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Stanley Bert Eisen (born January 20, 1952), known professionally by his stage name Paul Stanley, is an American musician, singer, songwriter and painter best known for being the rhythm guitarist and singer of the rock band Kiss. He is the writer or co-writer of many of the band's highest-charting hits. Stanley established The Starchild character for his Kisspersona.
Hit Parader ranked him 18th on their list of Top 100 Metal Vocalists of All Time. Gibson.com Readers Poll also named him 13th on their list of Top 25 Frontmen.
Early life
Stanley Bert Eisen was born January 20, 1952, in upper Manhattan, near 211th Street and Broadway; the Inwood neighborhood near Inwood Hill Park. He was the second of two children, and born two years after his sister Julia. His mother came from a family that fled Nazi Germany to Amsterdam, Netherlands, and then to New York City. His father's parents were from Poland. Stanley was raised Jewish, although he did not consider his family very observant and did not celebrate his bar mitzvah. His parents listened to classical music and light opera; Stanley was greatly moved by Beethoven's works. His right ear was misshaped from a birth defect called microtia; he was unable to hear on that side, thus he found it difficult to determine the direction of a sound, and he could not understand speech in a noisy environment. Attending PS 98, he was taunted by other children for his deformed ear.
Stanley's family relocated to the Kew Gardens neighborhood in Queens in 1960. He listened to a lot of doo-wop music, but when the Beatles and the Rolling Stones played on U.S. television he was inspired by the performance aspect, which he thought was not out of his reach. Stanley received his first real guitar at age 13, an acoustic one that he would have preferred to be electric. He played tunes by Bob Dylan, the Byrds, the Lovin' Spoonful and more.
All through his childhood Stanley had been recognized for his talent at graphic arts, so he attended the High School of Music & Art in New York City and graduated in 1970. Despite his skill as a graphic artist, he abandoned that as a career, and instead played in bands.
Kiss
Before Kiss, Stanley was in a local band, Rainbow (not to be confused with Ritchie Blackmore's Rainbow) and was also a member of Uncle Joe and Post War Baby Boom. Through a mutual friend of Gene Simmons, Stanley joined Simmons' band Wicked Lester in the early 1970s. The band recorded an album in 1972, but it has not been officially released (although songs from the album appeared on Kiss's 2001 box set). Wicked Lester soon fell apart and Stanley and Simmons answered Peter Criss's advertisement in Rolling Stone (August 31, 1972): "Expd. Rock & Roll drummer looking for orig. grp. doing soft & hard music." Soon after recruiting Criss, they held auditions for a lead guitarist, with Stanley placing an ad in the Village Voice (December 14, 1972). Despite what Stanley, Criss, and Simmons admit was a shaky first impression, Ace Frehley won the group over both with his playing, which all admit was nearly a perfect fit to the group's sound, and with his style, showing up to the audition wearing Converse shoes in two different colors (one red, one orange). Kiss released their self-titled debut album in February 1974.
Stanley's persona in Kiss is "The Starchild" utilizing one star over his right eye. For a brief time, Stanley changed his make-up character to "The Bandit", with a "Lone Ranger" style mask design make-up pattern. This make-up design was only used during a few mid-1973 shows. "I even tried painting my face all red," he admitted. "I looked like a longhaired tomato! Before settling on the star, I'd just paint a black ring around my eye… Each of us wears something that reflects who we are. I always loved stars and always identified with them – so, when it came time to put something on my face, I knew it would be a star."
In his book Sex Money Kiss, Gene Simmons says that Stanley was the driving force for KISS during a period in the 1980s when the band decided to perform without makeup.
In 2006, Stanley resumed his association with Washburn Guitars and using the Washburn PS2000. Previously, he has had four signature guitars made by Silvertone, and tweaked the Ibanez Iceman to his specifications, calling it the PS10.
In 2007 (prior to the final show of the Hit 'N Run Tour on July 27), Stanley was hospitalized with tachycardia. In his absence, Kiss performed live as a trio for the first time in decades. The concert was the first Kiss performance Stanley missed.
In September 2007, Stanley took part in Rock 'n Roll Fantasy Camp as a guest star for his second time in New York City. In 2009 Stanley recorded 3 voice ads for the charity Kars4Kids. Stanley continues to tour with Kiss; the KISS 2010 The Hottest Show on Earth Tour (a continuation of the Sonic Boom Over Europe Tour which was itself a continuation of the Kiss Alive/35 World Tour) which started March 2010 and ended at Guadalajara, Mexico in October.
Solo career
Stanley has very rarely recorded or performed outside of Kiss. He wrote and recorded material for a solo album in 1987–88, which was shelved in favor of the Kiss compilation, Smashes, Thrashes & Hits. While never officially released, songs such as "Don't Let Go" and "When Two Hearts Collide" have circulated as bootleg recordings. One song from the project, "Time Traveler," was released as part of Kiss's 2001 box set.
In 1989, Stanley embarked on a brief club tour. His touring band included guitarist Bob Kulick and future Kiss drummer Eric Singer. The same year, Stanley sang lead on the title track for the soundtrack of the Wes Craven horror flick Shocker.
Twenty-eight years after releasing his first solo album (as part of the four simultaneously released Kiss solo albums), Stanley released a second album, Live to Win, on October 24, 2006. The title song of his solo album, "Live to Win", appeared on the South Park episode "Make Love, Not Warcraft". In October and November 2006, Stanley embarked on a theater tour in support of Live to Win. His touring band was the house band from the CBS TV show Rock Star, composed of Paul Mirkovich (keyboards), Jim McGorman (guitar), Rafael Moreira (lead guitar), Nate Morton (drums), and Sasha Krivtsov (bass). In April 2007, Stanley extended the tour to include Australia, playing in Coolangatta, Wollongong, Newcastle, Sydney, Melbourne, Perth and Adelaide. Portions of the tour were filmed for a documentary titled Paul Stanley: Live to Dream by the Chicago-based Film Foetus. The band's performance at the House of Blues in Chicago was captured on film and released in 2008 on DVD and digital audio download formats as One Live Kiss.
In 2008, Stanley sang a duet with Sarah Brightman, "I Will Be with You", on her Symphony album. In 2016, he guested in Ace Frehley's covers album Origins, Vol. 1, singing "Fire and Water" by Free.
Vocals
Stanley tends to sing in the high register of his vocal range. On Music From "The Elder" he experimented with falsetto ("Just a Boy", "The Oath").
Other projects
In 1999, Stanley starred in a Toronto production of The Phantom of the Opera, in which he played the role of the Phantom. He appeared in the musical from May 25 to August 1, and again that year from September 30 to October 31, 1999. Stanley made his debut as a painter in 2006, exhibiting and selling original works of art. Stanley collaborated with Boston-based power pop group Click Five on their hit single, "Angel To You (Devil To Me)". In the past, Stanley has been asked to produce albums for Poison but he was never able to commit due to his work on Kiss projects. However, Stanley did produce a debut album for an up-and-coming band called New England. The first single from that album in 1978 was called "Don't Ever Wanna Lose Ya" and went on to become a Top-40 hit in 1979.
In April 2014, Stanley published his memoir, Face the Music: A Life Exposed. In the memoir, Stanley, who is Jewish, accused former bandmates Ace Frehley and Peter Criss of anti-Semitism.
Personal life
In 2001, Stanley's first wife, actress Pamela Bowen, filed for divorce after nine years of marriage. They have one son, Evan Shane Stanley, born on June 6, 1994. On November 19, 2005, Stanley married longtime girlfriend Erin Sutton at the Ritz-Carlton, Huntington in Pasadena, California. They had their first child, Colin Michael Stanley, on September 6, 2006. The couple had their second child, Sarah Brianna, on January 28, 2009, in Los Angeles. On August 9, 2011, they had their third child, Emily Grace.
Stanley has had two hip-replacement surgeries: one after the "Rock the Nation" tour in October 2004, and a second in December 2004 after complications arose from the first surgery. He has announced that he will require a third hip surgery in the future. He regards the degeneration of his left hip as partly the product of thousands of shows performed in platform boots since the early 1970s.
In October 2011, Stanley had surgery on his vocal cords. He said, "I hold myself to a higher standard than others do. With that in mind, I wanted to remedy a few minor issues that come with 40 years of preaching rock 'n' roll."
Because of his birth defect microtia, Stanley is an ambassador for the charitable organization AboutFace, an organization that provides support and information to people with facial differences. He has appeared at fundraising events and in videos to raise awareness.
Tu cara me suena - Argentina (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Episode #3.10 (2015) - (writer: "Rock and Roll All Nite")
2015
Boomerang (writer: "I Was Made for Lovin' You")
2015
Scooby-Doo! And Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery (Video) (writer: "Rock and Roll All Nite", "Love Gun", "Shout It Out Loud", "I Was Made for Loving You", "Detroit Rock City", "Modern Day Delilah")
2015
Knock Knock (writer: "Detroit Rock City")
2014
Mike & Mike (TV Series) (writer - 2 episodes)
- Episode dated 19 November 2014 (2014) - (writer: "Shout It Out Loud")
- Episode dated 15 January 2014 (2014) - (writer: "Rock and Roll All Nite")
2014
Dancing with the Stars (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Party Night (2014) - (writer: "Rock and Roll All Nite" - uncredited)
2014
KISS: Detroit Rock City (Live in Jersey City, NJ) (Music Video) (writer: "Detroit Rock City")
2014
The Voice (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Live Show Final, Part 1 (2014) - (writer: "I Was Made for Lovin' You")
2014
Guapas (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Fobia a la magia (2014) - (writer: "I Was Made For Loving You" - uncredited)
2011
Atop the Fourth Wall (TV Series) (writer - 2 episodes)
- Bill and Ted's Excellent Comic Book #1 (2014) - (writer: "God Gave Rock and Roll to You II")
- KISS Comics (2011) - (writer: "God of Thunder", "I Was Made for Loving You", "Rock and Roll All Nite")
2014
The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Nicolas Cage/Emily VanCamp/Kiss (2014) - (writer: "King of the Night Time World")
2014
Dreamland (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Sinceridad (2014) - (writer: "I Was Made for Loving You")
2014
Duck Dynasty (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- From Duck 'til Dawn (2014) - (writer: "Rock And Roll All Nite" - uncredited)
2014
Born to Be Wild: The Golden Age of American Rock (TV Series documentary) (writer - 1 episode)
- Welcome to the Jungle (2014) - (writer: "Tears are Falling" - uncredited)
2014
Ping Pong Summer (writer: "Lick It Up")
2003
The Simpsons (TV Series) (writer - 2 episodes)
- Four Regrettings and a Funeral (2013) - (writer: "Detroit Rock City" - uncredited)
- Pray Anything (2003) - (writer: "I Was Made for Lovin' You" - uncredited)
2013
Taivaan tulet (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Full Metal Jacket (2013) - (writer: "I Was Made for Loving You")
2013
Bruce Nul: Le Film (Video short) (writer: "Flaming Youth")
2010
The Tonight Show with Jay Leno (TV Series) (writer - 5 episodes)
- Episode #21.136 (2013) - (writer: "Rock and Roll All Nite" - uncredited)
- Episode #21.57 (2012) - (writer: "Rock and Roll All Nite" - uncredited)
- Episode #20.84 (2012) - (writer: "Rock and Roll All Nite" - uncredited)
- Episode #19.210 (2011) - (writer: "Rock and Roll All Nite" - uncredited)
- Episode #18.88 (2010) - (writer: "Modern Day Delilah")
2013
Divorce (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Episode #1.8 (2013) - (writer: "I Was Made for Lovin' You")
2012
KISS: Detroit Rock City (Live on Letterman) (Music Video) (writer: "Detroit Rock City")
2012
MrTomcatCZ (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- (VLOG) MenT a Dogg - Velký swag (2012) - (writer: "Mám te rád jak svíckovou (I Was Made For Loving You)")
2009
Late Show with David Letterman (TV Series) (writer - 2 episodes)
- Episode #20.23 (2012) - (writer: "Hell or Hallelujah")
- Episode #1.10 (2005) - (writer: "C'mon And Love Me")
2009
Paul Blart: Mall Cop (writer: "Detroit Rock City")
2008
Paul Stanley: One Live Kiss (Video documentary) (writer: "Live to Win", "Hide Your Heart", "A Million to One", "Got to Choose", "Move On", "Bulletproof", "Tonight You Belong to Me", "Lick It Up", "Wouldn't You Like to Know Me", "Magic Touch", "I Still Love You", "Strutter", "Everytime I See You Around", "Do You Love Me", "I Want You", "Love Gun", "Lift", "Detroit Rock City", "Goodbye", "Where Angels Dare")
2008
Role Models (writer: "Love Gun", "Detroit Rock City", "Rock and Roll All Nite")
2008
KISS: Detroit Rock City (Live in Houston, TX) (Music Video) (writer: "Detroit Rock City")
2008
Ping-pongkingen (writer: "Heavens on Fire")
2008
Ugly Betty (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Odor in the Court (2008) - (writer: "Rock and Roll All Nite")
2008
KISS: I Stole You Love (Live in São Paulo, Brazil) (Music Video) (writer: "I Stole Your Love")
2007
Rock Band (Video Game) (writer: "Detroit Rock City")
2007
KISS: I Stole You Love (Live in New Jersey) (Music Video) (writer: "I Stole Your Love")
2007
Guitar Hero III: Legends of Rock (Video Game) (writer: "Rock and Roll All Night")
2007
The Singing Bee (TV Series) (writer - 2 episodes)
- Episode #1.4 (2007) - (writer: "I Was Made for Lovin' You")
- Episode #1.1 (2007) - (writer: "Rock and Roll All Night")
2007
Australian Idol (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Top 9 Performance: Acoustic (2007) - (writer: "I Was Made for Lovin' You")
2007
KISS: Detroit Rock City (Live at Madison Square Garden) (Music Video) (writer: "Detroit Rock City")
2007
Halloween (writer: "God of Thunder")
2007
KISS: I Stole You Love (Live in Houston, TX - Nite 2) (Music Video) (writer: "I Stole Your Love")
2007
Kissology: The Ultimate Kiss Collection Vol. 2 1978-1991 (Video documentary) (writer: "Firehouse", "God of Thunder", "I Want You", "Black Diamond", "I Stole Your Love", "Love Gun", "Tears Are Falling", "Shout It Out Loud", "Rock & Roll All Night", "Detroit Rock City", "King of the Night Time World", "Shandi", "I Was Made for Lovin' You", "Creatures of the Night")
2007
KISS: I Stole You Love (Live in Houston, TX - Nite 1) (Music Video) (writer: "I Stole Your Love")
2007
Deutschland sucht den Superstar (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Mottoshow #6 - Die größten Diven & Helden der Musik (2007) - (writer: "I Was Made for Lovin' You")
2006
Guitar Hero II (Video Game) (writer: "STRUTTER")
2006
Grand Theft Auto: Vice City Stories (Video Game) (writer: "Lick It Up" - uncredited)
2006
South Park (TV Series) (1 episode)
- Make Love, Not Warcraft (2006) - ("Live to Win")
2006
7th Inning Stretch (TV Movie documentary) (writer: "Rock And Roll All Nite")
2006
Air Guitar Nation (Documentary) (writer: "God Gave Rock and Roll to You II")
2005
Liebeskind (writer: "I Was Made for Lovin' You")
2005
Filthy Gorgeous: The Trannyshack Story (Documentary) (writer: "Do You Love Me")
2005
All Grown Up! (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Curse of Reptar (2005) - (writer: "Shout It Out Loud")
2005
Slovensko hladá SuperStar (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Tretí finále: 70-te roky/disco (2005) - (writer: "I Was Made for Lovin' You")
2004
Grand Theft Auto: San Andreas (Video Game) (writer: "Strutter" - uncredited)
2004
Karaoke Revolution Volume 2 (Video Game) ("Rock And Roll All Nite")
2003
Tony Hawk's Underground (Video Game) (writer: "God Of Thunder", "Lick It Up", "Rock 'N Roll All Night")
- A Scooby Doo Halloween (2003) - (writer: "Shout It Out Loud")
2002
MTV Video Music Awards Latinoamérica 2002 (TV Special) (writer: "Más / I Was Made for Lovin' You")
2002
Ash Wednesday (writer: "Shout It Out Loud")
2001
Rock Star (writer: "Lick It Up")
2001
Moulin Rouge! (writer: "Elephant Love Medley")
2000
Lucky Numbers ("Heaven's on Fire")
1999
WCW Monday Nitro (TV Series) (writer - 7 episodes)
- Episode #5.48 (2000) - (writer: "God of Thunder")
- Episode #5.47 (2000) - (writer: "God of Thunder")
- Episode #5.42 (2000) - (writer: "God of Thunder")
- Episode #5.39 (2000) - (writer: "God of Thunder")
- Valentine's Day 2000 (2000) - (writer: "God of Thunder")
- Tulsa Spelled Backwards (2000) - (writer: "God of Thunder")
- Kiss the Demon (1999) - (writer: "God of Thunder")
1999
Freaks and Geeks (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Beers and Weirs (1999) - (writer: "Do You Love Me?")
1999
Robert Zemeckis on Smoking, Drinking and Drugging in the 20th Century: In Pursuit of Happiness (TV Movie documentary) (writer: "Rock & Roll All Nite")
1999
Detroit Rock City (writer: "Rock and Roll All Nite" (Garage Version), "I Stole Your Love", "Love Gun", "Shout It Out Loud", "Strutter", "Detroit Rock City")
1999
The Sopranos (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Nobody Knows Anything (1999) - (writer: "Lick It Up")
1998
KISS Live: The Ultimate Halloween Party (TV Special) (writer: "Psycho Circus", "Shout It Out Loud", "Let Me Go, Rock N' Roll", "Do You Love Me", "Firehouse", "I Was Made for Lovin' You", "Love Gun", "100,000 Years", "King of the Night Time World", "God of Thunder", "Detroit Rock City", "Black Diamond", "Rock and Roll All Nite")
1998
Dharma & Greg (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Do You Want Fries with That? (1998) - (writer: "Rock and Roll All Nite" - uncredited)
1997
KaBlam! (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- KaBlam! James KaBlam! (1997) - (writer: "Rock and Roll All Nite")
1997
Action League Now!!: Rock-A-Big-Baby (Short) (music: "Rock and Roll All Nite")
1996
Lista Top 40 (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Episode #3.47 (1996) - (writer: "I Was Made for Lovin' You")
1995
Unplugged (TV Series documentary) (writer - 1 episode)
- Kiss (1995) - (writer: "Comin' Home", "Do You Love Me", "Got To Choose", "Sure Know Something", "A World Without Heroes", "Hard Luck Woman", "Rock Bottom", "I Still Love You", "Everytime I Look At You", "Heaven's On Fire", "Spit", "C'mon And Love Me", "God Of Thunder", "Rock And Roll All Nite")
1995
Beavis and Butt-Head (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Party (1995) - (writer: "Detroit Rock City")
1994
Full House (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- On the Road Again (1994) - (writer: "Rock and Roll All Night")
- 12 to the Moon (1994) - (writer: "Black Diamond")
1993
Dazed and Confused (writer: "Rock & Roll All Nite")
1991
Bill & Ted's Bogus Journey (writer: "God Gave Rock'n'Roll to You II")
1990
Bad Boy (writer: "I Was Made for Lovin' You")
1989
Shocker (writer: "Sword and Stone", "Shocker")
1987
Less Than Zero (writer: "Rock and Roll All Nite")
1986
Reform School Girls (writer: "It's My Life")
1986
Sex Violence & Values: Changing Images (TV Special) (writer: "Uh! All Night" - uncredited)
1985
Hittimittari (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Episode #2.1 (1985) - (writer: "Tears Are Falling")
1983
Aplauso (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Episode dated 1 January 1983 (1983) - (writer: "Creatures of the Night")
1982
Iltatähti (TV Series) (writer - 1 episode)
- Episode dated 23 January 1982 (1982) - (writer: "Rock and Roll All Nite")
1981
Endless Love (writer: "I Was Made for Lovin' You")
1980
Encore! (TV Special) (writer: "I Was Made for Loving You" - uncredited)
1979
KISS: I Was Made for Loving You (Music Video) (writer: "I Was Made for Lovin' You")
1978
Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park (TV Movie) (writer: "Rip and Destroy", "Rock 'n' Roll All Nite", "Shout It Out Loud", "Love in Chains", "I Stole Your Love", "Hold Me, Touch Me")
1976
The Paul Lynde Halloween Special (TV Special) (writer: "King of the Night Time World", "Detroit Rock City" - uncredited)
Writer
2018
I was made for loving you by Steve 'n' Seagulls (Music Video)
2016
KISS Audio Audiobooks (TV Mini Series) (2016) / (story)
1993
Kiss: Konfidential (Video documentary) (concept)
1987
KISS: eXposed (Video)
Producer
-
You Wanted the Best... You Got the Best: The Official Kiss Movie (Documentary) (executive producer)
2008
Paul Stanley: One Live Kiss (Video documentary) (producer)
1993
Kiss: I Love It Loud - Live (Music Video) (executive producer)
Thanks
2016
Hired Gun (Documentary) (special thanks)
2010
2001 Maniacs: Field of Screams (special thanks)
1987
The Return of Bruno (TV Movie) (special thanks)
Self
2008
Paul Stanley - Live to Dream (Video documentary short) (completed) as
Self
-
You Wanted the Best... You Got the Best: The Official Kiss Movie (Documentary) as
Self
1983
Entertainment Tonight (TV Series) as
Self
- Back-to-School Week - Day 3 (2023) - Self
- Episode #40.235 (2021) - Self
- Rock Video Violence (1983) - Self
2023
Ron Delsener Presents (Documentary) as
Self
2023
Lee Kerslake: Not on the Heep (Documentary) as
Self
2022
Howie Mandel Does Stuff Podcast (Podcast Series) as
Self - Guest
- Why Paul Stanley from KISS Will Never Write Another Song (2022) - Self - Guest