So, I Started A Podcast

Welcome to the New Year! This month at The Rock And Roll Guru, I’ve been covering New Year’s resolutions musically speaking. I talked about my desire to seek out new music and not fall back on the same handful of bands I always listen to. I’ve also discussed which bands I will try to see in concert this year. What I haven’t yet mentioned is my final musical resolution. That was to start a podcast. And not just any podcast, but a podcast on my favorite band of all time … KISS!

That’s right, I have launched a podcast on KISS. The podcast is called The Psycho Circus: A KISS Album Podcast and it is a retrospective review of every KISS release. I analyze each album the band has put out in depth and provide commentary and opinions for each track on the album. I will also be covering their video releases, movies, and some bonus episodes of certain years in the band.

This is something that I have been working on behind the scenes for quite a while now. I actually started this process last summer by mapping out my vision for the show. Podcasting is something I’ve always wanted to do ever since Rob Rockitt and I did our short-lived podcast for Hard Rock Hideout. Podcasting is one of those bugs that bit me and never left, so I decided that it was time to take it up again.

Through several months of preparation, pain, discipline, and dedication, I was finally able to complete the podcast and have it ready to unveil to the world. I actually thought this was going to be available late last year, but I ran into some unexpected difficulties that cost me time. There was a lot that I had to learn about podcasting on the fly and much of it I got wrong several times before I finally got it right. Now that everything is corrected and posted, it’s full steam ahead!

What does this mean for the blog? Probably nothing to be honest. I don’t anticipate any changes with The Rock And Roll Guru. I still plan to write and post regularly. I may plug new episodes of the podcast from time to time and I will probably set up a link to the show’s web page, but other than that, I expect it will be business as usual here.

If you like KISS, please check out the podcast. Or if you like me, please check out the podcast! Right now, you can find current episodes at: https://psychocircuspodcast.wordpress.com The podcast should be available on ITunes in a few days and I will be submitting it to other podcast directories as well, so eventually The Psycho Circus Podcast should show up in your favorite podcatcher app.

I am very excited about this new venture and look forward to doing this podcast for a long time. I have over 100 episodes listed that can be recorded, so I imagine this will go on for a long time. If you do listen to the podcast, please send me some feedback! I’d love to know your thoughts on the show!

The carnival has just begun!

Classic Review: Peter Criss - Makeup To Breakup

This past summer, I implemented a self-imposed summer reading assignment. The assignment was to re-read each autobiography written by the members of KISS, including the self-help/second autobiography by Gene Simmons, Sex, Money, Kiss. That reading assignment has spilled over into the fall and may continue into the winter at the pace I’ve been reading lately. Here’s my review of Sex, Money, Kiss (LINK) the first book I re-read for the assignment.

The second book I completed was Peter Criss’ Makeup To Breakup. This has always been my least favorite of the biographies. Partially because Peter may be my least favorite member of the band, and partially because Criss does an awful lot of whining and finger pointing, never truly accepting his part of the blame for his demise with the band.

Makeup To Breakup contains a lot of revisionist history. There are several stories told where Peter plays the hero, but I have my doubts they actually happened the way he explains. There is also a lot of complaining and “feel sorry for me, it wasn’t really my fault” bullshit tossed throughout the entire book. However, there is also a brutal honesty in some of the memories that Criss decided to include. And it is the brutal honesty that makes his memoir intriguing. He holds nothing back. Whether it’s his drugged out lifestyle, his gun touting, near shootout with the local cops, or his over the top antics with his partner in crime, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss shares all the happenings of his wild and crazy life.

And even though he decides to tell all in his memoirs, there are some glaringly different sides of classic KISS tales told throughout this book as well. The ad that was placed in Rolling Stone magazine, how “Beth” was ultimately recorded, the demise of the Cat Man, his return for one more try before the Unmasked tour, and his ultimate firing, are all told through the eyes of Peter Criss. Which are very different eyes than the eyes of Ace, Gene, and Paul that recounted these stories in their respective biographies. That’s the thing about the truth – it lies between the many sides of the story being told.

Criss’ take on why his solo albums did not sell well is definitely sordid. He claims the record company did not want him to be successful; when they still had KISS on their roster, so they buried his albums, or refused to release them in the USA at all. That sounds odd to me, and more like an excuse as to why the records did so poorly. Rather than fess up to the truth, that the albums just weren’t that good and were recorded by someone who was out of his mind on cocaine and Quaaludes, Peter simply blamed the record company for lack of execution.

The problem with Peter Criss is Peter Criss. It’s clear from his memoirs that he felt the world owed him everything. Paranoia and delusions didn’t help him either. He felt that the acoustic shows in 1995 were a “test” and that the reunion tour was just a way that Gene and Paul could make money. He failed to take any blame for things that went wrong in his life. It was always someone else’s fault, never his own, and he always had a reason and a story as to why.

After reading Makeup To Breakup I can understand why Paul and Gene wanted Peter out of the band and didn’t want to work with him anymore. I was getting angry as I read! I wanted to smack Peter around, tell him to quit acting like a baby and to wake up!

At certain times the book isn’t even an autobiography, it’s a pages long diatribe on why Gene, Paul, and Ace are such evil and vile people. Peter comes off as the whiny child that never grew up and is still upset years later that he didn’t get his way. His jealousy over the other members of the band shines bright throughout the tale of his life. He claims anger and disgust with each member of the band in their own way, but when the astute read between the lines it is clear that Peter is upset he is nothing sans KISS.

Peter Criss is delusion and looks at the past with a revisionist sight. His stories are far-fetched and he struggles to find ways that he is better than everyone in the group. His claims of how every tour was unsuccessful until they re-signed him are just exhausting. And his constant bad mouthing of the band mates that gave him a second, third, and fourth chance are sickening. He is just a whiny child in a 60-something year old’s body. And that is as sad as it is frustrating.

Negative feelings aside, Makeup To Breakup is a great read for any KISS fan, or fans of rock and roll music. Just be prepared to feel your blood pressure rise as some of Criss’ claims are read. If you can handle the rollercoaster of emotions, you are going to enjoy Makeup To Breakup.

Friday's Rockin Roundup - Winter Sucks Edition

I’m usually not one to complain (ok, that’s a complete lie, I complain a lot) but I am so tired of winter. This year is even worse than last with a new storm hitting us every week since Christmas! Come on, old man winter, we’ve had enough. If you live in the Northeast, where I am, you can just see how sick of this weather people are. And it’s barely Ground Hog Day.

The good news is that Spring Training and spring concerts are right around the corner. Before you know it, I will be sitting on the lawn at the PNC Arts Center with a cold beer in my hand and the warm sun on my face, waiting for one of my favorite bands to rock the night away. Oh won’t that be nice! Well, six more weeks until spring, I suppose I can tough it out. Next year I might become a snowbird!

Here’s what rocked this week:

M3 Is A Go For May
M3 is returning to Maryland for another year of glam slam hair metal! Packed with nothing but bands that you love, M3 is a shout out to the heyday of Glam metal. Kix, Warrant, Slaughter, Tesla, and Whitesnake are just a few of the bands on this year’s bill. The 2011 M3 Festival looks to be even better than last year. That gives me something to smile about! Tickets go on sale today (2/4). Check out http://www.m3rockfest.com/ for info on getting yours.

Theory of a Deadman Hitting The Road Again
As if the news that Theory of a Deadman were heading out on tour this spring wasn’t exciting enough, it gets even better. Joining the band for this tour are Skillet and Halestorm to go along with Stone Sour and Art of Dying. Can you say awesome? I thought you could. With a bill like that, how could you not pick up tickets to this show? If the Avalanche Tour is coming to a town near you, I highly recommend you get tickets. It’s a can’t miss night of fun.

New Pop Evil Album Out This Tuesday
And finally, the wait is over. A brand new Pop Evil record will be in stores this Tuesday and I am beyond excited. Pop Evil’s debut album is one of the best rock records I have heard in a long time and the new songs that I heard when I saw them perform live sounded great in concert. I just can’t wait to see how they translate in the studio. War Of Angels will be available everywhere on Tuesday, February 8th. Expect a full review soon after I get my hands on this album.

Peter Criss To Release His Memoirs
I’ve already started cleaning off a spot on the bookshelf for this one. It’ll fit right next to Gene Simmon’s Kiss And Make Up, Anthony Kiedis’ Scar Tissue, and Keith Richards’ Life. 2012 can’t get here soon enough. I know I’ll be scouring the internet for sneak peaks between now and then. This is a must read for me!

For more news, reviews, blues, tattoos, and otherwise rude, crude, and lewd comments (mixed in with a whole lot of fun), you should follow me on twitter. www.twitter.com/ryovie