KISS Guitarist TOMMY THAYER Defends His Right To Wear SPACEMAN Makeup

KISS's official web site has been updated with a new question-and-answer session with guitarist Tommy Thayer. It follows here in its entirety:

Q: Being a KISS fan yourself, what do you think of the "The Elder" album?

Tommy: "I was never a fan of 'The Elder'. To be honest, by the time 'Dynasty' and 'Unmasked' had came out I had lost interest in KISS. And then I was watching TV I guess around 1982 and I saw them on a late-night TV show called 'Fridays' playing 'The Oath' (from 'The Elder') and I thought, 'This is cool.' It was stripped down, Marshalls, black and silver outfits, raw and LIVE and ROCKIN'. The only downfall was they all had short hair, but that was OK, they were back on the right track! Next thing you know 'Creatures of the Night' comes out and that was great, I really like that album. It's funny, but in recent years I have a new appreciation for all of those late-'70s, early-'80s KISS albums."

Q: I know you've played many shows with KISS already but what do you think when you look around during a show and see Gene and Paul in makeup? It must be so strange to be up there playing with legends you grew up loving as fan?

Tommy: "Sure, there's something to that. When I was growing up in the early '70s, it was a magical time, my first concerts, learning to play guitar, discovering great bands like KISS and a slew of other great early-'70s hard rock, but that was over 30 years ago! A lot has happened since then. I've known Paul and Gene for over 20 years and a lot has transpired in those years. It's been a very gradual transition from the days of opening for KISS with my band BLACK 'N BLUE (in 1985) all the way up to being a member of KISS in 2006."

Q: Some fans will never accept you wearing Ace's makeup. What do you say to a fan who has that opinion?

Tommy: "If anybody else out there was asked to play guitar in KISS and wear the Spaceman makeup, but out of respect decided to decline the offer, I'd say you're the most dishonest person that ever walked the earth."

Q: What music do you listen to these days? What newer bands do you like?

Tommy: "Everything. I just downloaded about five days of music onto my iPod last week. New bands? How about AVENGED SEVENFOLD, they're gonna be huge."

Q: I read Peter said some negative things about you after the AEROSMITH tour was over. Do the comments bother you more as a KISS member or as his friend?

Tommy: "Peter's a great guy and I have nothing bad to say about him at all. My memories with Peter are all good, hanging out having fun, going out on the town for a great dinner. I remember a couple occasions, once in Montreal, one time in Prague and another in Paris checking out a fine French or Italian restaurant and doing some sight-seeing, shopping, having good times. So I was surprised what he said, but maybe he had a bad day or something. One rumor I want to dispel and set the record straight — I never got Peter spaghetti after a show, but many a night when we were heading back to the hotel, he asked me to call ahead and order him milk and cookies, which I did of course."