Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick has opened up about his emotional return to the stage with the band in Las Vegas this past weekend, calling the experience “magical” while also offering a candid retrospective on his complex history with the rock legends.
Speaking at a panel on November 16, just one day after he joined Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Tommy Thayer, and Eric Singer for the finale of their “unmasked” set, Kulick revealed how the surprise appearance came to be. It started with a direct call from Simmons.
“It was really exciting. I got a call from Gene [Simmons]. He said: ‘You’re going to come up on the last two songs. Contact Tommy [Thayer] and go over some of the arrangements and figure out what you’re going to do,'” Kulick shared. “And there I was. It was really magical. I know [fans] were hoping for something like that to happen sometime… and I think last night was a really appropriate time for that.”
The reunion offered a moment of validation for Kulick, who admitted that the band’s 1996 reunion with original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss initially left him feeling discarded.
“In the beginning, I felt very left behind. I didn’t see much value in my years and what I did,” he confessed. However, fan appreciation over the decades changed his perspective. “That changed pretty quickly… people were like, ‘I love you. You’re the [best] KISS guitar player,’ which is of course, in KISStory, a bit absurd, because I wouldn’t have had my gig without Ace Frehley… But I’m so proud of the fact that that era has survived.”
Kulick also addressed the long-standing speculation about whether he was ever considered to don the “Spaceman” makeup when Frehley departed for the second time. Kulick admitted the thought crossed his mind, but he is ultimately glad the role went to Tommy Thayer.
“I remember hearing [about it] and thinking, ‘Would I become the Spaceman? This is weird. What if they ask me? What would I do?'” Kulick recalled. “In the end, I really think that it wasn’t meant to be for me to remain in KISS… it would have kind of pooped on my era if I suddenly became the Spaceman. It just would have been weird.”
He noted that his playing style was distinct from Frehley‘s, whereas Thayer was better suited to emulate the original riffs.
The Q&A also touched on the band’s heavier, grunge-influenced output in the 90s, specifically Carnival Of Souls. Kulick described the album as a product of a “dark” time in his personal life and a band in transition. He revealed that while KISS embarked on their massive reunion stadium tour, they kept him on a paid retainer as an insurance policy.
“They still paid me, because they kind of knew, ‘What happens if Ace and Peter quit one month in? KISS still exists with Eric Singer and myself.’ It was an awkward time — it was real hard for me,” Kulick said. “That record, I really gave my heart and soul into even though it was dark and everything… But it’s a strange record — you either love it or hate it.”
Looking back at his contributions, Kulick highlighted specific tracks where he felt he made his mark, including the acoustic solo on “Forever” from Hot In The Shade and the aggressive playing on Revenge‘s “Unholy.”
“Moving forward, stuff like ‘Unholy‘, I’m so proud of — these wildly manic, powerful, playing-from-my-ba**s as they used to push me,” he said. “My era was a little more the flashy guitar playing, but I have to say any time I could give it melody and its own emotion that would connect with the fans, then I won.”
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