Kiss and Make-Up

I couldn't put the book down, read it straight through. I would have liked the book to talk more about the music, the writing process etc, some of Gene's greatest songs were not even mentioned in the book. The negative stuff about Ace and Peter could have been abbreviated a bit. But on balance a fantastic book by a real man who says what he feels and lives his life how he wants, not how society wants. He doesn't cower to anybody. I do not agree with all his opinions, nor directions he took the band, but his arguments for his ways are tremendous, intelligent as hell, brave and much respected by me. We need more people with backbone like Gene Simmons today, they are sadly in very short supply.

Excited to read and get the inside scoop from a true businessman and rock legend

....as a bass player and musician, I would have loved to have read something / ANYTHING about his bass playing; what made him choose that instrument, his training, teachers (I know Carol Kaye was one of them), equipment choices, practice habits, etc. But Gene probably feels all that is secondary to his business talents which he is most proud of (beside his cocksmanship) have obviously made the band a huge financial success.I remember distinctly something he said on an episode of his TV show, "I can make money anywhere". God knows he did it with a band who's musical talents (and sorry if I offend any KISS fans here) were no better the average bar band. Gene is a marketing and merchandising genius.What's a little sad is the story of Peter and Ace. I'm sure they have their side, but I don't think Gene would fabricate anything. I just could have done with a little less of his. A lot of what went on, especially in later years, reminds me of the Eagles and the autonomy of Henley and Frey. At the end of the day (and often the band) there are those who's contributions stand out as the keys to success....either the songwriting or business chops, aside from the work put in.It's an entertaining read and I will in time probably buy another of Gene's publishings.

Great, butt honest book. He warns us die-hard KISS fans that he may shatter some illusions. And he does just that. (As a Black KISS fanatic, it was painful to read that the guy who auditioned right before Ace was almost in, except he was Black). But Gene's honesty and his detailed documenting of a very interesting life is well worth it. And Gene really shows himself, overall, to be a standup man of his word. Materialistic, but straightforward about it and fair. Paul comes off surprisingly well, considering the rampant rumors of tension between him and Gene. Peter and Ace? Not so much. Especially Ace looks really bad in Gene's memoirs. But if you have read the book by Ace's longtime old lady, none of this will surprise you.

Gene Simmons is an absolute genius. He is the musician that everybody hates to love and love to hate. One of the most talented artist of rock business, he has wrote unbreakable jewels in this genre ("Deuce", Calling Dr. Love", "Christine Sixteen" and the list goes on) and made of his vampire - demon make up a contemporary cultural icon. This book is an incredible journey through the life of a man who represents the "american dream" in all its glory. Thank you Gene Simmons for all you gave me as a KISS fan.

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.

I learned so much about Gene Simmons by reading this book. His words were very tasteful and intelligent. I am not an avid reader, but I had a hard time putty this down. All KISS fans should read this book. You just might learn a few things about KISS you did not know.

Having recently read Ace Frehley's book "No Regrets", I thought I would get Gene's perspective of how things were in the greatest rock and roll band in history. Not unexpectedly, Gene's huge ego is exposed in this auto-biography - but he is not ashamed of it. He is truly a self-made man, right down to his very name and Demon character. I thought the book was well written and has a better chronological flow as opposed to Ace's book which seemed a bit scattered. A great book which I couldn't put down.

Libro muy interesante. Autobiográfico. Gene cuenta su vida desde que nació en Israel hasta el Farewell Tour de 2000-2001.Desvela todo lo que hay detrád de cada disco y detrás de toda decisión en la banda.Recomendado.

Bon, voila. Notre Gene Simmons. Carré, rationnel, quelque peu vantard. Lecture pas désagréable, intéressant d'ailleurs d' avoir les autobios des trois autres. Et je signale que son solo de 1978 est plein d'humour. Ya des gens que Simmons énerve ; mais vu d'ici il a quand même un certain capital sympathie !

Even if I had read this book with the covers removed, uh or the Kindle title page - I would have known this was Gene Simmons - the other-worldly confidence and self-belief can be nobody else! This was so interesting and easy to read, and charts his journey from an only child who didn't have it easy growing up but he did have a loving home and a determination to succeed and escape poverty - and to be the best.. Despite the ego of the Demon lol the humility, respect for others and gratitude for the fans, the KISS army is there in every page. Legend.

Una buena lectura para los amantes de Gene. Tiene una buena narración, me gusta como es que cada miembro tiene su versión de las cosas. Obviamente todas las opciones se respetan.No adquirí este libro desde un principio pues decían que sol hablaba de sexo. Si es verdad, pero así fue su vida, se tenía que contar.Un dato no tan importante, es más chico que el de los demás integrantes. Y es la versión actualizada.Otro dato adicional, lo leí a la par con el audiolibro y hay un capítulo que pareciera que no está, pero lo pusieron hasta el final del libro.

Great Seller.Great for any KISS fan.