Paul Stanley using the star makeup live for the first time

On 26. May, 1973, Paul Stanley used his star makeup for the very first time (confirmed by Lyn Christopher) while playing with Kiss for 200 people at the Free Library Benefit at Snedens Landing in Palisades, New York. The Starchild idea came as a suggestion from Ace Frehley, as Paul was the last member to find his iconic style. During the previous eight concerts, he had experimented with whiteface, as well as using only red or black eye shadow. As he says in his biography: “Then I tried a ring around my eye like Petey the dog in the Little Rascals.” Later he also tried bandit-style makeup because Neil Bogart thought the star makeup looked effeminate and not masculine enough.

Top photo is of Paul Stanley using his star makeup the second time on 1. June, 1973, at the 54 Bleecker Street Loft, New York City, NY. Photo by Lydia Criss.

Unfortunately there are no photos from the May 26th event. The only known photo that was taken that day was by Lyn Christopher of Paul Stanley on a carousel horse outside the library with a Polaroid camera.

Paul Stanley:
“The makeup was always basically the same, but what was on my eye kept changing. Ace thought of the star, and it fit, because when I was a kid, I loved drawing stars.”
– “Kiss Behind The Mask: The Official Authorized Biography” by Ken Sharp & David Leaf.

Paul Stanley:
“Somehow, wearing white face paint went hand-in-hand with our new outfits. Together in our loft on 23rd Street, we all sat around looking at a mirror on the back of the door. We had no idea how to apply makeup. It was as if we were possessed, just smearing makeup on, wiping it off, trying different things.
First I tried out red makeup. Then I tried a ring around my eye like Petey the dog in the Little Rascals. But stars had always fascinated me, and now, of course, I also intended to be the frontman of the band, the focal point onstage. No longer would I be the awkward kid, the outcast. I would be the Starchild.
I painted a star around my right eye. It was hard work trying to draw a two-dimensional symbol on a three-dimensional object — my face. It looked one way from the front and another from the side. I was tired by the time I finally created one good star. I didn’t want to struggle through painting another one on the left side. Done.

We never sat down and articulated the “why” behind the makeup. We had no real understanding of why. We just wanted to go further than others had, to become a band the likes of which we ourselves had never seen. The makeup allowed us to embody all the qualities of the English bands I idolized; it presented a cohesive look, a united feel, and at the same time offered the possibility of distinct personalities.”
– “Face the music: A Life Exposed” by Paul Stanley.

Lyn Christopher:
“Before they got into their costumes and makeup, they were spending time at the party mingling with us. My sister Roseanne was dancing with Paul and I was dancing with Gene. Then they left to get ready for the show, and when they came out I pointed at Paul, who was now wearing makeup and a costume, and said nonchalantly to my sister, “That’s the guy you were just dancing with.” And she said with great surprise in her voice, “That’s Paul?” She couldn’t put it together in her mind; it was just too surreal [laughs].”
– “Kiss Behind The Mask: The Official Authorized Biography” by Ken Sharp & David Leaf.

Ron Johnsen:
“I was living in a neighborhood in Rockland County that sponsored a charity for a local library. It was in the Palisades, New York right across the river from Dobbs Ferry where my wife and I were living. The entertainment chairman asked me if I could get them some entertainment for the party. I was working with a bunch of groups and one of them was KISS. On party night [May 26, 1973] I had three bands. And KISS was one of those. They hung out in my house and we helped them put on their makeup. They went onstage and they were just outrageous. There were a bunch of older, middle-aged people there and it was shock to their system to hear KISS.”
– “Kiss Behind The Mask: The Official Authorized Biography” by Ken Sharp & David Leaf.