“I was never fired from Kiss – I was left behind for a wildly successful commercial venture. You don’t have to be an accountant to understand Paul and Gene”: Bruce Kulick shares war stories from Kiss’ no-makeup era – and the reunion that killed it

Bruce Kulick plays a blue Superstrat onstage with Kiss in 1984.

Kiss’s non-makeup era is often relegated to “persona non grata” status – at least for original-lineup diehards. But things were different for Kiss fans growing up without Ace Frehley – as they only knew Bruce Kulick. Of course, before Kulick, there was Vinnie Vincent, who some fans say “saved Kiss”. And then there was star-crossed shredder Mark St. John, who Kulick replaced.

But the truth is that despite Frehley’s iconic foundational licks, Vincent’s cult following and St. John’s… well, never mind about him… without Kulick holding down the fort as the lead guitarist of rock’s most bombastic band between 1984 and 1996, Kiss wouldn’t have had a house to bring down thereafter, let alone a non-makeup era to forsake.