Kiss Are About 'Self-Empowerment,' Not Merchandise 'Schlock' Says Paul Stanley

Kiss have long been famous for their savvy approach to merchandise, with the prime example being the Kiss Kasket, an actual coffin emblazoned with the band's logo and graphics (and now there's even a Kiss cremation urn). So, with all that Kiss-related swag and marketing tie-ins, does guitarist Paul Stanley worry that the band name is branded on too much stuff?

Never.

"It's misleading because of the volume of things we have, that Kiss is just a schlock house," Stanley tells Spinner. "The truth of the matter is, we have pride in everything we do. At the core this is a rock 'n' roll band, but we don't put our name on anything that we don't believe in, or that the fans don't believe in.

"People sometimes say, why do you have things like Kiss sleeping bags? Because a fan asked for it. We're not great merchandisers -- we're great listeners. We give the fans what they want. If that's a crime, I'm ready for my trial."

As for what makes the Kiss brand endure like it does, Stanley explains his theory.

"Kiss is a timeless truth," he says. "It was true 100 years ago and it will be true 100 years from today. It's all about self-empowerment, it's about believing in yourself and believing that the only thing in the way of you and your dreams is hard work. We believe a great work ethic will pretty much get you wherever you want to go.

"Kiss will outlive me, for sure. What we've done is create a way of thinking, an ideal that hopefully will go on beyond me and the other guys in the band because the idea is bigger than any individual."

Kiss Perform 'Shout It Out Loud'

Follow @Spinner on Twitter | Like Us on Facebook | Sign Up for Our Newsletter

Download Kiss Songs | Buy Kiss Albums