THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK

THE FACE BEHIND THE MASK

PETER—In real life with his platforms and makeup off, Peter seems the most humble of Kiss. This may be partially due to the fact that he is the oldest and longest married of the group—he has sown his wild oats and is willing to take things a little easier. Talking to him and his wife Lydia, one finds them real charmers, though, and not at all the shy types—they readily kidded us about how Peter has a new child at home, only to reveal that this “child” of the Kat’s is actually a new pet kitten they got as a present. A truly funny couple!

They’re a cute couple, too. Lydia, who is petite and wears aviator-frame glasses, looks the real All-American high school cheerleader-type (but not dumb, by a long stretch) in her shoulder-length brown hair and almond-shaped face. And Peter has a slight overbite that must drive the girls crazy, distinguished-looking gray hair, and sort of sad basset eyes that make him look real vulnerable—again, a real ladykiller (if he wasn’t happily married already, that is!)—and a small button of a chin that I’m sure Lydia loves to twetk him on! Peter and Lydia are almost the same height, Peter being the shortest member of Kiss in real life.

ACE—It’s not that Ace is humble, it’s just that he seems sort of quiet and wary around strangers. Maybe because of a pretty tough upbringing in the Bronx he’s just a little suspicious—and there’s nothing wrong with that in the highflown world of show biz! When he gets to know you a little he speaks in a sort of raspy tenor voice that betrays a New York accent, and he can be quite open about himself.

Without his makeup, he resembles a noble American Indian, what with his very high cheekbones which crowd his eyes and his broad, angular face which narrows into a marvelously squared-off chin. He’s tall and lanky and moves around in a slightly stoop-shouldered easy gait. Frequently, he grows a scruffy beard between tours (something he’s better without, frankly). We haven’t met his new wife Jeanette, but we’re sure she’s a great lady and that she and Ace are very much in love—for one thing, he used to run home, when he wasn’t actually playing, during the sessions for Rock and Roll Over just to be with her for lunch or dinner! Congratulations, Jeanette and Ace Frehley!

PAUL—You’d have to say that Paul is classically the handsomest person in Kiss. What you see of him with makeup on is pretty much what you get, as they say—or as he says: “I look pretty much the same, just a little paler with the makeup on.” Those big pouting lips you can’t miss in real life, even without the red lipstick. He, too, has high cheekbones and a strong aquiline nose, and probably the biggest brown eyes in the group—or anywhere, for that matter! His hair is very dark and thick and forms a great black frame for his face. As far as we'can tell, he is tied with Gene for being the tallest member of Kiss without his boots on.

Furthermore, Paul is one of the most relaxed and talkative Nand downright friendly people you’re likely to meet. But he is not afraid to give a strong opinion when he feels it’s called for, though always presenting it in a nonabrasive, amiable way. He can be a rapt listener, too; and when people start hauling o.ut the comedy, Paul is always one of the funniest. He can even joke about Kiss and being a sex symbol—he answered our question about what he’d be doing in ten years with the witty retort, “What, you wanna a date?” He speaks in a deep voice with a New York accent, and practically the only thing he is not willing to joke about is Kiss fans, who he treasures mightily!

GENE—Gene is considered crazy onstage,‘right? Well, he’s just as crazy off! He always wears his platforms because “he likes being six-eight,” and he leers and sticks out his gigantic tongue at the slightest prodding—sort of like a real lizard! He tells jokes and does strange voices— particularly favoring Bela Lugosi and slippery deejay sounds—and is constantly probing the limits of your intelligence. While he jokes, as we mentioned, he is probably also the most serious member of Kiss in real life, knowing pretty much exactly what he. wants to do and where he wants to be at any one point in his life/career. He also seems guarded and cautious, in a strange way, behind all the slick patter. Gene has got to be the most difficult member of Kiss to get to know—not that he’s not a lot of fun!

As far as what he looks like... Would you believe that he almost looks the same with his makeup off?! He has a dark complexion which almost duplicates in real life the black bat wings he paints over his eyes for the stage. His brown eyes are large, and has deep lines running beside his mouth down from the sides of his nose. His face is fairly broad, which is a difference from how he looks onstage. But his very dark hair is just as wild when he’s not playing the Bat-Lizard, and his voice is soft, deep, and sort of scary with its slight Hungarian accent—like he might jump up and eat you at any moment! Likewise, he fancies lucite bracelets and belt buckles with spiders imbedded in them offstage, and is tied with Paul as the tallest of Kiss for real, too.