Face the Music: A Life Exposed

Paul Stanley

Apr 2014 · Harper Collins

About this eBook

The rock icon and co-founder of KISS recounts his turbulent life behind the face paint in this New York Times bestselling memoir.

With his onstage persona, the “Starchild”, Paul Stanley made rock & roll history—thrilling countless fans with hard rock anthems and elaborate stage shows. But his famous makeup hid a difficult life. In Face the Music, Stanley shares a gripping blend of personal revelations and gritty war stories about the highs and lows both inside and outside of KISS.

Born with a condition called microtia (an ear deformity rendering him deaf on the right side), Stanley's traumatic childhood experiences produced an inner drive to succeed in the most unlikely of places: music. Taking readers through the series of events that led to the founding of KISS, the personal relationships that helped shape his life, and the dynamics among his bandmates, this book leaves no one unscathed—including Stanley himself.

With never-before-seen photos and images throughout, Face the Music is a colorful portrait of a man and the band he helped create, define, and sustain—made larger than life in artfully told stories that are shocking, funny, inspirational, and honest.

Ratings and reviews

I really wanted to give this five stars, I grew up in the 70s and it's amazing and eye opening to read behind-the-scenes stories of kiss and how the band was created. I never knew! The writing unfortunately was somewhat pedestrian and seemed more of a catalogue of events rather than the story of his life. All told Paul is a good writer , I just wish it had been a little more informative. There were gaps in his life that were left unexplained

Eddie I:ve Been Kiss Fan For a Very Very Long Time They Are The Best Rock band They Dont Do Drugs Or anything When I saw Kiss Counters They are Always be my Heros These Mens Are Ace,Gene,Paul,Peter

Dreams were the concept of this book. A kid with a deformity from New York that made it big. Through hard work and self belief. Even with all the fame and money he still wasn't happy until his true loves came into his life...his family.

About the author

Paul Stanley is the frontman and rhythm guitarist for KISS, which he cofounded in New York City in 1973. He is the designer of numerous KISS album covers, costumes, and concert stages, in addition to writing many of KISS's most successful songs. With sales of more than one hundred million records worldwide, KISS sits atop the list of American bands, with the most gold-certified albums earned in history. Along with his bandmates, Stanley was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. A painter, with art sales reaching two million dollars; a solo musician; a musical stage performer; founding partner in Rock & Brews restaurants; and co-owner of the Arena Football League's L.A. KISS, Stanley is a committed and active supporter of various Wounded Warrior Project organizations. He lives in Los Angeles with his wife, Erin, and four children.