Peter Criss Confronts His Impostor On The Phil Donahue Show

The drummer of Kiss, Peter Criss, “The Catman,” left the group in 1980. Although Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley presented his exit as essential to the band’s future, it felt more like they were throwing him out. This change was mirrored in the title and content of the band’s new album, Unmasked. Criss was still listed as the drummer, as he had been on Dynasty and their solo records, although at that time, Anton Fig had already taken Criss’s spot in the studio.

Criss struggled personally while Kiss went on. Rumors about his demise had already begun to circulate by the time he returned to California from New York, where he had gone to cope with the death of his mother.

The Tabloid Scandal

According to a startling 1991 piece in Star Magazine, Criss had turned into a homeless drinker who was sleeping in Santa Monica public restrooms and lived in filth. The newspaper also included a side-by-side comparison, showing the drummer wearing his trademark Kiss makeup in one picture and a disheveled man posing as Criss in another. Like wildfire, the controversy grew.

Criss was caught off guard. He recounted his incredulity in his memoir, Makeup to Breakup: My Life in and Out of Kiss. He wrote, “I was blown away.” “There was a picture of me wearing my Kiss makeup next to a picture of some jerk who was posing as me resting in the Santa Monica restrooms. I was enraged.

To correct the record, Criss filed a lawsuit against Star Magazine and was ready to do so. Criss had the ideal opportunity to deny the ludicrous allegations when his manager got an offer from The Phil Donahue Show around the same time.

Return to the Spotlight

Criss remained out of the spotlight for some time after his name was cleared. However, destiny had other ideas. Kiss surprised fans in 1995 when she announced a full reunion with Ace Frehley, Stanley, Simmons, and Criss from the original lineup. After the Kiss Reunion Tour was a huge success, the album Psycho Circus was released in 1998.

But tensions persisted despite the nostalgia. Criss contributed only to the single “Into the Void,” and Kevin Valentine performed drums for the remainder of the record without being given credit. When old problems reappeared, Criss and Kiss broke up once more.

Peter Criss, who fled, got dragged through the mud, and then clawed his way back, is still an indelible part of Kiss’s reputation, despite his difficult journey with the band.