Rating: 
Summary: Yawn
Review: Where to begin his His Majesty Gene Simmons. First off, for long time KISS fans, this book has nothing new for you. Everything in this book is the same old Gene we've been reading in Hit Parader for twenty years. It's the same old rehashed cliches and one liners from this holier than thou, better than everybody, egotistical, mediocre bass player.Gene SImmons truly is the American dream. A poor immigrant who conquered the world thirty times over. He and his band KISS were household names in the 70's, reinvented in the 80's, and came back in the 90's. Yes Gene we know, you are so great, you can do no wrong, your word is law, blah, blah, blah. Gene Simmons could put his fave or KISS logo on anything and try to sell it. The man has no reservations of using the KISS banner in any embarrassing way he can to make a buck. Don't believe me? Go ahead and order your KISS Koffin! That's right, a coffin. Women and money may indeed be the God of Thunder's only weaknesses, but who would complain? The worst part of this book is the bashing of his former KISS-mates. We all know Ace is a lazy drunk, but do we need a picture of him kissing a middle aged balding guy in Austrailia? KISS was great, but now they are done. At the Farewell Tour I said goodbye. Now they are a joke.(I mean c'mon, we got a fake Ace now!!!!) All I have now is fond memories of a great rock band that they once were. I read this book out of curiosity to see if there was anything new, there wasn't. And you won't see me standing in line for KISS cookie cutters, transmission fluid, or lawnmowers.
Rating: 
Summary: Great read, he ain't Hemingway, but he's good!
Review: I really enjoyed this book, and laughed out loud quite often. I love the plain spoken honesty. There were some surprises in here, but nothing off-putting. I'll echo everyone else: I really want Paul to write a book. There is the brains, heart, and soul of the band.
Rating: 
Summary: Interesting, but where's Paul?
Review: I'm going to skim over the basics others have pointed out (it's well-written, Simmons comes off conceited, etc) and instead focus on what intrigued me. There's a lot of unanswered questions here. First and foremost, his criticisms of Criss and Frehley leave me wondering why on earth they didn't kick the two of them out as soon as trouble started. Both are portrayed as being irresponsible and unsympathic (in case of Frehley, even anti-semetic), and if Simmons tells the truth when he says that problems started before fame came, then I'm not sure what advantage there was in keeping them on. Especially if Criss's skills were so lacking. Second of all, where's Paul Stanley? It amazes me just how little of the book even mentions him. I have to believe that Paul asked Gene not to write about him, because there's more about Cher than there is about Paul. Third, yes he comes off as arrogant, but it's much milder both sexually and ego-wise than I expected. It's not a tell-all book when it comes to his sexual escapades; it's an hint-at book. And I think his notoriously greedy attitude comes off much worse in interviews than he does here. And finally, it's interesting who comes off well here. Cher and Eric Carr have praise heaped upon them. With Paul Stanley, the praise is implied simply because he has nothing bad to say about him. Then again, he doesn't say much positive about him, either. Where's Paul?
Rating:
Summary: Just what it's supposed to be!
Review: Don't listen to those overblown windbags ripping this book apart. I have loved KISS since 1977, and Destoyer was the first album I ever heard. This book is exactly what it is supposed to be: The truth as Gene Simmons sees it. This is his story, as saw it, and I feel like I know the true story now. Let's face it, Gene Simmons is KISS.
Rating:
Summary: Average, however, could of cut out a lot
Review: Simmons spends 5-10 percent of the book bragging about some of the women hes slept with (after a while it is
extremely laughable, and youll wonder why he called this book is his "autobiography"). And he brags also in the
preface that he has had "4,600 liasons" with women. Either he must be dying of AIDs or drowning in child support
payments, which might be a reason as to why he was almost broke during 1994 (before the KISS reunion). Then he also spends some part of the book repeatedly badmouthing Ace calling him a drug addict and a michevious,
rebellious "teenager". He uses this to extoll and beat the hell out of the fact that he doesnt do drugs meanwhile
Ace is a very bad man (just makes you laugh even more) but of course it doesnt occur to him to write down the fact
that Ace/Peter saved his ass financially during the 95-96 reunion. And also that Ace gave them a lot of thrust and success
with his blistering guitar work, not too mention Ace did a lot of Genes bass work. Oh and Gene doesnt stop with his mouth there. In an attempt to embarrass Paul (supposedly his friend) he tells us
that he "lost his virginity on a old filthy mattress". The good thing about this book is that there is some insight as to how the band started and some of the stories
behind the music and the success. Which Gene (if he cared about his fans, as he claimed) should of put more of that
in and take the byproducts of his Ego out, but then again thats part of who he is now. It seems from
some of the five to four star reviews here, his fans have yet to realize that he is very unintelligent and he is a
worthless skirt chaser. I long gave this man the benefit of the doubt as most of the people who said the things about him being a whiny,
skirt chaser were Vinnie Vincent zombies and hated him for what he "did" to Vinnie. This book completely confirmed
my worst fears about him Bottom line: It has some good parts (as in history of the band) unfortunately at least 10 percent of it is his ego, buy
it used.
Rating:
Summary: The Bomb...
Review: An absolute must for any KISS lover. Many things you didn't know about Gene are revealed here, and also inside stuff about Ace, and Peter. Gene is one hell of an interesting guy. One of the best books I've ever read. If you don't read this, you are missing out on tons of inside KISS info. This book rules!!! Makes you want to put on DESTROYER and turn it to 10!!!
Rating: 
Summary: Honesty ~~
Review: that is what you get in this book. You may not like what he has to say, but he tells it like it us. From his childhood in Israel, to the thousands of women he slept with, to the problems within the band. It's all here. I didn't realize that Gene has never been drunk in his life. I did know that he was a teacher, and loved comic books. I saw him on one of the celebrity game shows and he blew me away. I've always been a KISS fan, and this book did not change my opinion of them negatively. I still think they are one of the Greatest Rock bands ever -- innovative and awesome. A really good read, in my honest opinion.
Rating:
Summary: Brutally honest, brutally entertaining
Review: In this book Gene goes where few rock stars have gone before in writing his autobiography. Very few major rock stars have written autobiographies, and that makes this book all the more special. It was very interesting to learn the truth about how dysfunctional Kiss was. I feel very sorry for Gene and Paul for having to put up with Ace and Peter's lack of professionalism. Gene and Paul are very generous for giving Ace and Peter a second chance, even though Ace and Peter are not making the most of the opportunity. It is also interesting to get a glimpse into how Gene's marketing genius mind works, and some of the sources of his genius. Who would ever have thought that reading comic books as a child could be so profitable?! Most of the negative reviews here whine about Gene's treatment of Ace and Peter, how self centered Gene is, and how Gene only cares about money. Well here are my thoughts on these issues. First, Ace and Peter have historically acted like drug addicted spoiled children, not professional musicians. Given that type of behavior I think Ace and Peter are lucky Gene and Paul have treated them as well as they have. After all Ace and Peter were the ones who abandoned Kiss while Gene and Paul kept the band alive and continued to innovate. There is no disputing that fact. Second, Gene is no more self-centered than any one else. Everyone is self-centered. Even Mother Teresa is self-centered, helping people because it makes her feel good. The only difference is that Gene is brave enough to admit he is self-centered, unlike the rest of us. Third, we all care a great deal about money. Money is what makes the world go around. It seems that many people are jealous of Gene simply because he is better at making money than most other people. All people in a capitalistic society (i.e. the modern world) pursue profit, and I refuse to condemn Gene for being better at making money than I am. Just think of all the people whose lives he has made more fun and entertaining. Thanks Gene. I look forward to your next book.
Rating: 
Summary: Kiss and Go Home
Review: Kiss and make-up is probably the most uninteresting book of its kind. It's one of those books that you can't put down, but wished you never picked up. I bought mine used and overpaid. Gene Simmons is definitly a profit mongor. I think this book was written just to put the name Kiss on it, and sell it. Gene is arrogant, concieted, and juvenile. Need I say more?
Rating:
Summary: Delightful and Intriguing
Review: Sophisticated readers of Gene Simmons' "Kiss and Make-Up" will delight in discovering in this book an intriguing and compelling synthesis of 18th-century Enlightenment epistemology and 19th-century Romanticism. The implicit argument of the book is that the Lockean and Humean insistency on the primacy of the senses over the mind as a source of knowledge of the external world is essentially correct and provides a sufficient basis for an ethical theory. For Simmons, it is the Sum rather than the Cogito of the Cartesian formula that provides the self-evident primum datum of knowledge. Indeed, one would be hard pressed to find any textual evidence of the Cogito in this work, or in the wider Simmonsean corpus for that matter. Despite the inherent materialism of this position, it does not lead Simmons to the calm philosophic detachment one associates with the classical rationalism of Lucretius and the Epicurean school. Instead, his emphasis on the senses leads him inward to an identification of the self as the Summum Bonum, which occasions a romantic preoccupation with his own exceptional nature, his genius, his heroism. Best known for his garish make-up and monstrous stage persona, Simmons has always trafficked in the remote, the mysterious and the weird. But as in Shelley's Frankenstein, this is no mere monster. He just wants to be loved.
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