Becoming Gene Simmons Through DIY’s Tutorials!
Kiss has been rocking the airways for the last 50 years! Back in 1973, Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, Gene Simmons and Ace Freely made up the original group. Kiss wasn’t always “Kiss” though. We can trace their origin to a band led by co-founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley called Wicked Lester out in New York. After splitting up from the other members of the band, Paul and Gene were convinced this wasn’t the end.
Getting Kiss Together
In 1972 Gene Simmons saw and advertisement in a Rolling stone Magazine about a drummer. The ad was written by Peter Criss, and it read “drummer looking to do anything to make it”. Peter Criss auditioned and quickly began rehearsing with Paul and Gene as a trio. Months later the band found their lead guitarist as well. Ace Frehley auditioned and obviously won out. Less than 30 days later the group played their first show at Popcorn, a club in Queens New York. Before the went played they dropped the name Wicked Lester and from then on, they were known as Kiss. Reportedly Paul came up with the band name and Ace Frehley gets credit for the logo. This Halloween I decided to do something special.

Nate went all out for Halloween this year, going as Gene Simmons from Kiss. The makeup took about 1 hour, and I killed it for Halloween.
Now this Halloween I wanted to do something super cool. Not to mention I had a costume contest going on that I had every intention of winning. So, after careful consideration I chose to be Gene Simmons otherwise known as “The Demon” from Kiss. While I couldn’t have done the full getup without my wife, the costume turned out amazing. I won the contest and killed it out there this year. If you ever need to win a Halloween contest or if you just want to look like The Demon, checkout some of the videos Gene Simmons puts out there! He creates these wonderful makeup tutorial videos that allows everyone to look like a real kiss member!

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA – SEPTEMBER 30: Gene Simmons of Kiss performs during the 2023 AFL Grand Final match between Collingwood Magpies and Brisbane Lions at Melbourne Cricket Ground, on September 30, 2023, in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos/via Getty Images)
Paul Stanley: Why KISS Reunion During Farewell Tour ‘Doesn’t Make Sense’
Paul Stanley was very frank in explaining why including Ace Frehley and Peter Criss in the final KISS show “doesn’t make sense.”
In a new interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Stanley says the KISS farewell tour is about the band’s entire existence, not just the original lineup.
“As important as the original lineup was, I can say that we wouldn’t be here today if not for them, and we wouldn’t be here today with them,” said Stanley. He added a further dig at Frehley and Criss saying, “It doesn’t make sense to allow anybody to come in and call shots.
In June, Gene Simmons told Linea Rock said Frehley and Criss were offered opportunities to take part in the tour for either encores or select shows. However, Simmons said, ” … They both said no. So, I don’t know what to say about that.”
In the same interview, Simmons also alludes to how newer fans of KISS may not even know who Frehley and Criss are. This seems like a stretch, but such is the case for the complicated relationships of KISS.
KISS will wrap up their farewell tour in December with back-to-back shows at New York’s Madison Square Garden. A full list of the final dates is below.
KISS – “End of the Road” Farewell Tour – The Final Shows
11/06 – Seattle, WA – Climate Pledge Arena
11/08 – Vancouver, BC – Rogers Arena
11/10 – Edmonton, AB – Rogers Place
11/12 – Calgary, AB – Scotiabank Saddledome
11/13 – Saskatoon, SK – SaskTel Centre
11/15 – Winnipeg, MB – Canada Life Centre
11/18 – Montreal, QC – Centre Bell
11/19 – Quebec, QC – Videotron Centre
11/21 – Ottawa, ON – Canadian Tire Centre
11/22 – Toronto, ON – Scotiabank Arena
11/24 – Knoxville, TN – Thompson-Boling Arena
11/25 – Indianapolis. IN – Gainbridge Fieldhouse
11/27 – Rosemont, IL – Allstate Arena
11/29 – Baltimore, MD – CFG Bank Arena
12/01 – New York, NY – Madison Square Garden
12/02 – New York, NY -Madison Square Garden
Kiss at LCA
Kiss was at LCA on October 20th! Checkout the pictures from the show below!
KISS Rocks Detroit On Stage And On The Little Caesars Concourse (wrif.com)