Makeup to Breakup: My Life In and Out of Kiss [Hardcover]

Peter Criss (Author), Larry Sloman (Contributor)

Book Description

Release date: October 23, 2012

LEGENDARY founding KISS drummer Peter “Catman” Criss has lived an incredible life in music, from the streets of Brooklyn to the social clubs of New York City to the ultimate heights of rock ’n’ roll success and excess.

KISS formed in 1973 and broke new ground with their elaborate makeup, live theatrics, and powerful sound. The band emerged as one of the most iconic hard rock acts in music history. Peter Criss, the Catman, was the heartbeat of the group. From an elevated perch on his pyrotechnic drum riser, he had a unique vantage point on the greatest rock show of all time, with the KISS Army looking back at him night after night.

Peter Criscuola had come a long way from the homemade drum set he pounded on nonstop as a kid growing up in Brooklyn in the fifties. He endured lean years, street violence, and the rollercoaster music scene of the sixties, but he always knew he’d make it. Makeup to Breakup is Peter Criss’s eye-opening journey from the pledge to his ma that he’d one day play Madison Square Garden to doing just that. He conquered the rock world—composing and singing his band’s all-time biggest hit, “Beth” (1976)—but he also faced the perils of stardom and his own mortality, including drug abuse, treatment in 1982, near-suicides, two broken marriages, and a hard-won battle with breast cancer.

Criss opens up with a level of honesty and emotion previously unseen in any musician’s memoir. Makeup to Breakup is the definitive and heartfelt account of one of rock’s most iconic figures, and the importance of faith and family. Rock ’n’ roll has been chronicled many times, but never quite like this.

Editorial Reviews

Review

“[A]n entertaining autobiography….[Criss] keeps the focus on the rock and roll, which results in the best—and most honest—account of Kiss craziness during the band’s heyday in the 1970s.” (Publishers Weekly)

"A must read for all past andpresent KISS fans and fans of no-holds-barred rock ‘n’ roll tell-alls.”

(Library Journal)

“KISS fans will love every word.” (Rolling Stone)

“Makeup To Breakup” is the best KISS book to come from a band member and much of that is due to the emotional undercurrent omnipresent in Peter’s story. You feel his excitement, you feel his pain and it’s so easy to read it’s almost cinematic….As it stands, it’s easily a four star effort. Well done, Catman. (legendaryrockstarinterviews.com)

"Amazing." (Grantland)

“Criss’ book is wonderfully sleazy and graphic even for a rock-star memoir…A nasty fun read.” (The A.V. Club)

About the Author

Peter Criss co-founded KISS in 1973 along with Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Ace Frehley. He left the band in 1979, embarking on a solo career. In 1995, he reunited with KISS, resulting in a phenomenally successful world tour before he left the band again in 2004. Criss appeared in the HBO series Oz in 2002, and he continues to write and record music. His most recent solo album, 2007’s One for All, reached #36 on the Billboard Top Independent Album list. Larry “Ratso” Sloman is best known as Howard Stern’s collaborator on what were then the two fastest selling books in publishing history, Private Parts and Miss America. Sloman’s recent collaborations include Mysterious Stranger, with magician David Blaine, and Scar Tissue, the memoir of Red Hot Chili Peppers lead singer Anthony Kiedis—both books were New York Times bestsellers.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 384 pages
• Publisher: Scribner; First Printing edition (October 23, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1451620829
• ISBN-13: 978-1451620825
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 1.3 x 9.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (250 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #7,896 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #24 in Books > Arts & Photography > Music > Musical Genres > Rock
  • #62 in Books > Biographies & Memoirs > Arts & Literature > Composers & Musicians

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

103 of 108 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars The Most Honest KISS Book To Date October 25, 2012

By D3 Book Reviewer

Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase

Want to know how much Peter was being paid per show on the Reunion Tour? Want to know about Ace's big lie to Peter that permanently damaged their friendship? Or maybe you want to play a game and count how many times Peter mentions "Gene" and "herpes" in the same sentence throughout the book. Surprisingly, this is a pretty raw and honest account of Peter's life and career, and is definitely the best KISS bio to date. Peter spares no one, including himself. If you're a long-time KISS fan, you'll find that the venom he has for Paul and Gene runs pretty deep, but you can also definitely see why they referred to Peter as the "complainer." But Peter also holds himself over the fire - you learn how he blew through all of his KISS money (then AND now), destroyed his marriages, got lost in drug and alcohol abuse in and out of KISS, was suicidal many times, etc. And even post-KISS, you learn how much the failure of his solo album a few years ago almost did him in.

Peter really sticks it to Gene, Paul, Doc McGee, Tommy, Ace, his ex-wives, etc., but he backs it up with interesting, never-before-heard (for the most part) stories. As a longtime fan, I often found myself reading passages and thinking, "I can't believe he put that in print." The only people that really seem to be spared are Gigi (and you learn that that relationship hasn't always been smooth sailing either), Chris Lendt (I don't think I've ever read a bad word about Lendt from anyone), his daughter and a few close friends and family. And it was interesting to read how Peter's own parents got pissed at him about his marriage to Deb, how he treated them at times, etc.

The one thing you'll appreciate about this book is its honesty. As a long time KISS fan, you want to feel bad for Peter, but you learn he was/is his own worst enemy. He takes the blame for most of his problems, and you don't see that often (and certainly not from any current or former KISS members). The bottom line is this: You will love this book. Period. You can tell Peter is a very, very passionate and emotional guy. Whereas Gene seems oblvious to his demons, and Ace is a conman to his demons, Peter is almost like a kid who screws up and says, "I don't know what I was thinking." And you get the impression he really doesn't, and he battles his demons day in and day out trying to find happiness.

So if you're expecting a happy-go-lucky, everything-was-great romp through the KISS years, buckle-up...this ain't it. This is a sometimes depressing, raw account of what the Catman went through as the drummer of The Hottest Band In The World. And even though it seems to have a happy ending, you can't help but think that this story isn't over yet...And what makes it such a great read is you feel the danger that is Peter Criss' life. You're just hoping his final bow will be a happy one.

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Peter as honest as Peter thinks he can be. January 12, 2013

By Bruce Barker

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Let's face it, we all edit our own pasts in one way or another. We might believe we're being utterly truthful, we might even work very hard to "tell it like it was." But memories are selective critters. Spend a single afternoon listening to "eye witness" testimony at a trial and you will immediately see that even after a relatively short time each person's account of what happened will be unique and different. Many years ago I saw a tv movie (maybe a pilot for a show called, "The Rookies?) that showed the classroom and field training at a police academy. During one lecture, a man burst through the classroom door, fired several shots at the teacher, and then ran out. As the cadets jumped up to react, the professor popped up from behind his desk and told everyone to relax. It had all been pre-planned and staged. He then started asking questions about what color shirt the man had on, what color hair he had, how much he weighed, etc. No two police cadets gave the same description although the event had occured just moments before. Is Peter Criss telling the truth in this book? Yes, as far as he knows. But there are so many inconsistencies and just plain impossibilities as it all unfolds that it quickly becomes clear that some things are jaded, others are amalgams of several events blended together, and so forth. That isn't meant to imply dishonesty or duplicity on Peter's part. As I said, each and every one of us edits his or her own past to some extent. It's human nature. So what we have here is the most honest accounting according to Peter Criss, eyewitness to the (pardon the pun) lion's share of the life of the band Kiss. I was a witness to a very small part of it... a view from the cheaps, if you will.

I first saw the band at their very first concert outside of the NY/NJ metro area. It was in May of 1973, as best MY memory can recall. What I AM certain of are the following facts:

1. I had purchased tickets to see Ian Hunter and Mick Ronson who were trying out songs for what would eventually become Ian's first non-Mott the Hoople album. He opened with "Once Bitten Twice Shy" and people booed and threw stuff at the stage. Kiss was the reason.

2. The show was at either the Orpheum Theater (80% certain) or the Boston Music Hall (20%). The confusion is because the venues were within a couple of blocks from each other in the Boston Theater district.

3. No opening act was listed on the ticket.

4. The lights went down and this maniac in what looked like kabuki face paint ran out from stage left, grabbed the mic at center stage and screamed at the top of his lungs. He then yelled, "We're KISS and we're gonna take you away with us! You got nothin' to loose!" Seconds later the band kicked into what I later learned was "Deuce." I asked an usher what was going on and was told that the band was indeed named Kiss and they were doing their first show outside of NY. They were just signed to some new label. They did their entire first album (the REAL first album, not the one with "Kissin' Time" on it that was actually a reissue when the first pressing went out of print and "Alive" was saving both the band and Casablanca Records.

5. After playing "Deuce" and "Strutter" Gene took the mike and apologized to the crowd. He was very hard to understand because he had the mic too close to his mouth. He said that they usually had a much bigger stage show with fire stunts but the Boston Fire Marshall had said the venue was too small. He promised that when they came back to Boston they'd do their whole show. To put it bluntly, without their pyros to rely on (the only real stunt they did was Gene vomiting blood during the into to "100,000 Years." the guys were forced to win the house over with musicianship.

6. They closed with "Black Diamond" and "Let Me Go, Rock & Roll" and the house went freaking insane. Roughly 30 minutes later, when Hunter and company took the stage and began the anemic intro to "Once Bitten" the house started screaming, "we want KISS! WE WANT KISS!"

Within weeks I had not only bought the debut album, but every other record I could find on the Casablanca label, including "Light of Love" by T-Rex and "Rock & Roll Survivors" by Fanny. If you can find the Fanny album, get it. It kicks bigtime.

I went to see KISS perform again just after "Dressed to Kill" was released. The album was a moderate hit and this was the same tour that rolled through Cobo Hall in Detroit for several nights where "Alive" was recorded. Once again, they were incredible.

The third time was just after "Destroyer" came out. The tickets cost 3X as much, the band played for less than 40 minutes INCLUDING encores, and Gene & Peter were yelling at each other constantly by the middle of the gig. Finally, Ace staggered off and didn't return. The rest soon followed. The band came out, played some truncated mess version of "Rock & Roll All Nite," and then Paul yelled, "GOOD NIGHT NEW YORK! WE LOVE YOU!" Again, I was in Boston. I'm almost certain Peter references this exact gig in the book because I know several of the members of Aerosmith and both Joe Perry and Joey Kramer were there, as was, I believe, Seth Justman from the J. Geils Band. I knew then that the good times were over with Kiss.

Now, after over 30 years, I have some semblance of an explanation regarding what went down. Gene's book is whitewashed with several coatings of ego-driven varnish and most true fans of the band (or people that ever met Neal Bogart (I worked at a radio station in Boston and spoke with both him and Aucoin several times) know that Gene sold his soul to greenbacks and bootie early on. Almost everything Gene says is motivated to ensure that a steady stream of both continues to flow in his direction. I don't for one second believe that Peter's take on things is 100% accurate, but it's probably as close as we're ever going to get. (To be fair, I've purchased, but not yet read Ace's book.)

One problem that Peter has is an almost laughable gift for finding a way to blame anyone and anything for his troubles and woes. Even when begins by accepting his own role in a situation, within a paragraph or two he's found a way to shift it to another person.

The other biggee is the frequency with which he contradicts himself. He constantly holds Gene's feet to the fire for being money motivated and insisting that KISS is a "brand" and not a "band." Peter will swear that for him it was all about the music and that Gene's avarice destroyed the band while at the same time talking about how he threatened to quit because he found out Ace was getting XX more dollars per gig and so on.

As I said, I don't believe that Peter's being deliberately deceptive or hypocritical, nor is he lying. He's laying out the truth as he remembers it. What actually occurred is most likely somewhere in the midst of the memories of all concerned - including the band members that came later. By NO means should that fact hinder you from picking up this book. It's more articulate than many celebrity "tell all" tomes. It's fairly obvious that Peter is trying to tell "his side" of Kisstory. If you are, or were ever, a fan of the band or the man, this is a must-read. If you've ever been curious or just enjoy autobiographies, this is among the better to come out in recent years.

I've attempted to keep major spoilers out of this so as not to detract from the experience of reading for oneself while making potential customers aware of the shortcomings they may find. I hope I succeeded in both goals and wasn't too long-winded.

33 of 38 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Peter has his own story to tell October 23, 2012

By ESVK VINE™ VOICE

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Let me start by saying that I was a huge Kiss and Peter Criss fan as a kid in the seventies. And my loyalty always was to Peter above the other three band members - although I liked them all. I am not a Kiss fanatic today nor have I been a member of the Kiss Army since I was ten. lol So when I saw this book, at first I was skeptical, thinking it may be a money grab for Peter. But after debating, I went ahead and bought the Kindle version and dove in. To my surprise, this is actually a good book that fills in some of the holes surrounding facts that have been out there for years. I started in chapter one about Peter's upbringing, but quickly skipped to chapter 4 that begins to narrate the Kiss years. It is enlightening to hear how much input and influence that Bill Aucoin, his partner Sean, and Neil Bogart had in shaping the band leading to its success. A lot of the ideas that have been attributed to the members of the band really came from outside sources as you'll see as you read through. Sadly, Peter is his own worst enemy and he clearly has some undealt with anger towards the other band members. And most of his bad luck is his own doing. He comes across as honest and sincere, yet entitled and ungrateful so it is really hard to feel sorry for him - particularly due to his malicious statements towards just about everybody but his current wife and his daughter. If you are on the fence concerning this book, it is well organized and worth a read for sure. I found the book hard to put down as I knew little of his life after Kiss. It has a happy ending as he seems to have a good relationship with his current wife and is a cancer survivor. I always wondered exactly why he left and this book certainly answers that question.