Scan barcode
meagan_young's review against another edition
5.0
I didn't even know about this book until I came across it on Libby and decided to try it. I'm so glad I did! Paul spills all the Kiss tea, while also imparting a great love and thankfulness for life and all he has and accomplished. It's really refreshing to hear from a celebrity/musician without a story of drugs and alcohol and someone who worked so hard for what he believed in. I enjoyed this so much and Paul has a lot to share about self acceptance and life lessons.
cherrick8's review against another edition
4.0
This was a fascinating look behind the scenes about the founding and continuance of Kiss. Stanley comes across as sincere and believable, as well as being a deep and interesting person.
nahret's review
5.0
I currently have a new obsession, and that's "audiobooks of memoirs, narrated by the author". Paul was an auto-include on the list, as I have been a fan of KISS since I was twelve years old (which, as he recollects, was a very bad indicator of where their music had gone at the time).
Memoirs will almost by necessity show the author in a better light than the people they come in contact with, but here I got the impression that Paul does not cut himself any more slack than he does his current and former band mates. He calls himself out on the patterns of dysfunction he learnt in his childhood, and the resulting hang-ups as an adult.
This memoir is really astonishing in the vulnerability that the author shows. The difficulties in his childhood were incredibly severe and tragic, and he carried a lot of them into his adult life. What distinguishes him from most of his peers is his self-reflection and -awareness: he decided at an incredibly young age that he needed therapy, so he went and got it. He is probably correct in saying this saved his life.
Let's get to the dirt: I never realized how very New York Paul Stanley is. He has no chill with those who wronged him, and he dishes it out. Obviously, Ace and Peter are portrayed in a less than flattering way, and Paul's relationship with Gene should probably be described as "ambiguous". But all of it reads genuine, and he often sounds more disappointed than straight-up angry.
I obviously loved the narration; this is Paul Stanley, after all. All in all, I think he allows us a very honest look at his life. I enjoyed it immensely.
Memoirs will almost by necessity show the author in a better light than the people they come in contact with, but here I got the impression that Paul does not cut himself any more slack than he does his current and former band mates. He calls himself out on the patterns of dysfunction he learnt in his childhood, and the resulting hang-ups as an adult.
This memoir is really astonishing in the vulnerability that the author shows. The difficulties in his childhood were incredibly severe and tragic, and he carried a lot of them into his adult life. What distinguishes him from most of his peers is his self-reflection and -awareness: he decided at an incredibly young age that he needed therapy, so he went and got it. He is probably correct in saying this saved his life.
Let's get to the dirt: I never realized how very New York Paul Stanley is. He has no chill with those who wronged him, and he dishes it out. Obviously, Ace and Peter are portrayed in a less than flattering way, and Paul's relationship with Gene should probably be described as "ambiguous". But all of it reads genuine, and he often sounds more disappointed than straight-up angry.
I obviously loved the narration; this is Paul Stanley, after all. All in all, I think he allows us a very honest look at his life. I enjoyed it immensely.
dharma130's review against another edition
4.0
Great narration by Paul himself...such an interesting book. I really enjoyed it. Very intelligent guy.
billymac1962's review against another edition
5.0
First, let me be upfront about the fact that I was a KISS freak growing up. At age 15, they were the first rock concert I had gone to. It was their 1977 tour and absolutely spectacular.
But KISS was much more than pyrotechnics and blood spitting and smoking guitars. They frigging ROCKED.
To this day I am still a fan and will frequently use the Alive! album to get me through a workout. Meat & potatoes rock and roll, as Paul and Gene like to put it, but damn it sure gets my blood going.
I follow Paul Stanley on twitter because he's a very positive guy. It was via his tweets that I realized he had a brand new autobiography coming out, and this was one I was going to get in hardcover.
Well, I must say that this is the best autobiography I've read. Paul pretty much bares his soul here. I know all about the passion of music, but KISS meant something very special to him. KISS was the vehicle he used to break out of a shy and lonely life due to a birth defect and the teasing he had endured as a child.
Coming from a dysfunctional family, Paul got absolutely no support. The millions that he is now worth came from his own drive and determination to overcome his psychological and physical hurdles. KISS became his family and finally he found social comfort within his Starchild stage persona.
Unfortunately, dysfunctionality followed the band, as well. Understanding why KISS went through the turmoil it did because of Peter Criss and Ace Frehley (one of my guitar idols) is only one of the fascinating aspects of this book.
Okay, so I'm biased. There's probably no way this would rate a 5 star read if you aren't a KISS fan, but it's still worth reading this inspiring memoir to realize a rocker can be grounded with such gratitude and emotion.
For those who have ever dug the band, you must read this.
But KISS was much more than pyrotechnics and blood spitting and smoking guitars. They frigging ROCKED.
To this day I am still a fan and will frequently use the Alive! album to get me through a workout. Meat & potatoes rock and roll, as Paul and Gene like to put it, but damn it sure gets my blood going.
I follow Paul Stanley on twitter because he's a very positive guy. It was via his tweets that I realized he had a brand new autobiography coming out, and this was one I was going to get in hardcover.
Well, I must say that this is the best autobiography I've read. Paul pretty much bares his soul here. I know all about the passion of music, but KISS meant something very special to him. KISS was the vehicle he used to break out of a shy and lonely life due to a birth defect and the teasing he had endured as a child.
Coming from a dysfunctional family, Paul got absolutely no support. The millions that he is now worth came from his own drive and determination to overcome his psychological and physical hurdles. KISS became his family and finally he found social comfort within his Starchild stage persona.
Unfortunately, dysfunctionality followed the band, as well. Understanding why KISS went through the turmoil it did because of Peter Criss and Ace Frehley (one of my guitar idols) is only one of the fascinating aspects of this book.
Okay, so I'm biased. There's probably no way this would rate a 5 star read if you aren't a KISS fan, but it's still worth reading this inspiring memoir to realize a rocker can be grounded with such gratitude and emotion.
For those who have ever dug the band, you must read this.
duparker's review against another edition
3.0
Well, no surprise here, Paul has an ego. Overall, the book was enjoyable and certainly not a stress to read. The story of Paul's early life and getting Kiss off the ground was good, and I found the pictures to be fun and enjoyable. I wasn't too interested in the day to day sexcapades.
I liked that a lot of the stories are similar to ones in Ace's book and Gene's book (I have no interest in a book by Peter). The animosity towards Ace ebbs and flows, with some positive comments about his playing, when he practices and when he was focused. A lot of backhanded or begrudging compliments. The same is not the case for Peter. Wow is Paul not a fan. Seems like he never was. I do respect that he lost respect for both of them when they sold their likenesses to Paul and Gene for some quick cash.
I liked that a lot of the stories are similar to ones in Ace's book and Gene's book (I have no interest in a book by Peter). The animosity towards Ace ebbs and flows, with some positive comments about his playing, when he practices and when he was focused. A lot of backhanded or begrudging compliments. The same is not the case for Peter. Wow is Paul not a fan. Seems like he never was. I do respect that he lost respect for both of them when they sold their likenesses to Paul and Gene for some quick cash.
erincataldi's review against another edition
5.0
Hands down the best music memoir I've ever read. I couldn't put it down; I read this massive tome in one day. I'm a pretty recent Kiss convert, after seeing them in Indianapolis on their fortieth anniversary tour, I knew I was in love. I had grown up hearing the songs, saw Detroit Rock City, Role Models, etc. But nothing prepared me for seeing them live. They were amazing! So being the librarian that I am, I decided to read more about them. I recalled that Paul Stanley had recently written a memoir so I decided to start there. I am soo glad I did. It was the perfect introduction to the world of Kiss. Paul writes about his humble beginnings, his insecurity, the gradual rise to fame, and the internal conflicts. The memoir is peppered with great photographs that help visualize the story. Insanely great. I went from knowing virtually nothing about Kiss to getting a great overview on the history of the band. It also sets the story straight about Peter and Ace, even Gene to an extant. At parts he sounded a little whiney and bitchy about his fellow band members, but it was probably well deserved. A must read for anyone in the Kiss Army.