Kiss drummer Eric Singer recently opened up about his career timeline, specifically addressing the period when the band’s original members reunited in 1996.
During a question-and-answer session on April 12 at the Indy KISS Fan Expo in Indianapolis, Indiana, filmed and uploaded by “Podcast Rock City Live,” the drummer detailed his mindset during that uncertain era. When asked if he ever thought he would play with the legendary rock group again after the first reunion, Eric Singer offered a candid response.
“No. Well, you don’t know what in life’s gonna happen, so I didn’t think so. And I didn’t do anything that whole year, in ’96. I just stayed home. [Kiss leaders] Gene [Simmons] and Paul [Stanley] were nice enough — they actually paid Bruce [Kulick, then-Kiss guitarist] and I [and they] kept on on a retainer for that whole year. ‘Cause they didn’t know if their tour was gonna be successful or what was gonna happen. So they just thought, ‘Okay, let’s just go and see what happens. And if it doesn’t work out with the reunion, we still have a band and we’ll just continue on.’ I’m guessing that was their mindset. So they were nice enough to do that. They didn’t have to. And in fact, I was offered to play with Vince Neil to join his solo band that summer, but I didn’t do it because I thought, ‘I don’t know what’s gonna happen with Kiss, so I should just kind of bide my time.'”
He then discussed the shifting musical landscape of the 1990s, noting how the massive rise of grunge temporarily impacted traditional hard rock touring schedules before he eventually found his way back to Kiss.
“At that time, rock and roll and the kind of music most of us probably like was not really all that popular. Grunge took over by ’92. I mean, I played with Alice Cooper ’90 and ’91. After ’91 Alice didn’t tour until 1997. He didn’t tour for six years ’cause there was no market for it. Eventually things kind of turned around. And then Alice asked me to come back and play with him in ’98. Then I toured with [Queen guitarist] Brian May that year too. And then, all of a sudden, they called me up to come back and play with Kiss. And I was playing with Alice at the time. From ’98 to 2008, I still played with Alice and I was doing both gigs for a while. But then Kiss actually got busy and wound up touring more starting in 2008. And that was it. Then we were off and running until the end of the touring in 2023.”
The massive 1996 Kiss reunion brought founding members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley back into the fold alongside Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. Following the eventual departure of Peter Criss, Eric Singer returned to the drum kit permanently in 2004.
Up until their final live shows in late 2023, the enduring modern lineup featured Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Eric Singer, and former Black ‘N Blue guitarist Tommy Thayer.
