The Pop Corporation

It’s funny that ageing rockers bemoan the thin-skins of the yoof, while acting like petulant babies all the time, throwing their toys out of the pram and indulging in very ugly, public, hilarious spats. Just look at Pink Floyd. A very dignified set of old men there.

With that, we turn our attentions to KISS. They’re very much at it.

If you didn’t know, KISS have been touring but not with the original line-up. Nothing too surprising there – but like we said, they’re very much at it, and that’s hilarious. Ace Frehley is not happy and is demanding apologies from some of his former bandmates. Ace Frehley is 71 years old, by the way.

He’s said he’s got a dossier on his former cohorts and he’s not afraid to use it, and this has all come about because Paul Stanley (71 years old, also) has made a shitty comment on the radio. While Ace left the group in the ’80s, Stanley, along with fellow founder member Gene Simmons and guitarist Tommy Thayer, and drummer Eric Singer, have been playing since then.

Asked why the original line-up wouldn’t be playing at the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame induction in ’14, Stanley said: “We had too much pride in this lineup, which is KISS, and has been KISS for 20 years. It’s not newcomers. This is the band that has carried the flag and taken it, really, to another level. This is the band I always dreamed it would be.”

Apparently, the R&R Hall were ‘demanding’ that KISS played with the OG line-up, and Stanley added: “At this point, that would be demeaning to the band, and also would give some people confusion. ‘Cause if you saw people onstage who looked like KISS but sounded like that, maybe we should be called PISS.”

PISS! Now, this is where the butts are well and truly hurt. Butts, we’ll remind you, that have been on Earth for seven decades. When they were born, Myxomatosis was new in Europe and Anne Frank’s diary was first published in English. All that experience and perspective, but don’t be offhandedly saying piss!

Frehley, in a return of fire on some US satellite radio show, said: “Paul, if you’re not listening, I’m sure one of your associates in the KISS group are… I’m telling you that I want my formal apology for what you said, and a retraction and an apology within seven days.”

“And if I don’t get that within seven days, I’m coming back on Ed Trunk’s show and I’m gonna tell some dirt that nobody knows about Paul and Gene that I’ve always kept to myself because I’m the kind of guy who doesn’t talk about this. I like to talk about the positive stuff. When it comes to negativity, and we’ve all done things that we regret over the years – it’s there. I have a 120-page manuscript that I wrote after I finished my book. My attorney has it in a safety deposit box. God forbid anything happens to me.”

71 years old.

Continuing: “My attorney is instructed to release it – so they can’t intimidate me… trying to hurt me or say, ‘You’d better not say anything about me live on the radio’. Because then they’re totally screwed. Their careers will be ruined. Those guys aren’t squeaky clean. You know how many lawsuits girls have had against Gene?”

Anyway, let’s all have a giggle and enjoy the shit-show of some elderly men yelling at each other via other people’s platforms. There’s some kind of docu-series thing on Netflix soon, so we’re looking forward to more sniping and bad botox when that comes out. Wonder what their black hair dye budget is?