In a new interview with VRP Rocks, former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick shared his thoughts on the late drummer Eric Carr. He mentioned that Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley didn’t let Carr show his full talent.
“He’s so loved by the fans and he deserves every bit of it. He was somewhat tortured on his own thing but he was the most giving to the fans,” Kulick said of Carr. “He had more talent than Gene and Paul allowed him to do, which happens, but I know that Gene and Paul were very respectful of his musical contributions — his drumming, his vocals, and how he can contribute,” Kulick said.
He also recalled a song called ‘Little Caesar,’ a song connected to Carr. “I always carry him in my heart, I do, and I have a soft spot for him and the fans know that he had a real impact in those years. Another unusual thing was the fact that yes, he was in makeup for a little while and then of course I got to be with him without the makeup. That’s unusual obviously Vinnie [Vincent] for a hot minute was both, but it was just for a short period. Eric walked into ‘The Elder’ actually, which is really crazy. Then ‘Creatures of the Night’ wow, and ‘Lick It Up,’ wow. So at least he got to show what a drum sound everybody wants that right stuff like what ‘I Love it Loud’ sounds like and things like that.”
In 1991, Carr was diagnosed with heart cancer. While he was sick, KISS brought in Eric Singer to play drums for their album ‘Revenge.’ Although Carr wanted to work on the song ‘God Gave Rock and Roll to You II,’ he was too weak to play.
Stanley mentioned he tried to get Carr to focus on his health, but Carr was determined to help with the project. Carr passed away just days later.
Before his death, Carr expressed that he felt unsupported by his bandmates during his illness and called them bad guys. Stanley and Simmons learned about Carr’s feelings when his family did not welcome them at his funeral. However, they insisted that they never mistreated or excluded Carr.
