Bruce Kulick mirrored on his departure from Kiss in a new Guitar World interview and mentioned he was positive with not being invited again into the fold within the early 2000s, because the circumstances of his return would have invalidated his tenure with the band.
Kulick performed in Kiss from 1984 to 1996, holding down lead guitar duties for a lot of their non-makeup period and serving to them climate the grunge storm within the early ’90s. He ceded his place to Ace Frehley when the unique lineup reunited and reapplied the make-up, however after Frehley left a second time in 2002, Kiss recruited Tommy Thayer as an alternative of giving Kulick a name.
Contemplating the function Thayer crammed in Kiss over the previous 20-odd years, that is positive with Kulick.
“I am not upset they did not ask me to be in Kiss once more,” Kulick mentioned. “To be in Kiss once more, I’d have needed to be the Spaceman, proper? If I had carried out that, I’d have negated my whole non-makeup period.”
READ MORE: Kiss Solo Albums Ranked Worst to Finest
Bruce Kulick Has ‘Made Peace’ With Kiss Farewell Tour Snub
Kulick was additionally notably absent from Kiss’ Finish of the Highway farewell tour, not even showing in the course of the band’s ultimate two reveals at Madison Sq. Backyard in December 2023. Though he believes his former bandmates “dropped the ball” with their goodbye extravaganza, he would not have wished to take part with out receiving an invite anyway.
“I’ve made peace with not being included in Kiss’ Finish of the Highway,” he advised Guitar World. “That mentioned, no, they by no means referred to as me.”
He continued: “I’ve at all times missed being in Kiss, but when being in Kiss meant being the Spaceman like Tommy, I would not need to do it. And if being part of the ultimate reveals meant I needed to ask to be there, I might reasonably keep house. I assume that is why Ace respects me and has at all times been sort to me.”
Kulick did spare some sort phrases for Thayer — which is greater than will be mentioned for Frehley, who claimed earlier this yr that he might “undoubtedly blow Tommy Thayer off the stage” and that his successor “cannot duplicate” his approach. “Tommy Thayer did a positive job taking part in Ace’s riffs with some swagger,” Kulick mentioned. “He did the Spaceman nicely, however I by no means wished to.”
Kiss Lineup Adjustments: A Full Information
An in-depth information to the entire personnel adjustments undergone by the “hottest band within the land,” Kiss.
Gallery Credit score: Jeff Giles
