Overall, KISS and Sell is a worthy read.
However, Lendt's fixation with using big words leaves one needing a thesaurus
to understand what he is often saying. It is almost as if he is trying
to accredit himself by speaking above his readers. I hold a degree
in English and I often had no idea what Lendt what was saying. The
average reader will undoubtedly find the same.
Lendt's other main downfall lies in the fact
that he tends to waiver from KISS. The seemingly endless pages about
Diana Ross and The Isley Brothers, for example, tended to lose me and I
skimmed them more than read them. And who really cares about Gene's
dalliances with Cher and Diana Ross enough to warrant nearly 30 pages of
text?! Because of Lendt's background in business rather than the
music industry, one can expect to find the book's emphasis placed accordingly.
Lendt does include a great many stories in
his book, some of which I at least have never heard. Because Lendt
was with the band so much for twelve years, he obviously has many stories
to relate that perhaps outsiders would not be able to offer. Unfortunately,
the majority of these tales deal with the corruption of a young group who
became obsessed--and eventually ruined by--their own fame and fortune.
Lendt's main revelation is the gross spending habits of the band members.
Who knew that such ignorance to money matters occurred within the band?
Lendt's take on the financial situation of the band is a new one and should
not be ignored by any true KISS fan. Gene's misogyny, buffonery,
and mogulling overshadows what many fans (including myself) believed to
be rumour for the most part. Ace's and Peter's reckless lifestyles
and eventual displeasure with being in the band have been previously documented
but are thoroughly threshed out here by Lendt. Paul's alleged jealousy
of Gene's movie "career" is one surprising note that I find difficult to
believe. Every other documented source, and even Gene, himself, gives
Paul credit for never losing site of his goal--to keep KISS together.
Paul's efforts in the 1980's, most notably during the Animalize, Asylum,
and Crazy Nights years, show a dedicated musician who refused to let the
dissolution of his band and its members get the better of him.
KISS and Sell effectively relates a
view of KISS that has not yet been explored. Instead of the fan-based
books that have previously been available, Lendt's telling of his years
with KISS gives his readers an interesting take on what the highs and lows
of the rock world are like. However, one has to question the credibility
of some of Lendt's stories. His memory of minute details, for example,
how many cigars Howard Marks held in his cigar case at a 1979 business
meeting, is endless--and apparently flawless. Perhaps he added some
of these details for dramatic effect but overall it takes away the reader's
faith in Lendt's stories. If Lendt had not paid as much attention
to this endless minutiae, his position could certainly hold greater credibility.
Unfortunately, I believe that Lendt's book will suffer at the hands of
the simultaneous release of Dale Sherman's Black Diamond which tells
the story of KISS from a fan's point of view, rather than that of an M.B.A..
General Rating: B+
KISS Fan rating: C+
Overall, KISS & Sell gets a rating
of a B-.
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