There's No Business Like Rock Show Business3 Out of 5 Stars
If you were ever wondering why Gene Simmons was so mad about pursuing those Kiss Reunions and Kiss Reunion tours even without Ace and Peter, "Kiss and Sell" point the telescope of accountancy right to the target. As the book goes on, you see how an oblivious rock group turns into a phenomenon, then starts the inevitable decline. But the decline is something the band is utterly unable to grasp. And after the band begins the period post "Alive 2" (from "Dynasty" on), you read how accountant (and author) C.K. Lendt tries to reign the band's spending in, but as the band keeps repeating, "Let Kiss be Kiss."
It makes "Kiss and Sell" a fascinating read. The book is not really about Kiss as much as it is about the record industry in the seventies, with Kiss as the participating players. Lendt was a green college grad starting at a tony NYC firm when he was pushed into the world of rock as Kiss's on-tour account manager. He comes on board just as the band is exploding in 1976, and is on board until the 80's and up till "Crazy Nights." There's more here about the band's spending habits than anything else, but there's also the details of decline, like Criss becoming a drug addled gun fanatic, and Frehley's boondoggle of a home studio.
There's also interesting tidbits about things like "The Elder" disaster and Gene's celebrity dating. The less than savory international promoters. The revelation that Peter and Ace long ago had their contracts bought out, but Ace's departure was kept hidden from the record company to avoid contract problems (now you know why he was on the "Creatures of the Night" album art). As the money gets tighter and the problems mount up, the ultimate derailing is interesting (and sad) to read, essentially after "Crazy Nights" the band is broke.
As a cautionary tale, "Kiss and Sell" is a good read, but as a history of Kiss, it's a bit soft. Lendt has a habit of discussing minutia that feels utterly irrelevant (OK, we get it, you like food and restaurants) and the whole Diana Ross chapter could have been dumped. But overall, a good read about the business of music.
No comments:
Post a Comment