Bruce Kulick played with everyone from Meat Loaf to Michael Bolton before joining KISS in 1984. The native New Yorker, 70, was the shock rock band’s lead guitarist for more than a decade, leaving in 1996. But Kulick has said he harbors no resentment about his split from the band. In fact, he defended his former bandmates in a recent interview.
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Bruce Kulick: “This Stuff Is Hard”
KISS is among the best-selling bands of all time, with 30 Gold albums and 14 Platinum records. Still, the glam metal legends have faced their fair share of criticism across their staggering five-decade career. Notably, Carlos Santana once called KISS “Las Vegas entertainment,” sparking an unlikely feud with lead vocalist Gene Simmons.
Bruce Kulick staunchly defended his former bandmates in a July 2024 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock. The former lead guitarist pointed to the guitar solo in the band’s 1976 hit “Detroit Rock City” as an example.
“[Nobody] could play it better than those guys the way they performed it. So anyone that considers Kiss simple or easy music to play, they’re idiots. This stuff is hard,” Kulick said.
He continued, “It’s just that the band never got credit that way, and it always should. Gene never wants to brag about how good he is on bass and what a tremendous musician he actually is. That’s part of his schtick, I believe. I don’t buy it for a second.”
Kulick went on to call Simmons “unbelievably gifted” and KISS co-founder Paul Stanley “a tremendous rhythm player.”
[RELATED: Gene Simmons Performs with Former KISS Guitarist Bruce Kulick]
“These guys are really, really talented musicians,” he said. “The body of songs and the catalog that they created, I’m just thrilled to be part of it.”
Kulick Is Fine With Not Being Invited Back for KISS Reunion
In a recent interview, Bruce Kulick revealed that he was never invited to rejoin KISS in the early 2000s. Nor did the band contact him for their 2023 farewell End of the Road tour. However, Kulick says he has “made peace” with this.
The former lead guitarist was one of two KISS members to never wear makeup or costumes with the band. And Kulick says his return would have meant compromising that.
“I’m not disappointed they didn’t ask me to be in Kiss again,” he told Guitar World. “To be in Kiss again, I would have had to be the Spaceman, right? If I had done that, I would have negated my entire non-makeup era.”
Featured image by JLN Photography/Shutterstock
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