The period between 1983 and 1995 marked a controversial shift for Kiss, as the band took off the makeup and tried to evolve with the changing rock landscape. While some fans saw it as a bold move, others felt the band was simply chasing musical trends.
In a candid interview on The Magnificent Others podcast with Billy Corgan, Kiss co-founder Paul Stanley looked back on the no-makeup years with both honesty and humor. Transcribed by UG:
“I mean, the clothes got ridiculous,” Stanley admitted. “We looked like we got dressed in the dark in a costume store, y’know? ‘What do you think my feather earrings?’ ‘Oh, good. Goes with your eye makeup!'”
Stanley’s self-awareness is refreshing. Rather than deny the flamboyance, he calls it out directly. But the motivation behind these choices, he explained, was rooted in a determination to keep the band alive.
“But it was a way for us to continue. And in a way, I wanted the band to continue. I wasn’t ready… nobody can tell me when this band is over.”
He then opened up about the hostile treatment he received from interviewers near the end of the makeup era, before the band’s 1983 image shift.
“I did do interviews with journalists towards the end of the makeup period, where there could be such vitriol that somebody has joy in making you squirm.”
Stanley recalled how, at a time when Kiss’s popularity was slipping, the media seemed eager to write their obituary.
“Probably angered by how long we had succeeded. So finally, the death knell: ‘How does it feel to be on the Titanic?’ It was kind of like, ‘I’m a human being. How, how could you say that?'”
Despite that, his resolve only grew stronger.
“All I could think was, ‘Nobody’s going to tell me when this ends. And watch this.’ And you have to have a reason to continue, and mine was that nobody gets to tell me when it’s over.”
Even though the no-makeup era was divisive, it gave birth to some of Kiss’s biggest anthems like “Crazy Crazy Nights,” “Forever,” “Lick It Up,” and “Heaven’s on Fire.” Stanley doesn’t disown that legacy but acknowledges it wasn’t all gold.
“There were certainly some missteps that I listen to now and go, ‘Gee.’ All I can say is that we committed ourselves 100% to everything we did, and believed that we were doing the best we could when we did things. And some of it is pretty awful.”
Still, despite the cringe-worthy fashion choices and mixed musical directions, the period showed the band’s resilience and refusal to bow out quietly. Kiss survived the glam wave, the grunge takeover, and all the noise in between—no makeup required.
