On 31. August 1972, after the demise of his band Lips, Peter Criss posts an ad in The Rolling Stone Magazine looking for work as a drummer for a band.
“EXPD. ROCK & roll drummer looking for orig. grp. doing soft & hard music. Peter, Brooklyn.”
The advertisement was answered by Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons, who were looking for new members for their band.
Kisstory:
“We saw an ad that said, ‘Drummer with 11 years experience, willing to do anything,” remembers Gene. “So I called this guy at his house, introduced myself and told him we were putting a band together. The first thing I asked him was what he looked like, and he said, ‘What do I look like? Are you kidding?’ I said, ‘Well, you not only have to be the right musician, but you also have to look a certain way.’ He must have been in the middle of a party because every time I asked him a question, like ‘Are you fat? Are you skinny? Do you have a beard or mustache?,’ he would go, ‘Hey, the guy wants to know if I’m fat!’ in that Italian ‘yo-Adrian’ voice of his. And I can hear everyone with him laughing. But it must have attracted him, because he agreed to meet us at Electric Lady.”
The next day, outside the studio, Gene and Paul waited to meet their prospective new drummer a man named Peter Crisscoula. Amidst the crowd of people shuffling down 8th Street, they noticed a short, stocky fellow with shaggy long hair, dressed to the hilt in flashy rock n’ roll regalia — and oozing enough cool to freeze hell. Assuming it was him, Gene and Paul readied themselves for the big introduction only to watch, stunned, as he strut right past them and into the studio.
“He looked like a rock star, and Paul and I were just two kids that looked like hippies,” says Gene. “When he came back out, we talked, and he invited us to come see his band at the King’s Lounge in Brooklyn. Paul and I went to this club, which was like a hangout for ‘the boys’ — you know, we thought we were gonna come out of that place in coffins. The guys are like ‘Hey, you, you got long hair get over here.’ That sort of thing. The band Peter was in was a trio, and they were horrible. At one point, Peter sang some soul song- and Paul and I were very impressed with his raspy, professional-sounding voice. So we offered him a try-out.”
“The first time we played with Peter, it didn’t sound too good,” adds Paul. “But something made us try it again, and it sounded much better the second time. It was pretty clear at this point that this was going to work.”
– “Kisstory I”
Lew Linet:
“After they auditioned Peter Criss for the first time, I asked Peter to give me a ride home because he had a little car and lived in Brooklyn, and I lived uptown. So we got in the car and Peter turned to me and said, ‘What do you think?’ And I said, ‘I think you’re an excellent drummer, I’d like to see you in this band.’ All of a sudden, Peter started to cry and said, ‘You know Lew’ – and I’ll never forget this for as long as I live ‘I’ve been playing in Brooklyn toilets for so many years and this is my last audition. If I don’t get this gig, I’m going to sell my drums and I’ll never play music again.’ He was in tears, asking me to please make it happen for him. But he got the gig on his own.”
– “Kisstory I”
Gene Simmons:
“One afternoon I run across an ad in Rolling Stone Magazine that said “Drummer available – Will do anything.” I called the guy on the telephone, and even though he was in the middle of a party, he took my call. I introduced myself and said we were starting a band and that the band was looking for a drummer, and was he willing to do anything to make it? He says that he was, right away.
The drummer started to sing, and this Wilson Pickett-style voice came out of him. Paul and I said, ‘That’s it, that’s our drummer.’ His name was Peter Criscuola.”
– “Kiss And Make-Up” by Gene Simmons.
