Paul Stanley on KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park, "WE WERE IDIOTS" - Ace, Peter, Gene, Movie

A full in bloom News Brief
-Description:
In a new interview with The Hollywood Reporter, KISS co-founder Paul Stanley talked about filming the band's 1978 film, 'KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park' w/ Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss.
Links
Purchase Link for The Hollywood Reporter Interview w/ Paul Stanley:
shop.hollywood...
Hit the subscribe button & click the bell if you would like to be notified as news & interviews are uploaded.
Intro & Outro by FOOL OF FATE
#KISS #PaulStanley #AceFrehley #PeterCriss #GeneSimmons

[@independenceltd.]

I still remember being nine yrs old and begging my parents to let me stay home alone (first time ever) so I could watch it. No VCR to record shows back then. They took my two younger brothers to their bowling night and let me stay. I loved it, even though I thought it was a little cheesy, even at nine. It was my first time to see Kiss "in concert" and I thought "Rip and Destroy" was the greatest Kiss song ever. I only owned Alive II at the time, so I'd never heard "Hotter than Hell" before (same song, just different lyrics, for "Rip and Destroy").

[@shable1436]

We're the audience mad or just put in trance?

[@claudiogomes7547]

That only makes me admire Peter and Ace even more! They have dignity!

[@BlueeyesofSkye]

Most insincere comment of the day. Peter was a shitty drummer who hit the lotto, and Ace squandered a mountain of talent with booze and drugs at the height of his ability. Paul is without a doubt the most talented of the four.

[@claudiogomes7547]

@@BlueeyesofSkye If you’re a silly teenager Kiss fan and started listening to the band and went to the concerts from the unmasked era and don’t know s… about the relevance of the original members of the band and believe in all that Paul and Gene said and still going to the concerts to see fake spaceman and fake catman so it’s ok for you .

[@salemstone]

@@claudiogomes7547 Buddy, whatever you just wrote is nonsensical. Fact of the matter is that NONE of those four are reliable witnesses to their own history, and every one of them had a part to play in 70s KISS falling apart. Dignity is something they may have built for themselves later in life, but certainly not before everyone's makeup came off.

[@mickegee364]

Learn the definition of dignity, goofball.

[@derricklarsen2919]

🍿 🍿 🍿

[@rickfortine7454]

I grew up in Newhall / Valencia where Magic Mountain was and KISS sent out free tickets to all the local schools in the area to have all the kids come out and watch a full concert out in the Magic Mntn parking lot ... My cousin and I are even in the movie crowd scenes. The directors stood on the stage and told us all how to react as they filmed us !!! I was 13 years old and it was a total blast !!! The tickets also allowed everyone in to the park for the day and the concert was after dark. Instead of going in the park during the day a bunch of us just walked straight up to the front of the stage and stood there all day so we would have the front row that night !!!

[@fullinbloom]

Unbelievable.

[@musicmamma]

I would've done the same thing!

[@sebastienlavoie9334]

This is awesome!!! Is Magic Mountain Park still exist??

[@DaP84]

@@sebastienlavoie9334 yeah, I think so! Remember a fellow swedish Kiss fan went there with his son like 1 or 2 years ago

[@sebastienlavoie9334]

@@dodgersfan8598 Ok cool!! Thanks for the answer. :-)

[@g_man2177]

If you have seen the movie you wouldn't blame Ace and Peter for walking off the stage.

[@jukeboxcowboy]

What?? You mean they didn't want to be in a Hannah Barbera fight scene with Frankenstein and Dracula??? I can't imagine why not. 🤠

[@LAIRDO-]

At the time, it was the greatest movie ever!! Now, at almost 53 years old, it was actually worse than horrible. Think I'll find it somewhere to watch again!!

[@DetVen]

I'm also 53 y/o and I watched it live on TV and thought it was cool, but there was a scene when Paul said, "but they got guns" which he said like a total pussy and I thought, OK what the fuck is going on here, I thought they were bad ass dudes?? I still loved them though.

[@LAIRDO-]

@@DetVen I watched it again several years ago. It's a comedy more than anything now!! Aaack!!

[@rondellschuyler7074]

Paul Stanley. I went so far down in my seat by the end of the movie I was counting chewing gum under the seats. LOL ! 🤣

[@themachine8277]

Paul Thtanley from Kith

[@JerichoMile4]

KISS Meets The Phantom Of The Park (now I want to finally watch it !)

[@scottsteel2395]

Trust me. No you don't.

[@JerichoMile4]

@@scottsteel2395 So bad...but that makes it good‼️👍🏻👍🏻

[@scottsteel2395]

@@JerichoMile4 In all honesty, it IS one of the FUNNIEST things you'll ever watch.

[@bryonkidder6199]

Paul Stanley is always so professional in his own mind...lmfao!

[@Metalingots]

Paul, and Genewere businessman, while Peter, and Ace would have been funner to hangout with.

[@raymondroberts8709]

I was 15 in January 1976. Kiss was my first concert & we got front row. 'Alive' was the big album and Kiss were the heaviest band & coolest concert. Later that year when 'Destroyer' came out, with all the lunchboxes and dolls as oversaturation merchandise, Kiss were cartoons. The fall from grace happened all within the same year, basically.

[@bgandjsco1]

Right you are Gene and Paul had no idea what cool was ,and they destroyed the bands reputation. Since you are an early fan like me you know that ACE was by far the most popular band member. Ace was cool. Paul and Gene were nerds

[@raymondroberts8709]

@@dodgersfan8598 Erie County Fieldhouse, Erie Pennsylvania. January 23rd 1976.

[@fedecasares]

@@bgandjsco1 Paul and Gene might have been nerds, but it was the nerds, through their ups and downs, that kept the band going (much more Paul actually). If it had been for Ace and Peter... well... I don't think they would have survived much longer. To me, it's my humble opinion, Paul and Gene were in an international band and Ace and Peter were in a club-pub band where the only important thing was to have fun and that's it. Let's be honest please.

[@bgandjsco1]

@@fedecasares Agreed 100%. Those two were knuckle heads, but there is no denying that kiss wouldn't have made it big without them. They were both well-liked by the fans in fact...ACE was by far the most popular member.( Gene will never admit it)but its true. Ace was just a cool dude,and cool is something you have or don't. Back then i was constantly defending the band,from the " IF THEYRE SO GOOD WHY DO THEY HAVE TO WEAR THE MAKEUP CROWD" but when the Skate boards were being advertised ion TV even i was embarrassed

[@georgemaranville3305]

That explains why Gene and Paul got Emmy nominations and Peter and Ace were never the same.

[@boojooo2340]

Lol has more to do with where their families pledge allegiance. Isn't America..

[@richardthompson6366]

As a kid watching a made for TV Halloween movie starring Kiss, this was an awesome thing to see. 70s cheese was the best.

[@jubal238]

I vaguely remember watching it when it was first broadcast on NBC in 1978. I was 5 years old and thought it was a legit sci-fi movie (because I was watching Battle Star Galactica, Buck Rogers, and the Incredible Hulk every week.) When I watched it again on vhs when I got older, I thought, "You gotta be kidding me. This sucks!"

[@Terrybryk]

LOVE U Paul Stanley......& GOD BLESS......THANK U FOR GIVIN ME AN AUTOGRAPH IN KENNER LA IN 1983.....U ARE MY #1 ROCKSTAR.......TTYL

[@michaelbryan6552]

Maybe Ace and Peter realized that they were taking part in a total shitshow of a movie. LOL

[@BlueeyesofSkye]

They all did

[@tonyii3818]

They were a shitshow in real life.

[@zuketroop1]

I was 16 when this movie premiered on NBC and we only had 3 television Channels at the time. Fortunately this movie was on one of them that night. I thought it was great to see because I was a fan of the band and had never seen then live. I was particularly drawn to a scene at a fountain where they were seated. Paul was playing "Beth", a piano song, on the acoustic guitar. This scene made me want to learn to play guitar and I do to this day.

[@Mikey_Sea]

I just here for the comments.

[@nathueil1]

🔊STAAAR CHILD😳

[@mrrsnlk03]

Paul Stanley tries to compare themselves to the lil rascals?? I'm sorry "starman" but the lil rascals had talent.

[@FLStelth]

The film is on-par with the quality of their music.

[@johnrodems6360]

As a kid you’re like Wow brother plus your bringing music & like LOTR to Kiss as a movie

[@if6turnedouttobe9]

I understand...

[@scottsteel2395]

Who could blame them.

[@boroca5999]

I was 9 and just started to discover them from the bubble gum cards not knowing who they were just looking at the cards and finding them interesting, seeing the Halloween costumes cause it was a Halloween special and ever since I became a fan, iam 52 now still love it.So they must of done something right with the movie hehe.

[@krisjb1]

now I must see it

[@scottsteel2395]

Trust me. No you don't.

[@pedraw]

I was 16 when that movie was released. I couldn't wait to see it, Gawd was I disappointed. They lost my attention for many years right after that with the 2 shite albums they released.

[@TheJohnnyCotts]

I know Ace said back in the 80's that he HATED the 8AM makeup call while they were filming, as he liked going to bars, clubs, etc., ... in the evenings.

[@darylhall2198]

would love to hear more from peter and ace and WAY WAY LESS from paul and gene

[@johnnyjohn2527]

The misgivings Ace & Peter had about the film or anything else the band was doing should have been mollified by the exorbitant amount of money they were making. They never understood that it's about business, not just partying. Given the copious amounts of booze, cocaine, car crashes, etc., it's a bona fide miracle they survived.

[@tattoogypsy1970]

I would have too. There Rock Stars not movie actors , ace and Peter lived the rock star life. Paul and Gene the control freaks. Relax dudes.

[@supersithlord]

I saw the movie when it originally aired and I still enjoy it! You have to consider that all special effects on television were poor at the time. I personally like the Westworld-like plot. If it had been produced by someone other than Hanna-Barbera it might have faired better, but I still love it for what it is.

[@JohnDoe-ny1wp]

Ace and Peter had, and still have, dignity. Jene Simpson and Pull Steadly are....broke? Look at their wigs.

[@georgemaranville3305]

I was always of your band X.

[@johnnyjohn2527]

Jene Simpson and Pull Steadly. Oh, dear. 😕 Quite the KISS aficionado.

[@justinwhite9689]

Because they knew it was dumb as hell

[@rodbelding9523]

I mean yeah, this is old news. Every Kiss enthusiast knows they had to use a double for Ace and a lot of Peters lines are dubbed lol.

[@kevinkaatz883]

Paul is funny, has a way with words

[@boojooo2340]

He's gay af

[@stiffrichard2816]

Maybe they knew it was a train wreck crap TV movie.

[@dwade6322]

I'm a KISS fanatic for 40 plus years..this trash talking each other at age 70 is beyond ridiculous. Your all rich and famous. Shut up.

[@bigbobbitchinii123]

I'm just surprised he didn't try to blame that on Peter and Ace. A classless egomaniac. At least he had a phenomenal voice and stage presence to fall back on. Now just arrogance and no one close to tell him just how bad he sucks. Congrats Paul. You made Kiss the joke we all got our asses beat up for defending. KISS reunion 2026...... "The last tour" lol

[@nathueil1]

🔊STAAAAAR CHILD😳

[@2AChef-n-BBQ]

You can't count on junkies, ever....they walked off the set, they wouldn't show up for recording sessions, they have a long history of being irresponsible junkies. Thanks s why Paul and Gene are KISS and why Ace and Peter reside in that large "Former Members" column. Thanks to the studio guys who recorded all their parts👍🏼🥃🇺🇸

[@JCDwyer]

Finally, somebody else who gets it!!!!!

[@atomikpunk6038]

I totally agree. Whether or not you like Paul and Gene they were always professionals. Never heard much at all about them going on drug and alcohol fueled binges and getting in trouble with the law. The other two...yeah. That band never would have lasted with Ace and Peter in charge.

[@2AChef-n-BBQ]

@@atomikpunk6038 exactly

[@JCDwyer]

@@atomikpunk6038 you nailed it, man. Even in a rock n roll band, somebody has to be the grown-up.

[@DaveK548]

KISS would never have been an actual band in the 70s without Ace and Peter. That’s the only worthwhile era of the band. If the notion of Kiss as a business and half a tribute band is appealing to you, that’s fine - but it doesn’t change the facts about how all four original members were essential to making KISS such an amazing force in the 70s.

[@icemansify]

"It wasn't Springtime for Hitler"????... A weird fkn thing to say.

[@PhrygianScale]

He was referencing classic comedy "The Producers" with Zero Mostel and Gene Wilder. In it they tried to write the worst play of all time hoping it would fail miserably so they would recieve insurance money from Broadway Writer's Guild or something like that. They came up with "Springtime for Hitler" and it became a massive #1 hit. Extremely funny movie. Silly, a little dated but very funny.

[@jockmctodger]

Don't blame them, ot was obviously shit

[@shannonhenson609]

It wasn't any worse than Xanadu or Grease.

[@bgandjsco1]

Forget about how this joke of a movie was ever released, how the hell did Gene and Paul ever agree to make this crap in the first place. I was 14 when this movie was on TV and i can honestly say i was embarrassed to say i was a Kiss fan the next day at school. Gene never knew what was cool.

[@eargasm1072]

But he knew how to make maximum profits from his KISS brand!

[@norbitcleaverhook5040]

Lol. How wierd is this guy.

[@gaylethorn7692]

I was 10 I think when it came out. My sister and I begged hard at our parents to watch it... after all it was Love Boat night. With the exception of, Freddy got fingered, I've never cringed so hard in my life! My parents were laughing their heads off, mocking the music of our youth for being total crap. We had to listen to how awesome Elvis was and how they just couldn't compare. I was embarrassed and had embarrassment goosebumps all over and geezus, I shit my car once and even that didn't embarrass me like this movie did. 🤣

[@paulthompson8642]

@ the age of 5.. its wasn't that bad back then

[@Kathleen58]

As much as I love Kiss, Kiss meets the Phantom of the park was the worst thing they ever did.

[@patrickmurphy1803]

I think their music is more embarrassing than the film. Their music is for 10 year olds at best

[@Milomusic41]

I think if you look at kiss's work as a whole it's quite obvious that they are a second rate band...they couldn't hold a candle to real bands like Zeppelin, Van Halen, Cream, Stevie Ray Vaughan and so many others.

[@bathtubgeorge]

I can see why, they were rockers, they just want to play. It's a terrible film. And at the time I was excited to see it. They even overdubbed Peter's voice!

[@lukedadrift1980]

God help me i really tried to like this movie even with the new added version i could not watch this from beginning to end it was just plain horrible and shouldve been shelved never to see the light of day!

[@billyz5088]

At least it wasn't quite as cringy as the 1978 'musical comedy' film; "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band" - with Peter Frampton & the Bee Gees - and Aerosmith - doing "Come Together" !

[@eargasm1072]

Oh yes it is....that one at least has some cool performance numbers if not viewing it as a "narrative film". "Phantom" was made for Scooby-Doo fans!

[@juniorthornton3819]

Paul crybaby

[@anthonylynch4737]

Terrible Movie.

[@allendoughty5206]

Cmon man, Peter and Ace were waste case's.