GENRE: Nonfiction/Memoir
WEBSITE: link
MY GRADE: A
SYNOPSIS: In Face the Music, Paul Stanley—the co-founder and famous “Starchild” frontman of KISS—reveals for the first time the incredible highs and equally incredible lows in his life both inside and outside the band. Face the Music is the shocking, funny, smart, inspirational story of one of rock’s most enduring icons and the group he helped create, define, and immortalize.
Stanley mixes compelling personal revelations and gripping, gritty war stories that will surprise even the most steadfast member of the KISS Army. He takes us back to his childhood in the 1950s and ’60s, a traumatic time made more painful thanks to a physical deformity. Born with a condition called microtia, he grew up partially deaf, with only one ear. But this instilled in him an inner drive to succeed in the most unlikely of pursuits: music.
With never-before-seen photos and images throughout, Stanley’s memoir is a fully realized and unflinching portrait of a rock star, a chronicle of the stories behind the famous anthems, the many brawls and betrayals, and all the drama and pyrotechnics on and off the stage. Raw and confessional, Stanley offers candid insights into his personal relationships, and the turbulent dynamics with his bandmates over the past four decades. And no one comes out unscathed—including Stanley himself.
MY THOUGHTS: This was a well-written, entertaining, honest and heartfelt tell-all and I enjoyed every minute of it. There are 16 full-color pages of photos and a handful of small black and white photos throughout. Paul grew up in an unloving household in New York with a mentally ill sister, Julia, who's two years older than he and was prone to violence. He was made fun of as a child due to his lack of a right ear and deafness in it. Both of those things left him feeling inadequate and those feelings chased him throughout this adulthood. He never once mentioned if there was anything that could have been done about the deafness. I wish at the end of the book he'd mentioned how his sister was doing.
Some negatives are that he's quite boastful and likes to tell of all his good deeds and is superficial when it comes to women. I'm sure that stems from his own insecurities about his looks though he's never said that. I like that he isn't shy about expressing his opinions of Ace and Peter, who appear to suck at playing their instruments, especially Peter. Him and Gene's first mistake was not firing them during the recording of their first album and cutting ties permanently. Paul is 100% the driving force behind KISS.
MY GRADE: A
SYNOPSIS: In Face the Music, Paul Stanley—the co-founder and famous “Starchild” frontman of KISS—reveals for the first time the incredible highs and equally incredible lows in his life both inside and outside the band. Face the Music is the shocking, funny, smart, inspirational story of one of rock’s most enduring icons and the group he helped create, define, and immortalize.
Stanley mixes compelling personal revelations and gripping, gritty war stories that will surprise even the most steadfast member of the KISS Army. He takes us back to his childhood in the 1950s and ’60s, a traumatic time made more painful thanks to a physical deformity. Born with a condition called microtia, he grew up partially deaf, with only one ear. But this instilled in him an inner drive to succeed in the most unlikely of pursuits: music.
With never-before-seen photos and images throughout, Stanley’s memoir is a fully realized and unflinching portrait of a rock star, a chronicle of the stories behind the famous anthems, the many brawls and betrayals, and all the drama and pyrotechnics on and off the stage. Raw and confessional, Stanley offers candid insights into his personal relationships, and the turbulent dynamics with his bandmates over the past four decades. And no one comes out unscathed—including Stanley himself.
Some negatives are that he's quite boastful and likes to tell of all his good deeds and is superficial when it comes to women. I'm sure that stems from his own insecurities about his looks though he's never said that. I like that he isn't shy about expressing his opinions of Ace and Peter, who appear to suck at playing their instruments, especially Peter. Him and Gene's first mistake was not firing them during the recording of their first album and cutting ties permanently. Paul is 100% the driving force behind KISS.
You can watch the 1978 NBC made for TV movie staring KISS, KISS Meets the Phantom of the Opera, here.
