Rating: 
Summary: Unflinching Look at showBUSINESS!
Review: **This is an updated and edited review** The author pulls no punches in describing KISS's up-and-down financial turmoils during their storied career. Very meticulously detailed, it certainly sounds credible. Chris Lendt spent the better part of 12 years as an employee (of sorts) of the KISS organization -- he was a highly placed employee of one of the business firms that managed the band's financial affairs. Lendt even tosses in a few road stories of his own -- part of the perks of touring with the biggest band in the world. It reads as if you are standing backstage or offstage during a KISS tour, and like you are sitting in the boardroom with them during meetings. Lendt takes you inside the organization and lets you inspect it, warts and all. Absolutely fascinating!! You don't have to be a KISS fan to enjoy this book, but if you are already a fan then this book will be an indispensible part of your collection. Read about the minutae, the tiniest of the thousands upon thousands of details of life with a touring rock band. Follow the author and KISS as they skyrocket from hard-working club band to the previously-unexplored heights of international superstardom, and all the pitfalls, trappings and ego stroking that goes with it.
Kiss had some great years when they were raking in obscene amounts of money. But as Lendt points out in lavish detail, the money went out as quickly as it came in. The Kiss tours were often financial black holes, due either to the outrageous...production costs of touring their larger-than-life stage show, several tours where the ticket buyers stayed home, shady promoters stiffing them out of their guarantees and gate receipts, or a combination of the three. Gene and Paul knew all along that in rock and roll, image is everything. They had to always live and spend like kings to maintain the public image that their reputation as rock and roll gods was built on. But when the lean years set in, and there were plenty of them, their spending habits came back to haunt them over and over and over again. Lesser bands would have packed up their tents and called it a day, but Gene and Paul refused. So they took their financial lumps again and again. The Reunion Tour of 1996-1997 may well have been the only thing to keep them off food stamps in their retirement years.
Chris Lendt's book gives a far more honest look at the inner workings of the "business of KISS" than any other source I've seen or heard of. Peter Criss was essentially paid to leave the band. Ace Frehley's departure was unfortunately timed for KISS, as it left them in such a precarious position with their new record company contract that the whole thing could have collapsed on them and left them penniless and in debt for heaven knows how long. South American and Mexican promoters dangled big payday carrots in front of them so rich that KISS couldn't afford to turn them down, at a time when the band's financial situation was extremely dire, only to have the deals collapse time after time in spectacular fashion. KISS spent years playing to half-filled houses, releasing poor-performing records, and still pouring untold [amount] into touring to maintain the public image of what was termed in-house as SuperKiss. Kiss was borrowing money from any source they could, leveraging themselves to the hilt, all the while shutting their ears to the more practical financial advice that came from their business managers. Kiss had become a cautionary tale. Chris Lendt saw his ties to KISS rather unceremoniously severed when the band fired their business managers (Lendt's employers) over a decade ago. But Lendt appears to carry no grudges. He always spoke lovingly of the band members and of his 12 year association with the group, even after being dismissed. Lendt's unique "insider" position makes for a fascinating education about the business of show business!
Rating:
Summary: Behind the music
Review: A KISS-Fan for now over 22 years, this book is a must-have
for me and should be for every real KISS-Fan. It's amusement,shocking and fascinating what is REALLY going
on "Behind the music" of this four excentric musicians.
And it's any minute worth the reading.
Rating: 
Summary: Not complete, but very interesting
Review: A very good book - from the ultimate insider's vantage point. Lendt - working for Kiss' business managers, tells about the 12 years (1976-88) he spent with the band. Kiss and Sell is full of stories, both funny and tragic, and is a great look at a band that defined an era. However, Lendt seems a bit hamstrung (most likely having signed confidentiality agreements) - not touching on "sensitive" areas (costumed roadies substituting for Peter Criss onstage, studio musicians playing on Kiss records, ALIVE II being recorded at a soundstage w/o an audience, etc) and his disdain for Paul Stanley is obvious. Although slightly top-heavy on the business end of things (which to be honest, is FASCINATING!), this is a good read and highly recommended, not only for a Kiss fan, but for anybody who wants the backstage viewpoint of the rise and fall of a major hard rock band.
Rating:
Summary: Lendt tries to impress us with big words; good material.
Review: All in all, KISS & Sell is a good book. My only complaint, however, is the seemingly endless chapters that chronicle the non-KISS experiences that Lendt faced. Why does he drone on about the Isley Brothers? And who really cares about Gene's dalliances with Cher and Diana Ross enough to warrant nearly 30 pages of text?! Sure its part of "KISStory" but Lendt's editor should have recognized that such material could have been greatly trimmed for content. There are many interesting stories that Lendt brings to light such as Gene's mogulling, Peter's manic behavior, Ace's extravagant recording studio, and Paul's perseverance in keeping the band together. He also reveals the gross spending habits of the band members. Who knew that such ignorance to money matters occurred within the band? Lendt's take on the financial situation of the band is a new one and should not be ignored by any true KISS fan; however, Lendt's obvious reliance on a Roget's thesaurus may distract some readers from enjoying an interesting read--I am a university graduate with an English degree and I frequently had no idea what Lendt was saying because of the big words he uses. Also, one has to question the credibility of some of Lendt's stories. His memory of minute details, for example, how many cigars Howard Marks held in his cigar case at a 1979 business meeting, is endless--and apparently flawless. Perhaps he added some of these details for dramatic effect but overall it takes away the reader's faith in Lendt's stories. If Lendt had not paid as much attention to this endless minutiae, his position could certainly hold greater credibility.
Rating:
Summary: Lendt tries to impress us with big words; good material.
Review: All in all, KISS & Sell is a good book. My only complaint, however, is the seemingly endless chapters that chronicle the non-KISS experiences that Lendt faced. Why does he drone on about the Isley Brothers? And who really cares about Gene's dalliances with Cher and Diana Ross enough to warrant nearly 30 pages of text?! Sure its part of "KISStory" but Lendt's editor should have recognized that such material could have been greatly trimmed for content. There are many interesting stories that Lendt brings to light such as Gene's mogulling, Peter's manic behavior, Ace's extravagant recording studio, and Paul's perseverance in keeping the band together. He also reveals the gross spending habits of the band members. Who knew that such ignorance to money matters occurred within the band? Lendt's take on the financial situation of the band is a new one and should not be ignored by any true KISS fan; however, Lendt's obvious reliance on a Roget's thesaurus may distract some readers from enjoying an interesting read--I am a university graduate with an English degree and I frequently had no idea what Lendt was saying because of the big words he uses. Also, one has to question the credibility of some of Lendt's stories. His memory of minute details, for example, how many cigars Howard Marks held in his cigar case at a 1979 business meeting, is endless--and apparently flawless. Perhaps he added some of these details for dramatic effect but overall it takes away the reader's faith in Lendt's stories. If Lendt had not paid as much attention to this endless minutiae, his position could certainly hold greater credibility.
Rating:
Summary: "Kiss and Sell" is a MUST for past or present KISS fans.
Review: An amusing, lively, and not all-together complimentary look at the rise and fall of the rock band that helped define the American music scene for a generation.
As a former business manager for KISS, author C.K. Lendt presents an entirely credible recollection of the dizzying amounts of money earned, then lost by the band. Long time fans will find Lendt's book filled with confirmation of oft-told stories of the group's sometimes lurid personal excesses; but perhaps more interesting is the author's observation of the varying degrees of insecurity and self doubt that plagued certain members of KISS during the course of their meteoric rise.
Though well pace and skillfully written, "KISS and Sell" is likely to appeal only to die hard devotees of the band. It's major flaw is a baffling detour (of over a dozen pages) to the author's memories of handling the business affairs of Diana Ross, a former romantic interest of KISS bassist Gene Simmons. Other celebrity ladyfriends are given much more digestible page allotments. A few more behind the scenes photos of the band in its heydey would also have been appreciated.
In the end, C.K. Lendt manages to tell a story that keeps the reader engaged and entertained, and waxes just nostalgic enough. It's a solid read.
Rating:
Summary: "Kiss and Sell" is a MUST for past or present KISS fans.
Review: An amusing, lively, and not all-together complimentary look at the rise and fall of the rock band that helped define the American music scene for a generation. As a former business manager for KISS, author C.K. Lendt presents an entirely credible recollection of the dizzying amounts of money earned, then lost by the band. Long time fans will find Lendt's book filled with confirmation of oft-told stories of the group's sometimes lurid personal excesses; but perhaps more interesting is the author's observation of the varying degrees of insecurity and self doubt that plagued certain members of KISS during the course of their meteoric rise. Though well pace and skillfully written, "KISS and Sell" is likely to appeal only to die hard devotees of the band. It's major flaw is a baffling detour (of over a dozen pages) to the author's memories of handling the business affairs of Diana Ross, a former romantic interest of KISS bassist Gene Simmons. Other celebrity ladyfriends are given much more digestible page allotments. A few more behind the scenes photos of the band in its heydey would also have been appreciated. In the end, C.K. Lendt manages to tell a story that keeps the reader engaged and entertained, and waxes just nostalgic enough. It's a solid read.
Rating:
Summary: You don't have to be a KISS fan to enjoy this book
Review: An excellent look into not only the group KISS, but the music industry itself too. Provides details, pictures, anecdotes, and trivia through all the eras of the group. A must read if you want to know about KISS or rock-and-roll from the backstage view. I found out things no other book even hinted at.
Rating: 
Summary: KISS AND SELL exposes the real world of rock and roll .
Review: Author C.K. Lendt takes the reader behind the curtains and into the real world of Rock and Roll in KISS AND SELL. An eyewitness account of the dramatic rise and decline, and spectacular re-emergence, of one of the '70's most successful and provocative supergroups, the book offers a behind-the-painted -faces look at the lives, loves, image making, and business dealings of the band known simply as KISS. More than simply an insider's tell-all, KISS AND SELL provides a fascinating look inside the business of music. KISS fans agree, as evidenced by the following quote from a review on the Kiss Otaku web site:
"C.K. Lendt's book 'KISS and Sell: The Making of a Supergroup' is the
most insightful, balanced, and open
book ever written about KISS. It dared to do what no other book had
thus-far attempted. It dared to tell a story without hype. It dared
to share a perspective without passing judgement. It dared to chronicle an experience when spinning some grotesque fantasy might surely sell more books."
Rating:
Summary: The myth WAS true
Review: BUY THIS BOOK IF YOU WANT AN INSIDE LOOK AT KISS THAT IS TAMED DOWN FOR PUBLIC CONSUMPTION. Chris Lendt explains how KISS played every business card they could: He includes quotes from the guys in KISS saying things like "We're not really a good band" and "This business isn't about making good music, it's about making PROFIT!" True, in their day, KISS sold not only records and concert tickets but T-shirts, toys, lunchboxes, coffee cups, you name it! You could buy it with a KISS logo on it, and the profits went right into accounts managed by KISS's crew of accountants and lawyers. How ironic: In one of Gene Simmons's songs he claims to have been "born and raised" in New York; in fact he was born in Israel, and his real name is Chaim Witz. So money was the name of the game, but that certainly comes as no surprise. KISS AND SELL describes the rise and fall of this group, with extra effort to convince the reader that any crooked behavior was done by somebody OTHER than Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley. At least a half dozen times, the author of the book says that neither Simmons nor Stanley drank alcohol, did drugs "of any kind," and didn't even smoke cigarettes. Ho-kay, pal... Just given the on-the-road stories he tells in the book, there's no way Gene and Paul never did dope. No chance. And as for cigarettes, How about from the song "Detroit Rock City": "First I drink/Then I smoke"? I myself saw Paul and Gene smoke on stage! It's pretty clear the author wants to keep his friendship with KISS alive. That's fine, though; this book has some great stories in it, and certainly captures the spirit of what I believed KISS was always about: C-A-S-H.
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