KISS and Make-up Hardcover – December 4, 2001

I grew up with this group. Posters on the walls and the albums on the record player. I read the Peter Cris book first. The Ace book second and they were hard to put down. I finished them both in little time. With Genes book it started out OK but then seemed to just fizzle. In comparison to P Cris book and Ace Freely, Genes seems to be more about him with occasional sprinkles of the rest of the band here and there. I really enjoyed how the first two books mentioned above really encompassed the life and events of the band as a whole as well as dealing with the personal events of each artist. With Genes book it was almost like a chore to finish it. I felt like I had invested the time to start so I didnt want to give up and quit in it but it certainly left me wishing it had been a little more interesting.

Any Kiss fan will know most of what he's going to find here. Gene's personality, ego, business philosophy, etc. And the girls in the thousands. What was most interesting to me was the story of his birth, early years, and coming to America. I also read Ace Frehley's book, "No Regrets" and it seems that each of the 3 members who wrote a book each have slightly different memories of the same events. Not unusual, (some would accuse the Bible of the same thing) but interesting nonetheless. I did get a little weary of Gene's Ace-bashing. I mean, it's been a long time since Kiss was at the top of the rock world, and it seems he'd let some bygones be bygones. All that aside, Gene's an interesting and successful man in an industry where success is hard to come by and although he'll never be in the bassists hall of fame his contribuiton to rock n' roll is a part of history.

While people and himself claim he's a marketing genius, the truth is others have done the work and he's reaping the glory. This book is nothing but self promotion about his ego and all the women he's "conquered" or fornicated with. While learning from this and another book just how bad Ace and Peter just really were, Gene pretty much presents himself as the sole motivation behind ALL of KISS's business dealings and the sole driving force in KISS. Like I said before this book is nothing but ego salving, self pro motioning and would recommend Paul Stanley's book instead.

Gene Simmons has another way to shine in the spotlight. Kiss and Makeup is the new biography on Kiss bassist Gene Simmons. The book covers Genes life from his upbringing in Israel as a child named Chaim Witz. He chronicles his life through the tough times living with his Mother. Coming from a poor family, he and his mother made their way to America. Following his mother's strong will Gene made his way through life by his own rules and succeeded in becoming one of Rock and Rolls most notable superstars.The reading is interesting. Because I've have been a major Kiss fan for twenty-six years I've heard or read most of this before. There was some very interesting information that I was not aware of such as the real reason Peter Criss left Kiss in 1980. Gene chronicles his way into music, the history of Kiss from a tell all perspective, his business ventures, his relationships with Cher, Dianna Ross, and Shannon Tweed. Let's not forget the groupies. Every story he covers seems to include some sort of sexual escapade.To anyone who is a general fan, the reading will be informative and interesting. To big fans it will be very enjoyable. This is "Behind The Music" in print. If you enjoy reading, pick this one up!

First of all, this book tells the story of Gene Simmons and not so much the story of Kiss, though at times it may seem that they are both the same thing. Many Kiss fans will find that Gene barely mentions huge chunks of the band's history such as the 80's and 90's. Non-original members of Kiss such as Bruce Kulick and Eric Carr barely get a passing mention. Even Paul Stanley, who has stood by Kiss when Gene was trying to be an actor is not mentioned nearly enough. What Gene does speak of are of his childhood and teenage years and how comic books and TV shaped his personality and planted the seeds that would become Kiss.Most Kiss fans will know many of the stories here but there is still plenty of juicy stuff, especially about fellow Kiss mates Ace Frehley and Peter Criss of whom Gene has nary a kind word. The fans' illusions of a tight knit band were all four members are friends and share some sort of magic bond will be completely dispersed here since it appears they never got along since the very beggining!

This is a reasonable book and in some places gives a better insight into Gene and his personality...it should do being an autobiography ! But all too often this is just Gene's excuse to get up on his soap box and lecture about how great he is and how right his philosophy on life is.The last chapter or two of the book were the worst. All through the book Gene attacks Ace and Peter and the last couple of chapters are basically just that.Don't get me wrong, I sympathise with Gene and Paul's constant struggle with Ace and Peter, but I think the bashing would have been better kept to a minimum and balanced with slightly more praise for their contribution to the big picture.A far better book - in my mind the essential history of KISS - is called KISS and Sell and is written by Chris Lendt (ex-employee of Aucoin management). That book is exceptional and written by a far more intelligent and articulate man than Gene. Also a man who remembers far more than Gene seems to.Buy Gene's book by all means, but whatever you do get Chris Lendt's book first - you will never regret it.