Peter Criss Recalls 1995 Taping of KISS’ ‘MTV Unplugged’

Original KISS drummer Peter Criss is reflecting on his experience at the August 1995 taping of KISS' "MTV Unplugged" special.

In an interview with Meltdown of Detroit's WRIF radio station, Criss talked about his time at the event, alongside Ace Frehley, which eventually blossomed into the famed 1996 KISS worldwide reunion tour.

"We were on a tour, on our own tour, Ace and I," he says in the interview with Meltdown. "It was called the 'Bad Boys Tour,' and so we were touring together, and it was hard times. We weren't playing stadiums. We were playing 500-seaters, and we were missing it. We were really missing the life."

He adds that the lineup of KISS at the time wasn't doing great, either. "They were playing these conventions. They were playing KISS conventions. So, they were also not in the position where they used to love to be in that position. And so we got together and rehearsed."

He added that when they got together for practices, they "still sounded amazing. We still sounded so good. The magic was still there."

He also recalled fans booing then-KISS drummer Eric Singer and then-KISS Guitarist Bruce Kulick, and Ace told them to stop booing. "They're part of the family," Ace said at the time.

"Two weeks later I was on tour with my band in Canada somewhere, and I got a call from [KISS's manager] Doc McGhee, and he said, 'We wanna put the band back. We wanna go back out on a reunion tour," he recalled. "I already know for a fact you already sold out two years, and it's gonna be around the world twice..."

He continued, "So, I had to work hard. I had to relearn all the KISS stuff that I hadn't played in 17 years. I would get up in the morning and go to the gym. We took it real serious, so I had to go to the gym every day to get in shape again, which I was in shape, but really get in shape."