Bruce Kulick On If He Would Have Rejoined KISS As The Spaceman
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- Опубліковано 28 вер 2024
- Former KISS guitarist is asked if he would have rejoined KISS as The Spaceman after Ace Frehley left the band in 2000.
This is from the "Rock Solid With Pat Francis" podcast uploaded on 6/5/15.
To hear the entire interview with Bruce Kulick on “Rock Solid With Pat Francis” go here: rocksolidguide...
Interviewer needs to stop interrupting.
THAT'S TRUE BRO. THIS GUY IS RUDE
I would have slapped him. Truly annoying.
Bruce is a class act
I like Bruce. He's always been the least rock-star (in the best way) of all of the Kiss people.
you ain't kidding, great player , in Meatloaf as well
It's really rare to see a former member of a band with no animosity toward them. Then again, Bruce clearly isn't into drama, so if not him, who else?
Wow, SOMEONE associated with KISS that has some integrity...amazing!!!!
you seem to miss the part where he said that "he's a business man", so he didn't exactly say he wouldn't do it!
Bruce seems down to earth sensible and very reliable as a musician.
He would've done just as Ace in make up.
That interview just shows how classy Bruce Kulick is... and why fans of that era of KISS miss him! In my opinion he was the best guitarist KISS ever had
Bruce is probably the best all-around guitarist in the history of the band. Yes, Ace has a more iconic style, but unlike Tommy who generally tries too hard to sound like Ace, Bruce could pull off Ace's licks while leaving his own mark on them at the same time.
It's been said before, but it would've been great to see KISS go back to the 'Revenge'-era vibe after the Farewell Tour, maybe play smaller venues, even not tour as much...just bow out with some grace, really.
I was a kid in the 1970’s and KISS was larger than life. Ace was the reason I was a fan. Ace was my first guitar hero. Bruce Kulick was easy to like as well he brought a scorching style of play. More 80’s style than Ace who was more 70’s rock. It worked I listened to Asylum for first time in 20 years and it rocks and Bruce and Eric Carr were a great team. They helped KISS continue by bringing in new young fans. I’ll always be a Ace Frehley fan and also Bruce Kulick who is a excellent guitarist.
That interviewer is a pain in the arse. Let Bruce SPEAK, WILL YOU !!!!
A tour with Bruce, Eric doing Revenge & Carnival of Souls for a final "End of the Road" would be great
An UNION TOUR, like the YES group did in the 90´s, some songs played with Eric Singer and Bruce and some other songs played with the original team, and (like they did in the Unplugged) a great ending with all the musicians playing togheter. That would be awesome.
Ace is the Spaceman. Bruce was great as Bruce saw quite of few shows in the 80's and he is an amazing guitar player and a class act. His work with Kiss holds its own without having to be a "spaceman".
Wow. He makes a great point.
I have said it before & will say it again. When Peter & Ace left got kicked out whatever, I along with tons of others fans would have been totally fine with Eric & Bruce coming back to play without makeup or new & original designs for those two members that had NOT worn makeup before.
TNO73 Ace did NOT get kicked out. Each time Ace left the band he chose to voluntarily, and both Gene and Paul tried to talk him out of it both times.
@@44excalibur Not exactly Gene were bored about problems with drugs that made Ace unreliable for making a tour, but Gene really appreciate Ace talent and wanted him back if he can manage his vicious behin the curtain and respect the fans.
@Pedro Hereira Yeah, I do know that Gene did appreciate Ace's talent, and the two got together recently and performed together on stage.
Great player. Love his style...
Paul hates how well loved Ace is among the fans. Bruce is his own person and was for many years in Kiss so I would have been surprised if he would have become Ace. You can call it the Spaceman but everyone knows you mean Ace because Ace is synonymous with the Spaceman and that will never change.
A man’s integrity is everything and is most remembered long after he’s gone. Well done Bruce you are admired and respected around the world!
I wonder if kiss would ever consider taking the makeup off again and bringing Bruce back they would be some of the best kiss shows and years I'd go to see it.
Bruce said about Ace: "problematic" and "dysfunctional". This is the short version of Paul's book. He also proves his integrity when he says:
"I'm a businessman too".
People like to believe businessmen have no musical 🎸talent.
Very intelligent Bruce interview 👍
Sounds like a cool dude..
He's better then Tommy sorry to say that.
1000% better
10.000 times better
Most definitely. Bruce was their best lead guitarist. Love Ace, and what he did for the band and don't think Bruce could have done the same thing he did. But pure chops Bruce is the best Kiss guitarist.
Super cool dude too.
SS Sandman I say Bruce and ace are the best
Bruce is part of a history of Kiss is a better guitar player he created big hits even tough Tomy made a couple of albums no success!!! Bruce as always is a humble and honest person !!!!
Makes sense. He had a good run with KISS as HIMSELF even when covering old KISS songs. He doesn't need to be The Spaceman. He carved out his own Space.
I don't know what Bruce is doing now, or what his livelihood is at this point, but I think it would have been REALLY hard for him to turn down that paycheck had he been offered the gig.
I loved MTV unpluged when Peter and Ace joined Gene, Paul, Eric and Bruce on stage. I think they should have left the makeup off and toured as a 6 piece for a while till Peter and Ace left again, then kept going with Eric and Bruce and without makeup.
Makes perfect sense
The story always goes back to ace and peter being problematic, ,,tommy had to suit up because ace would not show sonetimes
Bruce with Eric Carr, or Eric Singer was the best 4 of any
Because Paul and Jean were more comfortable with having their road manager on stage with them. Plus Tommy makes a wicked cup of decaf! Lol!
Tommy's the best toilet scrubber in the business.
After learning how Tommy got the gig he definitely earned it.
Bruce would've been a bad spaceman. He's simply Bruce Kulick
Stated with class!
That would be the best.
The man made his career being his own man. Im willing to bet after the reunion had eric lived and wasnt asked to return eric & bruce wouldve formed a new band. They wrote and recorded music together, seems logical.
True professional
how about bruce as the ankh warrior lol it would suit his style
Nah.
He would have done it in a second. It is a simple answer. Everything else is bs. The sad thing was his brother Bob who was also a great guitar player couldn’t play publicly with Kiss because he didn’t have the look they wanted. No hair.
Tommy was the only guy who had the audacity to copy Ace. Simple as that.
short answer
if they asked he would have done it for the money
but they didn't ask him because they already had banked understudy for ace on the crew
he didnt say that, but if you subtract the bullshit thats whats left
bruce is by far the best guitarist kiss has ever had
ace would be way back at a distant second
because at least he played licks that where clearly his own
mark st john? generic shred
vinnie? complete and total crap
tommy? who knows? he strait up cops ace right down the line, so hes irrelevant
DAMN MAN. Quit putting Bruce above ace. Or Eric above Peter. Or Vinnie, Mark St....
They all were the best fit for their respective times.
Bruce though is a consistent gentleman. Always gives credit where it's due. Also most importantly kept his dignity and legacy intact.
Much respect.
I hate the fact that those guys act like the Kulick era of KISS never existed.
"....becoming the Space Man would have pissed all over my 12 years of being me... of being Bruce." Well said.
A very thoughtful, perceptive, statement.
I really liked the Bruce Kulick era of Kiss. Great guitarist and showman in his own right. He was a perfect fit during the non makeup years. He and Eric Carr are missed.
I love Ace Frehley,he's been my favorite member of KISS since I was 9 yrs old.But,honestly,Bruce is the best musician that was ever in the band.
I agree, I was lucky enough to see all the versions of the band, with the exception of St.John & Thayer. St.John because he was gone and Thayer by choice! Ace and Paul were the reason I started playing! I liked the music with Vinnie, but can attest, in concert he would simply go on and on with his solos! It would get monotonous and boring! Great player but a basket case! St.John I liked on the albums, often wondered how he would have been in concert? Kulick, kicked ass right off the bat and only got better! Carnival of Souls was something he had the most input on and the songs were good! He came back for session work on Psycho Circus! Plays great and seems to have a great personality.
Well, I consider Vinnie Vincent as great guitar player as Ace Frehley. Although Bruce is quite good, I heard his work with GrandFunk playing live and is wonderfull.
Agreed wholeheartedly. Mark St. John probably would have given Bruce a run for his money though if he was in the band longer. Some of those solos on Animalize were amazing, but Bruce’s were just as good.
Personally I loved hearing Bruce on Tobias Sammett’s Avantasia records. Was cool hearing him do the Power Metal thing.
No, Vinnie was.
Him and Eric Carr.
I really enjoy Bruce interviews because he seems well grounded and reasonable. In my opinion, he was the best guitarist the band ever had.
MrOccyc You mean, of course, the best REPLACEMENT guitarist they ever had.
@@markjohnson1020 still the best guitarist. Better than Ace
Agreed. Although Ace is The Kiss guitarist. As far as skill, Bruce is the best.
you know what bruce how about you leave the studio and let the interviewer interview himself. he keeps cutting bruce off.
The world loves Bruce and his contributions to Kiss. I met Tommy when he was in Cold Gin and needless to say he came off as being arrogant and full of himself. The times that I got to meet Ace he was very cool and polite and laid back. Bruce is Bruce and never tried to be anyone else
Thank you Bruce for always being a class act
He has so much integrity, one of the best things that happened to the KISS group.
This interview reinforces the integrity of Bruce Kulick. In every interview I've heard from him, he seems like good guy, with a level-head on his shoulders. I'm a drummer myself, not a guitarist, but I think he was a better guitarist than Ace or Tommy, and definitely more stable than Vinnie Vincent. But Bruce's comment sums it up, where he says he could not put the make up on and completely mimic Ace's playing and persona, being forced to forget HIS own presence in the band in the past years, which would have been awkward to say the least. Thanks Bruce. I hope to catch one of your gigs sometime with Grand Funk.....
Bruce is a total class act
Love Bruce's humbleness and honesty. Shame the interviewer does a worse job than my dog!
Excellent answer from Bruce. Not from the "integrity" angle, because that's what some KISS-LOONIES will angle at, but from the angle that all the arrows were pointing to Tommy and it was the most judicious decision for Gene and Paul to make at the time.
I love how he stated it would piss all over his era with Kiss, and he's right. Which is exactly what they did to Ace, I've been a band leader so I get it when you have problems with musicians but you don't replace them and say okay, I want you to dress and act just like the person you are replacing. poor Tommy, time will forget about him. You all ready see pictures popping up of Tommy that say Ace Frehley. It was wrong of Kiss not to give him his own persona, or just take off the make up. Nuff said, I know it's been almost 20 years, but to be fair it still isn't cool.
I love both Ace and Bruce's solos and their work with KISS. Both had a way of writing solos that fit the song, and as a guitar play, I feel that fitting a solo to a song is the number one goal as a lead player. Bruce is so damn classy, and my respect for him couldn't be higher. Great job, Bruce!
Returning of the original KISS was a big mistake, the should have done it like the YES group did: AN UNION ALBUM AN TOUR, some songs played with Eric Singer and Bruce Kulick and some other songs played with the original team, like they did in the Unplugged.
Out of all the members that have been in KISS Bruce is by far the classiest. Never has a bad thing to say about anyone.
I really liked Bruce at least he was a consummate guitar player the mistake gene and Paul made was putting Tommy and Eric in the Catman and spaceman make up I would of kept Bruce and Eric and designed new characters for them then they would of come up with there own personas not copying ace and Peter they would also have there own costumes too it would of been really exciting for the fans it's not too late to do this Bruce was a really good fit for the band a much better player than Tommy make it happen now I say
I appreciate your point of view, but I should have prefered they did something different: Returning of the original KISS was a big mistake, the should have done it like the YES group did: AN UNION ALBUM AN TOUR, some songs played with Eric Singer and Bruce Kulick and some other songs played with the original team, and (like they did in the Unplugged album) a great ending with the whole members of the family playing together, that would be awesome.
Bruce is a better human being than any KISS guy and his guitar playing is just outstanding, melodic, technical Bruce Kulick is a fantastic guitar player and a good humble human being. ❤️ 🎸 🎶
There's only one Space Man and that's Ace!.... I wish Tommy had his own character and I kinda wished Bruce did too... Bruce could've been a Wolfman .. or a policeman.. or the construction worker.. lol JK. Tommy was going to be The Warrior... and Eric a Bird man I think... would've been cool to have new characters.
Sorry Bruce - Black N Blue never had a Platinum record. They never even had a GOLD record.
What are you talking about? Black and Blue is one of the best albums of the Rolling Stones!
Wonder if he ever put on the make up behind the scenes with or without Gene and Paul, ya know, just in case? Bruce would have been a great spaceman but he is a perfect Bruce and comes from a different type of Kiss. The 'heavier' stuff, if you will. With Eric Carr's heavier/harder hitting style.
So in a nutshell they wanted a discount Ace, and Bruce was like noup I have my Bruce style, I am not a copy of the original good move Bruce
Kulick stated that had he ever worn makeup in the band, he would’ve have liked to have been the "Dog".
"I figure that since there's already a cat in the band, I should probably be the dog. I'd have a big circle around one eye and I'd look like Petey from the Little Rascals. I've actually seen one or two fan renditions of what that might look like, so yeah, I'd be the dog." - Bruce Kulick
I'm a huge Kiss fan... Always have been, always will be. Bruce was always the best guitar player to me. His playing was so clean, and so technically sound, and I just think the band sounded the best with Bruce and Eric (Singer). Both of them were the best at their craft. I get the love affair of the 70s Kiss crowd with Ace and Peter, but let's be honest, they're trash. Straight trash as musicians. Great live players, because both played by feel and with raw emotion, but neither one of them knew how to read music or put shit together. Eric (Singer) kind of brought that metal sound to Kiss that they were missing, and Bruce was just a laser guided missile on guitar. He accentuated Paul and strengthened the overall sound of the music. I'm in my mid 30s and I've seen Kiss almost a dozen times since the reunion tour in 96. So I've seen Tommy play half a dozen times with the band. I think he's great, and it's a tribute to his skill that he's able to make you forget he's not Ace Frehley. Having said that, I think Bruce was above coming back to impersonate Ace. Bruce (and his brother) are in another class musically, and I just don't think he would've been happy being a robot on stage, pretending to be something he's not... no matter how much money he made. And he basically eluded to as much in this interview. I just think he was too good for the Ace makeup and costume. But I will say this much... I saw them with my brother (RELUCTANTLY) in June of 2019 in Tampa, as our mother got us the tickets as a present. I hadn't seen them in 5 plus years, and I expected them to suck. With the exception of Paul's voice clearly giving out and not being as powerful as it was before, I thought the BAND never sounded better. They mixed up their playlist big time and played shit from every era of Kiss, and they sounded so HARD and GRITTY. It was like they dropped that bland 70s jazz sound and adopted more of the Kiss Alive III/Revenge sound (which to me was the best iteration of the band). And they sounded amazing. Hats off to Tommy, but Bruce is in his own class. Essay over - Focker. Out...
I agree with everything here. 70s Kiss is one of the most overrated bands ever, while 80s no makeup Kiss is one of the most underrated. It actually angers me the disrespect no makeup Kiss gets. Not that the originals weren't good, but if you watch a Kiss show from Revenge/Alive III era and a show from the reunion, it's night and day. The Alive III lineup pisses all over the originals.
I think when they got rid of Peter (again) they had some time to get someone new in there. They had Eric before Peter came back and so again thought of Eric this time around. Ace I think was more on the spur of the movement, meaning he is not showing up for a show so they had to think fast and come up with a solution. They Had Tommy backstage anyway so they just told him to be ready just in case and that just in case came up. Suddenly he went from being backstage to being on stage and they just jelled around him. I am sure if they had time to plan it better they may have called Bruce but they had no time and Tommy luckily fit in with the band.
Probably the nicest guy to ever be in the band but my favorite secondary guitarist after Ace would be Vinnie.
Makes sense.
I have been wondering ( as much as i like Tommy ) but , yeah, this makes sense. 👍
Tommy and Eric are in the band because while they are good musicians they also understand that they are sidemen and know their place. They are employees and they understand that. They are reliable and there is no drama. The interviewer must clearly be related to Eddie Trunk.
My question now is does Kiss now only play old original Kids songs or do they play post Peter and Ace Kiss?
Bruce is such a class act!
Bruce has gotta be one of the biggest class acts in the Rock world, he refuses to ever badmouth anybody. "Yeah I miss being in KISS but think about what me playing Spaceman would have done to my own legacy in the band".....that, right there, is a grown man.
Tommy, well....not to be mean, but the guy's playing is utterly unremarkable, even when imitating Ace Frehley solos. He was just in the right place at the right time, a good boy who will always do what Gene and Paul tell him, be reliable, and probably accepted a lower salary than Bruce would have.
Bruce Kulick as Egyptian Ankh would probably have suited him better...
Paul's Lone Ranger makeup would fit Bruce best.
MetalSalvation I could actually see that fitting him well now that you say it.
@Andy Don By «bomb» do you mean good or bad ?
@Andy Don I knew the tour was a flop but the album I had no idea sales were that bad. I consider C.O.T.N. a really good solid KISS album!
I have a lot of respect for Bruce and I am glad to hear this because I was thinking the same thing.. How could anyone expect him to pretend to be Ace when he spent more years than Ace in Kiss, being himself.?? That would be like being slapped in the face and having someone tell you that the real you sucks and you now need to be like this guy we kicked out of the band for sucking..
Bruce as a class act great guy got to shake his had at a Grand funk railroad show will always be grateful for his time in kiss but glad he didn't put the makeup on its not him
Bruce's sound was suited to the hard rock era that he played in. His playing lifted Kiss to another level in 84 and kept it there. His era was the best of Kiss.
Don’t do the double base drum? That’s the thing that make the Alive 3 Duce my favorite version.
My favorite Kiss double bass drum song is Makin' Love.
Not the studio version from Rock n' Roll Over, of course, but a live version from either a Sao Paulo, Brazil show or a New Years Eve show at Walt Disney World's Pleasure Island.
Eric does a great improv of the last drum sweep of the song, with a double bass drum kick at the end, and its incredible.
I highly recommend a Google search of the video.
1:13 i much prefer the blonde long-haired version of Eric, just playing as himself.
I don't buy it - the grand funk situation says it all.
im glad i found this video because i always wondered why bruce wasnt back. best guitarist kiss ever had...
Think about it he would had have to have learned how to put the makeup on and everything. It's like he said Tommy already knew how to do all that. Bruce would have needed to learn how to do it.
There is a thing called make up artists you know. For someone that learns complex riffs etc, a wee bit of face paint should be achievable. Going by your comment, it's more important to get the makeup right rather than the music?
Although it must be said maybe Gene and Paul see it that way.
I could totally picture Bruce Kulick as " The Sphinx " but actually Bruce doesn't seem like the Kabuki make up type ...lol😂
King of the Mountain was a great song, i would say it was definately written about
The Wizard
Spaceman..... 😆 🤣
This 4 character bullshit is so 🙄
It's Ace Frehley mane!
Let Bruce answer the questions ffs!!
Kiss should of done 1 world Tour in make up and then went back to Gene Paul and Bruce and a new drummer
Both Bruce and Tommy are class acts and I can see why they're friends.
He should of been back in the band and in his own character and make up
quit interrupting Bruce FFS.
Iove the 80s miss best
Bruce, Such Class.
Speaks highly of Tommy, Ace
and The Erics.
Singer, Thayer, Kulick,
Carr ...Talented & True Professionals.
What a likeable guy Bruce is. 🎸
having followed kiss since I was 6 ,,,,,,,,now im 47.........I've seem every variation of the band and the group that is touring now,that being Paul,Gene,Tommy,Eric,,,is by far the best in my opinion, ,,,,no disrespect to Bruce because he could really play,,,,...its a shame peter and ace ruined a good thing for themselves, ,,,,,,,and that's all they have to blame is themselves
Derek Clark except PAUL can't sing his way out of a paper bag anymore. Don't let nostalgia cloud your mind, or your ears. He's fuckin terrible, and it's not just age. His vocal cords are damaged beyond repair. For this reason, they need to pack it in.
@@ericlogos9568 the best KISS show I saw was in 09. Tommy, Eric, Gene and Paul. Paul's voice was still there...killed the reunion show I saw.
Dressing othere guys as Peter and Ace and calling it Kiss is absurd. I'm glad bruce didnt tarnish his reputation by doing it.
DUDE , PLEASE LET THE GUEST TALK, YOU KEEP INTERRUPTING!!!!
Love Bruce Kulick
I think it was a fair question and Bruce answered it fairly. What we may never know is if KISS actually did approach him before they settled with Tommy. That's not to knock Tommy but I'm certain they knew him being in a cover band could prove problematic, where as with Bruce, they could say he had already been in the band. I tend to think he probably told them no but kept it a secret between them.
I doubt they did, Tommy ended up in the band (and Ace's makeup) out of necessity. They needed someone to be "Ace" temporarily before it evolved into a permanent position. Personally I'd prefer different makeup and some of Tommy's own input, but by then the die was cast.
Bruce was better than the Spaceman. Would have been a real shame had he donned the make-up. I wished Singer hadn't. Best drummer the band ever had and he's masquerading as lesser talent.
and by the way ace and peter were fired for being about themselves and not kiss,,,,,,,they got what they deserved,,,,,,,,there were many shows ace wouldn't show up on time and when he did he was drunk,,,,,,,there were times that Tommy had to teach ace the songs over again because aces brain was fried
At 4:28: Correction: Let's call it Ace because that's who the spaceman is you dope.
Paul Osicne lets call it are you 10 years old? Because it really doesnt matter. Our lives go on as its pretty fucking sad a grown man is getting butthurt over who plays a rockband character.
If the spaceman were Ace (and only Ace), there would be no spaceman today. So, yes, Bruce is right, let's call it spaceman.
I hated when they brought Ace and Peter back... More bullshit, and more session musicians that had to fill in for them.. Bruce and Eric are FAR superior to Ace and Peter. Eric's fills and rolls are legendary and Bruce is a guitar machine.