Makeup to Breakup: My Life in and Out of Kiss

Makeup to Breakup is Peter "Catman" Criss's unvarnished and eye-opening story of his journey as the founding drummer of KISS. It's the memoir of a Brooklyn kid, born in 1945, who conquered the world-composing and singing his band's biggest hit, "Beth" (1976)-and faced the perils of excess and his own mortality, including heavy drug abuse, near-suicides, two broken marriages, and a hard-won battle with breast cancer. Peter Criss was the heartbeat of KISS throughout the band's phenomenally successful run, from 1973 to 1979. From his perch behind the drums, he had the unique vantage point on the greatest rock 'n roll show of all time. There was the Demon, Gene Simmons, breathing fire, spewing blood and flicking out his abnormally long tongue while pounding his bass on one side of the stage. The Starchild, Paul Stanley, would be flying through the air when he wasn't slapping his ass and strutting across the stage in his seven-inch platform boots. And then there was Ace Frehley, the Spaceman, playing celestial guitar solos so hot that his axe literally caught fire. But Peter could also see a multitude of Catmen, Starchildren, Demons, and Spacemen in the audience, peering back up at him. They're known as the KISS Army. Makeup to Breakup is the book they've been waiting for.