KISS Guitarist TOMMY THAYER Talks About Jamming With AEROSMITH's JOE PERRY

KISS' official web site has posted the following brief question-and-answer session with current KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer:

Q: What was the toughest KISS song for you to master on guitar?

Tommy: "Most KISS songs come fairly easy because believe it or not I've been playing them in one form or another for almost thirty years since I began playing guitar. The KISS song that stands out today as the most challenging to play is 'God Gave Rock & Roll To You II', hands down. The arrangement and chord changes are more complex than any other song we play and the other guys would probably agree with that."

Q: What KISS song has this lineup never played that if it were up to you, you would add?

Tommy: "For some reason I've always liked 'All Hell's Breakin' Loose', but nobody else seems to want to do it."

Q: When you were playing Portland for the first time with KISS, returning to your hometown where you saw KISS play live back in the '70s. What was going through your mind standing on the stage and you’re now a member of the band?

Tommy: "Well, that kind of thing doesn't happen to too many people; it was an awesome experience. It was special to me personally as well as my family who were attending the show. Coincidentally, it was my mom's 80th birthday and it was a night she won't soon forget either, particularly when Paul [Stanley] announced her birthday to 15,000 screaming KISS lunatics."

Q: KISS has never jammed with anyone onstage until Joe Perry of AEROSMITH. Why did that unwritten rule change for Joe?

Tommy: "Joe has always been a big supporter of KISS and since the 'Reunion' tour in 1996 you would see Joe and his family at most all of our Boston shows. My understanding was that Joe had expressed an interest in putting on on a pair KISS boots and joining us onstage. It is a seemingly unheard of occasion for anyone to jam onstage with KISS, but Joe Perry was the exception. Joe had mentioned to Paul that 'Strutter' had always been one of his favorite KISS songs, so it was a natural to do that one. Toward the end of the 2003 'World Domination' tour both bands were at the same hotel in Chicago. Our last night in Chicago was an evening off so Joe invited my girlfriend and I out for some Japanese food and after dinner we went back to his hotel suite where he had a couple guitars and small amps readied for a short practice session. I showed Joe the chord changes to 'Strutter' and we had a great time running it down several times to get it tight. The next night's show was in Oklahoma City and I remember standing side stage getting ready to go on for our encore and I turned and saw Joe standing next to me in seven-inch platforms looking very KISS. We went on and the crowd went crazy and it rocked. As a matter of fact it was so much fun that we did a repeat performance at our next show at the Forum in Los Angeles."