Gene's book isn't just his side of the KISS story, but it's an attempt at an honest autobiography. Honest is a relative term here, as Gene's entire life has been about bluster and bluff and the art of deception, and so one approaches this book a little warily but hoping for the best, taking a shot at wading through the giant swamp of ego and self-congratulation that is the Simmons style in quest of some real knowledge.

As regards his take on KISS, I had hoped for a lot more road stories, stuff on the songs themselves, and some kind of honesty about the relative levels of success at various times. He does gripe about Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, as who wouldn't?, but there's not a whole lot of credit for much of the stuff Ace did right. Ace's contribution to the band's sound is brick-on-the-head obvious if you compare the early LPs with anything from the 80s. How sad. But anyhow, Gene's relationship with Paul Stanley, which is now at 40 years and counting, gets very little ink. There is no acknowledgement of just how far financially things had gone south by the late 80s, and nothing about the switching of management and agents. Gene has trouble dealing with people as actual people and not merely tools to be manipulated on his way to his idea of success. So the stuff on KISS was, to me, an incomplete and very shallow treatment, a disappointment.

Gene's writing about his family, on the other hand, was often touching and came off as thoughtful and sincere. Yes, there's the bluster about how no woman will tie him down, yada yada yada, but his love and respect for his mother is noble (but his being raised an only child to a single mother with little money and having to learn a new language in his youth goes a long way to explaining everything since then). Likewise, he treats Cher and Diana Ross and now Shannon Tweed with tact and discretion. Finally, his love for his children, which apparently surprised even him, is uplifting and positive.

There is a bit of self-help advice about work, living soberly andfrugally, taking care of business yourself, and keeping one's eye on the ball at all times. None of this is bad advice. The way Gene dispenses it can be annoying sometimes.

The stuff on the girls over the years is just what one would expect; if anything, Gene takes himself less seriously here than elsewhere, as there are funny stories about the truly ugly or superannuated that often shared his bed or couch or breakfast table or car.

The book was worth reading but frankly could have been much better. Those looking for the definitive story of KISS should look elsewhere.

Gene Simmons' autobiography, Kiss and Make-up, starts out as an interesting read but then becomes very frustrating. Anyone familiar with Simmons knows he has a tremendous ego and that ego is in full force here. Born Chaim Witz in Israel, Simmons was born in poverty and was raised primarily by his mother, a strong willed woman who survived the concentration camps that claimed most of her family's lives. Based on this, you could see where Simmons obtained his will to succeed. Simmons, along with Paul Stanley, saw a vision for Kiss and their work ethic, business savvy, and determination are to be commended. Fortunately, Gene doesn't take all the credit as he gives much respect to those who helped them achieve their goal such as Bill Aucoin, Sean Delaney, Neil and Joyce Bogart, Bob Ezrin, and many others. However, the more you read the book, the more it becomes a slam piece against original Kiss members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. As noted in the book, the band was a democracy as the quartet shared the profits equally. Sure, Gene and Paul carried the load and probably deserved profits more suited to their contributions. However, the continuous slamming of Frehley and Criss makes Simmons sound like a bitter man. He's also off on a couple facts about the band such as Bon Jovi being the opening act on Kiss' 1980 European tour (Bon Jovi didn't form until 1983) and the fact that they followed the hair metal trend of the early 1980's when, in reality, hair metal didn't really take hold until a couple years later. The book certainly is not without merit as the chapters chronicling his childhood, Kiss' early years, his relationships with Cher and Diana Ross, the making of their Destroyer album, and the death of Eric Carr, are very intriguing. All told, Kiss and Make-up is a decent read that would have been better if not for the constant criticism of Frehley and Criss.

KISS was the type of band (is the type of band) that you don't simply flirt with, you either completely buy into their majesty or call it schlock and walk on past. I chose the majesty and I have never regretted it. Great songs, with hooks, both vocal and musical. I am one of those fans who appreciated their later incarnations but found the original four talents my favorite. Gene's book allowed me backstage into the world of the actual acrimony that hung over the band. Although I learned alot about the not-so-swell side of the band, I still loved reading about it because, that's life folks, it's not all glitter and hi-fives. Sometimes it's ugly and I am happy that Gene was willing to be (I'll assume) honest. He doesn't seem eager to tell us any failures that he has produced, instead it is more complimentary when it comes to him. I honestly think however, after reading this book, that there might have been a KISS if Gene wasn't so savvy, but they wouldn't have hit it as big as they did. Love ya Demon ,

Curtis Earth

Entertaining "self-pat" reading of a narcissist celebrity who knows how to live life his way, to the limit... a chock-full of sex, money, power and more sex (what else is new in the history of mankind!). Of course Simmons' life has the merit of writing an autobiography, and as fan (back to when I was a child/teenager) I enjoyed much of the book. Yet it gets annoying half-way through after his repeated rants against Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. Quite frankly, despite his fame and wealth, Simmons' is nothing more than a cartoon-like hero in the rock'n'roll world.

Despite any achievement KISS, Mr. Simmons, Gene Klein, Chaim Witz, the Demon, the God of Thunder or whomever may have had accomplished, any person who keeps on repeating himself that his rock band was at least as good as The Beatles is frankly delusional, if not plain stupid.

Furthermore, Simmons doesn't do his credibility any favors when he says that their '75 Alive! album had almost no overdubs... especially when the entire world saw otherwise in that old VH1 Classic show, "the Making of Kiss' Alive!" album. $immon$ writes so self confidently, yet he can't deal with the fact that Ace's solo album was much superior than his, and that it also proved that the Space Ace was the real musical power behind Kiss.

Following the tradition of Simmons' life-motto, I bought a dirt-cheap copy of his book, as he strongly advices us that "only losers would spend money on something they don't need". Thanks Gene!

I have liked Kiss since I was in Kindgergarden. Yes I said Kindergarden! Long story of how that happpened.
Any way Before I go in to the book I want to share a story that started me wanting to know more about Gene the person.
Picture this, it was the spring of 1988 my 8th grade year. I was getting ready for Vollyball practice. Oprah just happen to have Paul and Gene on her show that day. I flipped it on and was packing away my gear, when Oprah asked Gene this question "Gene just how long is that Tongue?" I froze in front of the T.V. waiting to hear what he had to say. Here is what the man said "Long enough to make you my closes friend" I spent the whole practice being hit by balls or missing my hits thinking about what he meant by that lol. You can say practice did not go well that day.
Years later and I mean years later lol I saw Gene had a book out so what did I do, I bought the dang thing.
I was suprised at how truthful and in your face the book was. I was surprised to find that Gene went to College and got a degree in Teaching. The fact that he never drank or did drugs was another surprise. I knew about the women I mean after all thats what he was famouse for, but the fact that he dated some top star female singers that you wouldn't think a metal band guy would date shocked me. Like Cher and Diana Ross wow.
It did not surprise me that he has the tools to keep Kiss going for years when it comes to marketing.
I laught and laught more while learning about the man behind the band. Its a must read for any one not just a Kiss fan.
I also look forward to his show on A&E that is on monday nights starting tonight. It's like Ozzy's show on MTV but you will be able to understand what Gene says unlike Ozzy lol