Kennedy Center Honor<\/a> with the band (which will be televised Dec. 23 on CBS), is releasing his first new album in 18 years on Friday (Dec. 19) and, come Saturday (Dec. 20), celebrates his 80th birthday. It\u2019s all a \u201cnever in my wildest dreams\u201d proposition, Criss says, and proof that the Catman isn\u2019t nearly out of lives yet.<\/p>\n\n\t\u201cI\u2019m not tooting my horn, but I really worked hard for this,\u201d Criss tells Billboard via phone from his home in New Jersey, where he recorded portions of the new Peter Criss<\/em> album. \u201cI started at 10 years old. I\u2019m a musician and always a musician first. I\u2019m about music, not about anything more than that. So I never expected all of this. I thought the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame (induction, in 2014) was, \u2018Holy mackerel\u2026\u2019 This is just a blessing from God.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\tCriss, who was born George Peter John Criscoula and raised in Brooklyn, actually started work on Peter Criss<\/em> during 2008, shortly after the release of his fifth solo album, One For All<\/em>, in the summer of 2007 but shelved the recordings at the time. During the pandemic, however, guitarist and co-writer Mike McLaughlin phoned and said, according to Criss, \u201c\u2018Cat, you should listen to that album we started. It\u2019s a good album.\u2019 I started listening and, \u2018Yeah, this is a really good album. We\u2019ve really got something here.’\u201d That notion was also supported by his friend, current M\u00f6tley Cr\u00fce guitarist John 5, whom Criss considers \u201clike my son.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\t\u201cI was in California and played it for Johnny and he said, \u2018Peter, this is a great album. You\u2019ve got to finish it.\u2019 \u2018You really love it, John?\u2019 \u2018Are you serious? Yeah! I want to be on it!\u2019 So, \u2018OK, I guess we\u2019re gonna do this.’\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tCriss and co-producer Barry Pointer wound up deconstructing the 2008 recordings, keeping the drum tracks Criss had laid down at the time but bringing in McLaughlin and bassist Billy Sheehan to record new parts and adding keyboards by longtime friend Paul Shaffer and backing vocals. John 5 plays on three of the 11 tracks, and Criss replaced all of his scratch vocals during the past couple of years. The album\u2019s package design was done by Matt Montgomery, aka Piggy D. of Marilyn Manson and Rob Zombie\u2019s bands, who also plays bass on the track \u201cCheaper to Keep Her.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI put my heart and soul into it,\u201d Criss says. \u201cMy voice, I\u2019m still singing like a bird; boy am I lucky. I felt I was in control and I was enjoying myself; you can hear me laughing on the record. We all had a great time, and we all had a part in it. It was like having a dream band. You can feel it in the music. It was just really wonderful. I haven\u2019t had the experience of doing a record like that since maybe KISS\u2019 first album. I felt like I was 20 years old again.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tPeter Criss\u2019<\/em> tracks range from the balls-out opener \u201cRock, Rockin\u2019 Rock & Roll\u201d and the gleefully adolescent \u201cHard Rock Knockers\u201d to the theatrical \u201cCreepy Crawlers\u201d and the Sun Records-flavored, truck driver-celebrating \u201cRubberneckin\u2019.\u201d Elsewhere Criss is more serious, invoking faith and social commentary on songs such as \u201cMurder,\u201d \u201cJustice,\u201d \u201cFor the Money\u201d and \u201cWalking on Water.\u201d The latter \u2014 \u201cProbably my favorite song on the album,\u201d Criss says \u2014 was inspired by his battle with breast cancer and his wife and manager Gigi\u2019s own health struggles.<\/p>\n\n\t\u201cThere\u2019s a little bit of everything in there,\u201d Criss notes. \u201cNow that I\u2019m a senior citizen or whatever, I wanted to write a little about politics, a little good ol\u2019 rock \u2018n\u2019 roll. Music is so powerful, as you know. You can really pour your heart and soul into something\u2026and I did. I hope my fans love it. I promised them I would do a rock album after One For All<\/em>, and I kept my promise.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\tPromotion plans for Peter Criss<\/em> are a somewhat up in the air. At 11 a.m. ET on Friday he\u2019ll sign copies of the album at Rough Trade Below in New York City\u2019s Rockefeller Plaza, and Criss is looking at signing events in other cities in the new year. He acknowledges that at his age and after several shoulder surgeries \u201cit\u2019s taking a little more time to get around the (drums),\u201d but he doesn\u2019t rule out playing live to support the album.<\/p>\n\n\t\u201cIf the album really knocks the fans out, would I go out? Sure,\u201d he says. \u201cI wouldn\u2019t mind getting back on stage, getting the guys together to do a couple shows. Why not? I\u2019m in pretty good condition for an old guy; everything is working, maybe a little bit of arthritis here and there, but I still play the drums a few times a week. So, yeah, I hope it does get to that point. I\u2019m just gonna let it flow and see how my fans accept it.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tIn the meantime Criss is still basking in the glow of the Kennedy Center Honors, which took place on Dec. 7 in Washington, D.C., where KISS was feted by magician Cris Angel and performances from Garth Brooks (\u201cShout It Out Loud\u201d),\u00a0 Marcus King (Criss\u2019 signature song \u201cBeth\u201d) and Cheap Trick (\u201cRock and Roll All Nite\u201d). \u201cIt was great. It was an honor,\u201d says Criss, who served three tenures with KISS, departing for good \u2014 again acrimoniously \u2014 in 2004. He appeared amicably with bandmates Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley in D.C. but acknowledges that \u201cwe don\u2019t keep in touch.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tNevertheless, he adds, \u201cI\u2019m a kid from the streets of Brooklyn. I grew up in a cold-water flat with\u2026seven of us. So coming from a tough neighborhood to standing in the Oval Office with the president was quite a thrill. I\u2019m a big history buff; I couldn\u2019t believe I was in the room where Roosevelt, Lincoln, Kennedy\u2026all these great presidents were. You can feel the vibes. Only four other bands got this award, and here we are, KISS. That was something.\u201d And despite continuing controversies swirling around Pres. Donald Trump\u2019s realignments of the Kennedy Center, Criss says there were no political considerations on his part.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cLook, it was an honor; how many chances to go you get to go to the White House and get a medal?\u201d he explains. \u201cI\u2019m not a politician. I\u2019m not a political guy. That\u2019s how I answered the questions; \u2018I\u2019m not political. I\u2019m just proud to be here. Am I a Trump supporter? I\u2019m a supporter of the president of the United States. I\u2019m proud to be an American, and only in America can four guys like us, from the streets, be in the White House getting such a great award.’\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tMaking the occasion bittersweet, however, was KISS guitarist Ace Frehley\u2019s absence following his death on Oct. 16 at the age of 74, following a fall in his home studio three weeks prior. \u201cThat was really hard for me,\u201d says Criss, who spoke to Frehley shortly before his passing. \u201cHe was so excited. He was like, \u2018Wow Cat, I can\u2019t believe we\u2019re getting this award!\u2019 I haven\u2019t heard him that excited for a while. He was getting ready to tour again, working on his new album\u2026He was really up.\u201d Criss says Frehley\u2019s daughter Monique accepted his medal during the White House presentation, while her mother and Frehley\u2019s ex-wife Jeanette was also in attendance.<\/p>\n
\n\t\u201cI got to sit next to Ace\u2019s empty chair, where his medal was,\u201d Criss says. \u201cI\u2019m still mourning over him. I can\u2019t believe he\u2019s gone. We were extremely close. It\u2019s been very hard.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n
Aller \u00e0 la source<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"It\u2019s a proverbial December to remember for KISS\u2019 original drummer, Peter Criss. Related KISS, Michael Crawford, Gloria Gaynor Talk 2025 Kennedy Center Honors: \u2018It\u2019s Not Only About What You Get From People, It\u2019s What You Give\u00a0Them\u2019 Stevie Wonder Cancels House Full of Toys Benefit Concert: ‘Big Idea, Little Time’ Hear Dennis Ferrer’s Full Set From […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_et_pb_use_builder":"","_et_pb_old_content":"","_et_gb_content_width":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[17],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-215789","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-musique","et-doesnt-have-format-content","et_post_format-et-post-format-standard"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215789","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=215789"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/215789\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=215789"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=215789"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.cyberlego.com\/web\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=215789"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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