Joe Rogan Experience #562 — Paul Stanley Transcript

Transcript

0:00 The Joe Rogan Experience. You want to take a shit on the floor over there? You put it now on Twitter? I was a tiny little kid when I first found out about KISS. I've been through the whole thing. Is that how you're doing it now? which I hoped would go on forever. will continue when i'm not here either yeah that's so gotta be a strange place to be where you and gene are both these super focused healthy non-drug using guys

4:28 So it really became very, very, very difficult. Yeah. uh in the original lineup of the band up until uh you know those guys departed the first time as opposed to falling back on, oh, you know, it's rock and roll. And at some point, it really doesn't matter. It's sort of the same kind of a mentality. some have to be more equal than others. It doesn't work like that.

9:02 been around the band and been in the band um i think, over 10 at this point. The key to a great band or any great situation so everybody really um it's all for one and one for all well you guys were one of the first bands that got really big doing live shows like And when I did hear one of your songs has been something that's been a long time coming.

11:59 came to get over but it didn't bother you at all that you guys weren't getting and to be slighted for success. That's a weird draw, isn't it? Well, somehow that validates your… what is it you think? I love, I love what I do. I love what I do. I wake up every day and go, There's no way to avoid that, right? How old are you now? I make music. you know it's uh it's great it's certainly not what i thought it would be um and that's that's

17:14 They had all these teen idols, and they just spoon-fed you and spoon-fed them songs. ferrari breaking down yeah that's hung my head yeah i'm sure the whole audience is going yeah Yeah, but you don't have to. you know if you go to my kid's school i'm there dropping them off you don't have a bunch of dudes But now here he is, this 20-year-old boy trying to manage essentially unmanageable fame.

20:23 And that was such a slick move. and every magazine has your photo on the cover Yeah, a posse. was a interesting it was an interesting dichotomy we can say well the very few people have ever had superstar who was essentially You take off the glasses and it's like, That's the beauty of fantasy and comic books. That's the beauty of fantasy and comic books.

23:15 We created alter egos that are ultimately much bigger than we are like, okay. Nobody ever said to us, you don't know how to act you you know you you should take some acting lessons and you might Yes, but it actually played internationally in theaters. But the path that you guys took really was a path that nobody had taken before. Well, now everyone's got a camera on their phone.

26:31 But it was just, it wasn't public knowledge. And it was pretty obvious by just the angle of the photograph like how You can call her my name, man. but do you could you uh when when you see this day and age, could you imagine if KISS had started off today, how different things would be? and taking it for free and calling it file sharing is like me store if you're going to barnes and noble or someplace and steal a book that's blatantly and

30:44 They're not getting it through but album sales so that's that's true and that's a problem but problem, but it doesn't change the truth. We're going to take you to court. You can't put milk back in a bottle, spilled milk. I'm not not diminishing it in any way shape or form sends me something or uh you know someone sends me a YouTube link to a song, that I haven't heard in a long time, I buy it.

34:26 Well, you were saying, is it possible to meet in the middle? it how is it different than like listening to the radio i mean a lot of people found out about you And I would go buy their album. Yeah, that's wrong. But file sharing, they're not, right? Well, they got nothing. I thought they made some money off of that. No. That's very true. I'm like, you just pulled up in a Range Rover, you in you did your yoga class and you just left you know but i come

38:50 Sure. Of course he's stealing. Circumstances don't change. Don't change morality. Circumstances I could send you a copy of something, and it just takes five seconds. I'm going to give you this copy for free. Perhaps if it was one. You don't need money. But being broke as fuck will make you sad. now and i'm still unhappy what What's going wrong? So I

42:26 where most of my life I was day-to-day, bill-to-bill, The great thing about having that is finding out whether or not you truly are happy. became successful only to find out that it didn't change anything. And then the struggle becomes, Sure, absolutely. Your motivation became instead of just get love, just get all this love and get all this fame and then I'll feel happy.

46:02 Yeah. I loved music. sense danger and we we we know more than we think we know and then we intellectualize too much. And I took a bus to the subway, took a few subways and walked in there. If you put on some ridiculous shirt with a monkey holding dumbbells or something. And at some point you don't even know who you spectacular um but happiness ultimately comes from the most simple things, interaction with people, great friends, family, and inner contentment.

50:31 Incredible extremes. It's idiotic for me to, I never spent a day, a week, I've never spent a minute in your shoes. this guy's never had a hard day in his life. Dun, dun, dun, dun, dun. hit people and push them away, but it's not until you're willing to open up your hand. Yeah, I agree with that. Would giving them some money or giving them some food really change your life any? Maybe it'll

54:11 For me, the epiphany came when I realized that I could write a book that my children would benefit from when they were old enough. We feel much more secure and bonded when we share what we have in common. because addiction is well documented. I'm a husband. don't want to go home i i get it they won't don't want to go home because they have nothing they

57:52 they feel like somehow or another this will be either used against them or it'll diminish the published appreciation. and still you feel like crap i recommend figure out what you what you need to feel good about doctor's office how long was it because this is before what time when how old were you when you I don't know that it changed my life initially, but it changed.

1:00:35 I want to lose that stomach. You know, there's all kinds of poisons out there. then all of a sudden it's all coming at you and you're like whoa i don't think my fucking Well, so I hear. struggles that I had, I could see that I was lightening the load for somebody else. You know, looking to be validated. He just wants to be heard. And if you minimize what he's saying,

1:05:01 And the word I hear from people is they're inspired by it. And look, I saw in my neighborhood, kids were doing acid and getting put in the booby hatch. guy like you? Because I would think that you would have to have some sort of perspective. You show up. I drove by your house the other day. or any rock star or what have you. I think having a strong sense of self

1:08:22 than other people. And um whatever issues we have You don't think that people can read a self-help book and be inspired and maybe perhaps That's a good question. talk about things and and um talk about relationships or what you know somebody you're going out with it's like learning to walk again. it may deal with what is going on in the present, but ultimately it's got to get to the core because you can't change things unless

1:12:59 I think when you're still in the midst of it, you don't want to divulge certain things because it's not only inappropriate, but it can come back to be used against you. Once you start sharing your vulnerabilities and you're still vulnerable, then people can use them. I'm really talking about the past. like okay this is all we're on the roller coaster click click click click click did you start

1:14:47 isn't a Svengali. They're not going to, they're not a puppet master, but in an appropriate time in your life, go as often as you feel you need to. The issue would be if you did that your whole were so self-indulgent when they were talking about their therapy i'm like this is just giving generalization that's just my experience with because i don't want everybody calling me up

1:16:57 I remember going to a party at Lee Strasberg's house, And it's like they... believe that you have to be miserable outside of being on stage in order to create and that your I've met a lot. you know, happiness is probably being rude or at least being shocking in a way at least i thought that i was like i i can't be I was singing about getting laid. Yeah.

1:21:05 it was all worth having but it wasn't all worth keeping so what you thought it would be before don't do any of that i go i go sometimes once i if i can i go once a week once a week yeah as i said or doctors, when we put anybody on a pedestal, we're on dangerous ground. These are just people. Can you hook him up? You know, it's like when somebody says, wow, you know, so-and-so is missing out

1:24:20 That's right. Because I used to resent that when I was single, and people would talk to me about, oh, you you need to have kids in your life. Right. contentment, whether it's in an orange robe or underneath an orange robe with a blonde. it means the same thing as if you said it if somebody says i love you don't for a minute think that they define love the same way

1:26:51 And also everyone has their own sort of internal definitions of things. Yeah. the the greatest advances often come from the the lowest lows like to to realize like okay Everybody has dealt with failure, and the person who fails ultimately is the one who didn't continue on. And you have to live with it. I saw some very interesting scenery and then I got back on the freeway.

1:30:18 I didn't even know a relationship like this existed. I mean, I know beyond any doubt this is where I'll be for the rest of my life. You're putting on albums. Like a girl gets in there, like there's always like, whether it's a lead singer or lead guitarist, That is sacred ground. Even, even wives. Nope. That's, you know, that is, that's where we live. You got to have

1:33:16 Knock on the door. Trust me. I mean, you were gigantic with the makeup. And taking off the makeup was like taking a bucket of cold water in the face. That being said, we were selling, we were platinum from Lick It Up on. and worked our way back now everybody's like oh i loved it i it. You know, I craved it. So with or without makeup, so we we uh we were more in touch with ourselves so So after 13 years, I remember thinking,

1:38:39 and went through a whole lot of song and dance and a whole lot of dating so to speak and you know um ultimately honestly i i think we were so miserable. And I realized that really what the farewell tour was, was saying farewell to those guys again. and you know not it's a different time in my life a different person and uh Kevin James, you know Kevin James from King of Queens?

1:41:39 And we were just going crazy You know, look, it's like I will try to save anybody who's drowning until they start pulling me under. But it starts with you and who you are. anything without a great foundation whether it's your personality in your life or a band It was so volatile. was a slow, gradual thing with a conscious effort. came to the surface but that was one that was not negotiable and did you think that it could

1:45:47 um as someone who who is paid and salaried now mind you once again when when uh rejoining the But once again there was more i mean completely unlike you know if somebody was just saying that this morning um but we're I mean, there's been times certainly where we weren't getting along very well at all speaking to each other well i mean more or less not speaking to each other right disliking each

1:48:26 You want more, go get a family. you're an iconic rock figure but you're very down to earth and very centered very do you meditate And being loved. And therapy and even pursuing it was sort of obviously because of that, because of this thinking. want you could pay whatever you want but you had to pay something sold uh special copies of it they As soon as it went on BitTorrent

1:50:50 Just kidding. I'm going to be watching that. The Joint's a good venue, too. and has a you know about 3500 fans from 33 countries around the world So we do that and then we do the Vegas residency. So that's where you got the dudes with the earpieces. And four years into it, I mean, my family comes. and he wrote a book on forensic science. Wow. I think it's so cool because I always go,

1:53:57 But you can still see me buying groceries. So how many nights a week are you guys doing it? Oh, you fly home. look at him sideways when he tells me that like hmm did you see um um Tim's Vermeer movie he did It won an Academy Award, I think, last year or the year before. It's a documentary, but fascinating. All those things you would think He's a very unique dude.

1:56:45 They get through the Hard Rock? That is what you do. Thank you very much.