Gene Simmons recalls why Kiss decided to take the makeup off

Kiss was formed by Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss in New York City back in 1973 and besides their music and incredible live shows, the makeup was an important part of the band’s image.

They became superstars and some kind of superheroes or cartoon characters to many fans as well. But in 1983 the band decided to finally reveal who they were and take the makeup off. In an interview with Billy Corgan (Transcribed by Ultimate Guitar), Gene Simmons recalled why the band decided to do that.

Gene Simmons recalls why Kiss decided to take the makeup off

“So, Peter left. We got a new drummer, Eric Carr, who was just fantastic, and tried to come back from (Kiss’ 1980 album) ‘Unmasked’ and, you know, the disco stuff. And so he put out a heavier record, ‘Creatures of the Night.’ So, all that stuff was going on.”

“It did not do well in America. Music was changing, but at the very same time, we played Maracanã for 200,000 people in Rio. Vinnie Vincent was in the band. Half the band was gone. We just expect people to accept the new guys.”

“We liked the record. We’re kind of headed in the right direction. But it’s not working in America because, at the same time, you’ve got all these different… Punk and New Romance and Adam and the Ants and everything else happening.”

He continued:

“You’ve got a younger fan base that are more active. So we don’t know what to do. So, Paul comes up with the idea of, ‘Maybe it’s time to take the makeup off.’ And I’m going, ‘I’m not sure about that. We have a quote legacy,’ whatever.”

“You know, we lasted longer than The Beatles. Beatles lasted seven years and put out all this astonishing stuff and never, as far as I’m concerned, never decayed. Just kept moving, evolving. But of course, nobody is the Beatles. And so, I gave in. I said, ‘Okay, let’s see what happens.’ And this ‘Lick It Up’ record happened,” Gene Simmons said.

During their unmasked era, the band released the albums: “Lick It Up” (1983), “Animalize” (1984), “Asylum” (1985), “Crazy Nights” (1987), “Hot in the Shade” (1989), “Revenge” (1992) and
“Carnival of Souls: The Final Sessions” (1997).