Bruce Kulick recently spoke with VRP Rocks, recalling about his time with KISS and discussing the challenges of writing songs with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.
“Yeah, I mean, [it was] always a bit of a strategy game in my mind,” the guitarist said. “You know, you realize it’s not only that you’re gonna generate money maybe forever on a KISS album, of course. I didn’t co-write ‘Forever.’ I wish I did. That was Michael Bolton. Little connection to me. But you know what I mean.”
He continued, “You write a song, it’s yours and then you can hand it down to your heirs. But for me, it was also just that excitement of having my name as a co-writer with these iconic rock stars who wrote so many hits.”
Playing with KISS from 1984 to 1996, Kulick first appeared on their 1985 album ‘Asylum.’ From his early writing sessions with Simmons and Stanley, he noticed their different approaches to music making.
“Paul had a way that he likes to work, and if he likes an idea, if he can make other parts his own or make that his own, he’s in full tilt. If you present him too much, he might not like it. ’Cause it doesn’t feel like his. And I respect that,” he shared.
“Gene, I could present everything. Maybe a title, and all the music, meaning all the chords, not necessarily all the melody and the lyrics, and he’ll jump right in. ‘Hell or High Water’ is a perfect example. [I] gave him the title and all the chords, and he was able to write the song. And Gene was more liberal about that.”
“Here’s another rub. This one is the crazy one,” Kulick added. “So, if I played it for Gene, and nothing happened with it, don’t play it for Paul. It’s not gonna work. Somehow, he’ll know, and he’s not gonna want to do it.”
Kulick played four KISS albums before getting replaced by original guitarist Ace Frehley. Though he didn’t rejoin the lineup after Frehley left again, he stayed involved through various projects.
He co-wrote ‘Dreamin’’ on 1998’s ‘Psycho Circus’ and played on its several tracks. He also performed on the KISS Kruise 2021, playing classics like ‘Tears Are Falling’ and ‘Heaven’s on Fire.’
