever been curious or just enjoy autobiographies, this is among the better to come out in recent years.I've attempted to keep major spoilers out of this so as not to detract from the experience of reading for oneself while making potential customers aware of the shortcomings they may find. I hope I succeeded in both goals and wasn't too long-winded.

Wow,talk about deja vu,this time last year i was reading ACE's book,his delusions of granduer and its - not me ,its them- reasoning for everything bad that happened to him.Well what do you know its exactly the same here.Peter's lack of understanding that HE and HE alone is pretty much the cause of all his band/business related problems,is breath taking,every disaster,set back is pointed squarely at some one else,he occasionally looks like he might actually take some responsibility but then ruins it all with more jaw dropping stupidity or feckless,tactless comments.For example,he sleeps around because, well, his wife wasnt good in bed!!!,his early bands failed becuase he was pro but the others werent,he joined Gene & Paul,who were clearly driven to succeed,they're professionalism offended him,they were too perfect,you couldnt make it up,so it continues,he admits to being completely out of it while performing in the 70's,sabotaging shows yet bristles that Gene & Paul treated him like an imbecile(as they did Ace who was also bombed).Post KISS,after the first split,he wails that they held him back,missing the point there were no star musicians or groups falling over themselves to work with him(did he not wonder why?). All those great songs not picked by kiss and those that were 'butchered' by Gene and Paul,he had ample time to re produce for the fans on his solo albums,surprise surprise he didnt.Sadly it continues 3 times he signed and regretted contracts,then blamed everyone else,sadly Peter's conceit of himself outways any semblance of reality,point in case,when he finds out someone was cheating on him,the fact that it was with a musician from a lesser band hurt him more,it beggars belief,a more arrogant deluded man its hard to find.Thankfully he appears to have found someone who loves him and he can have some happiness,for all his faults,he has had( mostly self inflicted)a particularly tortured life,never happy,here's hoping he retires from the music business and lives out the remainder of his life happy and content with what he's got,not what he thinks he should have,everyone deserves to be happy.The book itself is a decent read,( he may have watched to many episodes of the SOPRANO'S )he thinks he's a tough guy,,certainly more entertaining than Ace's,but ultimately the same result,its hard to feel any sympathy for him.Like most fans,its disappointing when you realise the characters you fell in love with originally are really not that nice in person.Approach with caution,you may not like what you read.

This is the last of the 4 bio's I read. I kept hoping that my preconceptions were wrong, but no, Paul and Gene (and even Ace at times) were right about this loser. He DOES blame everyone else for what went wrong. Even when drugs were the obvious cause of some unforgiveable incidents, he STILL blames G & P for being enraged! The book makes me too angry to comment on all the horrors stories in detail but here are some random notes : pathetic "I'm a Brooklyn Boy, I'm hard" boasts, boasts about his drum "prowess" ("stole the show"? come off it!), a dumb mother (telling Gene that Kiss couldn't survive without PC - oh really?), even dumber girlfriends/wives, esp. the born-again bimbo Gigi who may well have not slept with him from Day One but who certainy had no qualms about grabbing a first class meal ticket - VERY religious, I must say!), making out HE was the main talent in Kiss (hilarious!), slagging off Gene and Ace for being rude to waiters, when he did EXACTLY that at his birthday party in the early days, forgetting how many of his escapes are directly hypocritical when compared to something that happened in the previous chapter (did he actually read the whole thing?!), ludicrous hyperbolae ("they had to keep up with me playing 50 million miles an hour"), pathetic reliance on the "f" word, suggesting that G & P were "wrong" because mgmt. drank and took drugs as well as he and Ace (huh?), how he let down fans (more than once), how the failure of all his solo LPs couldn't possibly have been because they were plain and simply poor, et cetera et cetera. Don't get me wrong, G & P aren't as lilywhite as I thought in KISS history. Plus, I actually do prefer Peter's vocals to the rest at times, so he still has his place in Kiss, in my opinion, but as a human being? All I can do is echo Paul, who says Peter threw away the lottery ticket, not once but twice.

It's generally a good read, flies along at a good pace, sometimes the pace makes Peter miss things out, such as expecting us to know all about previous minor bands he is in at the time. It's standard sex, drugs, rock and roll fayre but does manage to give you a feeling of what it would be like to be in such a phenomena as KISS.But, by God he is a truly unpleasant man. Narcissistic, selfish, treating everyone around him like dirt and wondering why he gets treated like dirt in response. He cannot ever take responsibility for his failures, it's always someone else's fault; Gene, Paul, Ace, his lawyers (who he of course hires), his partners. You name it, the blame for his failures falls anywhere but on Peter Criss, but as the reader you can see he's the centre of it all.I ended the book having enjoyed it, but really seeing what a deluded fool Peter Criss truly is. I think that's the good thing of the book, the real story is so obviously not the one that Peter is meaning to tell, but he tells it anyway.

I’m sure the other guys in KISS must have winced and cringed a number of times when reading this. Peter is clearly still a very bitter man and wastes no time assassinating their characters all whilst peeling back any glamours illusions about the rock star life style. All of the depravity and hedonism is described in excruciating detail. You get the feeling that he’s somewhat proud and nostalgic of it all. All in all a fairly predictable rock star biography full of war stories detailing sex, drugs and rockin roll. Certainly paints a weird picture of all four original members.

Out of all members, Peter Criss has always been by far my least favourite.As a KISS fan it is highly documented that Peter was the one that threw tantrums / a pity party often and did his fair share of drugs etc, BUT I had no idea just how deep that rabbit hole went until I read this book.Peter does not hold back -- he is blunt, cutting, straight to the point and doesn't care what people think. His brutal honesty is almost admirable and the list of debauchery just goes on and on. I can imagine he was a nightmare to be in a band with to be honest!He openly admits to being 'under-educated' and off the streets. You get that sense about him in the tone he writes. He openly admits to quitting the band more than once and just how terribly he treated his ex-wife Lydia. He accepts the Karma in a way when he reached rock bottom.What I do like about this book is that it is constantly interesting and stimulating.Sure, he's not a bag of roses - he's arrogant, selfish, and sometimes self absorbed, but he does show other sides of his personality which I really enjoyed learning about.I think if you go into reading this not liking this guys guts, you will find fault in everything he says. I went in with an open mind, and I'm glad I did.Thoroughly enjoyed it.