Kiss Induction Controversy

Kiss Induction Controversy

    Gene, Paul, Peter and Ace are the four original members of Kiss, and the four musicians who introduced me to the world of rock music. Growing up Kiss was one of my favorite bands on the planet. “Dressed to Kill” was the first Kiss album I bought, and is still my favorite Kiss album. Eventually my devotion faded once I started listening to the heavier groups like Slayer, Pantera and Morbid Angel. Although I am not the same die hard Kiss fan I once was, I will listen to some Kiss tracks occasionally, because I do enjoy their brand of straight forward catchy hard rock. The only thing I really can’t stand about Kiss is the band’s huge inflated egos, mainly that of Mr. Money Bags Simmons. In my opinion Gene and Paul have really embarrassed the Kiss name with their egotistical attitudes, and ridiculous business ventures like owning an Arena Football team.
    However, I always defended Kiss when pertaining to their importance in the history of Rock and Roll. Most music fans I have encountered call them childish, gimmicky and never seem to credit them for being good musicians. I find their judgements to be rather unfortunate because Kiss contained some amazing musicians and has written some great rock songs. Of course music elitists will never change their minds, and not to the surprise of most, they are now in control of the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. After being ignored for years and losing the last slot on the ballot to ABBA one year, Kiss is finally being inducted. Sadly, and with complete arrogance, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame will only induct the original four members. This means Eric Carr, Vinnie Vincent, Marc St. John, Bruce Kulick, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer will not be recognized for their contributions. 
    Now, for the record my favorite Kiss lineup is the original four, but that doesn’t mean I do not like the material released with the other lineups. When Eric Carr came into the band he offered a more aggressive drumming style than Peter Criss, and Eric played on one of Kiss’ heaviest sounding albums, “Creatures of the Night.” Also, Vinnie Vincent brought some insane guitar shredding abilities when he joined Kiss for “Lick It Up.” Mark and Bruce also displayed tremendous guitar technique when they both joined Kiss, so their work should not be ignored.
    With Eric and Tommy I am going to have to bite the bullet and defend the two of them, even though I personally do not like how both are dressed up like Ace and Peter. I read a comment recently made the Hall of Shame CEO, saying that Eric and Tommy are basically pretending to be the two original members, so they won’t be inducted for that reason. Okay, this CEO needs to pull his head out of his ass and realize that although they dress like former Kiss members, they still bring their own talents to the band and have contributed to the making of new Kiss material. Eric did a solid job on Kiss’ “Revenge,” and the last two albums to feature Tommy are fairly decent. Just because Tommy and Eric look like Ace and Peter doesn’t mean they didn’t copy the two original members exact playing styles! 
    At the end of the day the word of the Rock and Roll Hall of Shame, run by a pack of elitists pricks, is simply meaningless. I am just angered by their ignorance which seems to only get worse each year. Kiss is an important rock band in the history of the genre no matter if you think they are a childish band, or musically less superior to Fleet Wood Big Mac(Kiss>Fleet Wood Mac). Watch, Gene will pay members of the Kiss Army to attack the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and then build the Kiss Casino over it...which I would rather visit than the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.