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The members of the hard rock band, formed in 1973, created their visuals and the stories behind them. When he realized he no longer needed to hide behind makeup, frontman Paul Stanley decided it was time for the group to come clean. In 1983, Morumbi and 137,000 Brazilian fans witnessed the last performance of KISS dressed in “war paint”. It was only in 1996 that the band returned to performing in makeup.
STARCHILD
In his autobiography, Paul Stanley narrates the preparation ritual for incorporating the alter ego, from choosing colors to applying red lipstick. The mask was created to distance itself as much as possible from the image of a Jewish boy who was bullied for being born without one of his ears. The star represents the lead singer’s dream of becoming a rock star.
CATMAN
When asked about the origin of Catman and the cat makeup, drummer Peter Criss simply explained that it was a way of showing his affection for felines. Tired of the group’s disagreements and the life of excesses, Criss sold the rights to the character, who is now represented by Eric Singer.
DEMON
When bassist Gene Simmons, originally from Israel, arrived in the US, he learned English by reading comics and watching horror movies. These were his main references for Demon, whose bat-wing makeup was inspired by the Marvel Comics character Black Lightning. Simmons even learned to breathe fire for shows
SPACEMAN
Guitarist Ace Frehley’s makeup represented an alien from the fictional planet Jendell, whose eyes are surrounded by two silver stars. His replacement, Tommy Thayer, took over the look after Frehley left the band. The guitarist licensed the rights to the character and threatens to go to court to get them back
SOURCES Book Face the Music: a Life Exposed, by Paul Stanley; magazine Rolling Stone and website https://www.kissonline.com