{"id":10818,"date":"2025-01-25T12:28:00","date_gmt":"2025-01-25T17:28:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/?p=10818"},"modified":"2025-01-25T12:41:38","modified_gmt":"2025-01-25T17:41:38","slug":"bruce-kulick-on-his-upcoming-autobiography-my-journey-has-value-but-i-dont-want-to-write-a-book-to-slam-people","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/?p=10818","title":{"rendered":"BRUCE KULICK On His Upcoming Autobiography: ‘My Journey Has Value’ But ‘I Don’t Want To Write A Book To Slam People’"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Photo by Neil Zlowzower<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a new interview with Marko Syrjala<\/strong> of Metal-Rules.com<\/a>, former KISS<\/strong> guitarist Bruce Kulick<\/strong> spoke about his plan to release his autobiography. He said: “Yeah, I mean, actually, over 20 years ago \u2014 like 25 years ago \u2014 I started working on a book with a friend of mine in the industry. He wanted to write it, and I was pretty cool with that. He started doing interviews with people. Fortunately, I still have all those interviews. One of my projects last year was to digitize them all. My parents, my brother, Bob Ezrin<\/strong>, Eddie Trunk<\/strong>, and even Michael James Jackson<\/strong> \u2014 though I didn’t really work with him \u2014 were all interviewed. Obviously, having my parents and my brother included is fascinating to me. Carrie Stevens<\/strong> and many other friends and industry folks who were pretty hip to KISS<\/strong> and my career were also interviewed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“But here’s what happened. The reason I probably said [in the past] that I’d never write a book is because we did start working on it. He even put together some sample chapters \u2014 maybe 30 or 40 pages. But the reaction at the time was, like, ‘Wait a minute, this isn’t\u2026 We’re looking for stuff like M\u00d6TLEY CR\u00dcE<\/strong>‘s ‘The Dirt’<\/strong>.’ You know what I mean, right? But that’s not my life. That’s not my experience. I’m more of a musician who was part of a famous band and some of the other groups I worked with are really interesting. A lot of people don’t know much about Meat Loaf<\/strong> and don’t know that much about Michael Bolton<\/strong>, let’s say, or a Billy Squier<\/strong> record. There’s so much about my career that’s unique \u2014 it isn’t just one thing. And I was never involved with drugs or wild debauchery. So when they wanted salacious stuff, I kind of put the brakes on. Then my friend got busy with his career, and I got busy with mine. We shelved it and didn’t revisit it for a long time.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I used to have a web site \u2014 Kulick.net\u2014but for the past five or six years, it’s been BruceKulick.com. Back in the day, I used the web site to write blogs when people were still into web sites. Now, it’s all about social media. I wrote about record releases, anniversaries, and things like that. I’ve amassed all this material over the years and realized there’s a good story to tell here.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I think my journey \u2014 from being a guitar player from Brooklyn to being with KISS<\/strong>, one of the most iconic bands in the world \u2014 has value. And I embrace that. I don’t want to write a book to slam people. I want to share my perspective \u2014 how I saw things \u2014 but I don’t need to do that by saying horrible things about other musicians or people I’ve known.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I was shocked at some of the stuff other KISS<\/strong> members said in their books. Gene<\/strong> [Simmons<\/strong>] and Paul<\/strong> [Stanley<\/strong>] are like brothers, which probably explains why they take liberties picking on each other, you know? In their books, they told it like it is \u2014 or how they wanted it to be. And if they wanted to be snarky, they had the platform to do that. But I want my book to focus more on my learning experiences and successes. I hope to share some life lessons because I’ve certainly seen a lot in my career.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bruce<\/strong> previously talked about his upcoming book last month in an interview with Paul Salfen<\/strong> of AMFM Magazine<\/a>. He said at the time: “I amassed a lot of materials from [my] era [of KISS<\/strong>]. When I first started a book with a guy in the industry back in ’99, there were a lot of interviews done, and I was able to get all those tapes digitized because that’s important, to spark my memories and stuff. I have notes of subjects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“It’s certainly gonna be a really in-depth discussion of my life as a musician with, of course, hefty amounts on my KISS<\/strong> years, ’cause I know that the fans are gonna wanna get my thoughts on how it felt and what I did,” he continued. “It’s certainly not gonna be some salacious slam book. It’s not me. But I do have a lot of stories that I never really discussed that I think are gonna be really fun for people to read about and fascinating for them to see.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Everything was, in many ways, a very interesting journey, and there were many [instances] of where you fall in the ditch, but you’ve gotta pull yourself out \u2014 that kind of thing.”<\/p>\n\n\n

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AZ with Bruce and Lauren Silver backstage in Elgin 2001 photo by Jason Meudt<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

In a separate interview with Loaded Radio<\/a>, Kulick<\/strong> was asked why he wasn’t ever approached to rejoin KISS<\/strong> after Ace Frehley<\/strong> left for good back in 2001. He responded: “That’s a great question. And not everyone’s aware of some of the backstory. I would hear things about them having problems with Ace<\/strong> and Ace<\/strong> was getting erratic or difficult. And [later KISS<\/strong> guitarist] Tommy Thayer<\/strong> was actually tour managing with them; he was on the road with them. Because even during my era, he was involved with the band, helping with ‘Kisstory’<\/strong> and doing things for the group. He wrote some songs with Gene<\/strong> [Simmons<\/strong>, KISS<\/strong> bassist\/vocalist] and was always part of the inner circle, shall I say. So from what I understood, there was one or two things that KISS<\/strong> did \u2014 not a concert, even though once Ace<\/strong> was almost not gonna make it and they made Tommy<\/strong> get the outfit on. [He had a] similar build \u2014 tall and thin \u2014 and Ace<\/strong> made it to the show. But there were a couple of other things they needed to do. I believe ‘That ’70s Show’<\/strong>, when they were taping, Ace<\/strong> didn’t show up. ‘Tommy<\/strong>, get the outfit on.’ And then I think there was a private gig, too, that no one would really know about \u2014 one of those things where you go to an island and play for some rich people. And Ace<\/strong> wouldn’t go. And KISS<\/strong> wasn’t gonna say, ‘All right, we’re not gonna take the gig.’ So if they ever had a thought of me, I think they would have known that that probably would have been a lot harder. Tommy<\/strong> was younger, there already, if you know what I mean, working with them. And Tommy<\/strong>, not everybody knows that he was in a tribute band for fun at times called COLD GIN<\/strong> as Ace Frehley<\/strong>.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Bruce<\/strong> continued: “So if they would have went to me, I can’t say I absolutely would have said ‘no.’ I miss being in KISS<\/strong>. I do realize it would have kind of pooped on my era because then I’d have to kind of play the role of the ‘Spaceman’ and shoot rockets and play more like Ace<\/strong>. I was never given that direction from Gene<\/strong> and Paul<\/strong> [Stanley<\/strong>, KISS<\/strong> guitarist\/vocalist], where Tommy<\/strong> knew that it actually was more comfortable with his natural style of guitar playing. He wasn’t a Floyd Rose, play-some-flashy-riffs king of the mountain. So I never felt like they made the wrong choice \u2014 ever. I always felt that was the right way to go ’cause then Tommy<\/strong> could assume the role of the Spaceman in the group. Eric<\/strong> [Singer<\/strong>, KISS<\/strong> drummer] sometimes gets some criticism, like Tommy<\/strong> has, but Eric<\/strong> being behind the drums and having five years in the band without the makeup, maybe he gets a little less. Neither of them really deserve criticism because they’re talented players doing a great job. And it was Gene<\/strong> and Paul<\/strong>‘s choice to say, ‘And now you’re the Catman,’ ‘And now you’re the Spaceman.’ It wasn’t [Tommy<\/strong> and Eric<\/strong>] saying, ‘Please, I wanna be the Spaceman.’ And to new generations, Tommy<\/strong>is<\/em> the Spaceman. Even though Eric<\/strong> has a lot of credibility from ‘Revenge’<\/strong> and ‘MTV Unplugged’<\/strong> and ‘Carnival Of Souls’<\/strong> and all the work that we did together for those five years. So, I actually kind of lost the big gig on many levels for the right reasons though. And I was never fired the first time. It was simply, ‘Well, we’re making all this money. Now we’re selling out from arenas to stadiums in makeup.’ So my era ran its course.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 1984, Bruce<\/strong> joined KISS<\/strong>, where he remained as their lead guitarist for twelve years, accompanying the band on the “Animalize”<\/strong> tour and continuing with the band until the 1996 reunion tour. Bruce<\/strong> is heavily featured on “Kissology \u2013 Vol. 2”<\/strong> and “Vol. 3”<\/strong>, the band’s DVDs spanning their historic 45-year career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In an April 2020 interview with Sleaze Roxx<\/a>, Kulick<\/strong> said that he was “relieved” he wasn’t approached to rejoin the band after Frehley<\/strong> left for good back in 2001.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“When I had to leave in ’96 after the success of the KISS ‘Unplugged’<\/strong> performance, people were aware of the musicianship that existed in the band between Eric Singer<\/strong> [drums] and I, but after 20 years of people hearing about KISS<\/strong> in makeup, it was kind of like ‘Star Wars’<\/strong> when it was rebooted people went to see what it was all about,” he said. “I understood that it was the original guys, they put the makeup on and people were excited to either see it again or see it for the first time. That carried on, then it carried on and it carried on. [Laughs<\/em>] It then reached a point where Gene<\/strong> [Simmons<\/strong>] and Paul<\/strong> [Stanley<\/strong>] couldn’t continue with Peter<\/strong> [Criss<\/strong>] so they called on Eric Singer<\/strong> to step into the role and the makeup.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Eric<\/strong> is such a tremendous drummer,” he continued. “I was genuinely happy for him. I still am. Then when Ace<\/strong> started dropping the ball, it was seamless for them to go with Tommy Thayer<\/strong> who does such a fantastic job as the ‘Spaceman.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“If I had been asked to step into the ‘Spaceman’ role, it would have been really awkward for me. I get asked by the fans a lot, ‘Well, why aren’t you there?’ I think Tommy<\/strong> stepping into the role was a lot more natural than Bruce Kulick<\/strong> becoming the ‘Spaceman’ and shooting rockets off of my guitar. I would have had to play the songs note for note like Ace<\/strong>. I don’t think I could do that and remain happy in the band. Tommy<\/strong> does that to perfection. I was never required to learn the classic stuff note for note, but if you’re going to be the ‘Spaceman,’ it would have to stay true to the way Ace<\/strong> plays it. That’s not to say that I don’t play the classic songs with respect. I play the GRAND FUNK RAILROAD<\/strong> songs with respect, while injecting my own style into them, like I did in my time in KISS<\/strong>. I would lose my ‘liberties’ if I stepped into the ‘Spaceman’ role.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“I’m friends with Tommy<\/strong>, Bruce<\/strong> added. “We’ve gotten closer over the years on the ‘Kiss Kruise’<\/strong>. We’ve spoken a lot on the ‘Kruise’<\/strong>. He once said to me, ‘Hey, I never got into the Floyd Rose whammy bar thing. How do you play ‘Crazy Nights’<\/strong>?’ I said, ‘Don’t worry about it. Play it how you play it. It’s what works for you. I don’t take any offense and you don’t need to copy how I do it.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

“Tommy<\/strong>‘s style is so much closer to\u00a0Ace<\/strong>‘s than mine. I have a unique style to my approach you can hear it on\u00a0‘Tears Are Falling’<\/strong>,\u00a0‘Who Wants To Be Lonely’<\/strong>,\u00a0‘Unholy’<\/strong>\u00a0and even the acoustic solo on\u00a0‘Forever’<\/strong>. I am proud of my body of work for that era of\u00a0KISS<\/strong>. I’m embracing it. The fans are embracing it. It’s all good.”<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Photo by Neil Zlowzower In a new interview with Marko Syrjala of Metal-Rules.com, former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick spoke about his plan to release his autobiography. He said: “Yeah, I mean, actually, over 20 years ago \u2014 like 25 years ago \u2014 I started working on a book with a friend of mine in the industry. He wanted to write it, and… Read More »BRUCE KULICK On His Upcoming Autobiography: ‘My Journey Has Value’ But ‘I Don’t Want To Write A Book To Slam People’<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":10819,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_coblocks_attr":"","_coblocks_dimensions":"","_coblocks_responsive_height":"","_coblocks_accordion_ie_support":"","neve_meta_sidebar":"","neve_meta_container":"","neve_meta_enable_content_width":"","neve_meta_content_width":0,"neve_meta_title_alignment":"","neve_meta_author_avatar":"","neve_post_elements_order":"","neve_meta_disable_header":"","neve_meta_disable_footer":"","neve_meta_disable_title":"","ngg_post_thumbnail":0,"_themeisle_gutenberg_block_has_review":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-10818","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10818","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=10818"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10818\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":10829,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/10818\/revisions\/10829"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/10819"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=10818"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=10818"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/mkultramagazine.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=10818"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}