Live-Metal.Net - Interviews: Bruce Kulick

Ace Frehley was first and Tommy Thayer wears the makeup now, but no KISS guitarist has had a longer tenure than Bruce Kulick. His years (1984 to 1996) yielded several hit albums and one of the best records of the band’s 35-year career, 1992’s Revenge. Kulick went his own way when the original lineup reunited in 1996, forming Union with former Mötley Crüe singer John Corabi and releasing two criminally overlooked albums (Union, 1998, and The Blue Room, 2000). Solo releases followed in 2001 (Audio Dog) and 2003 (Transformer), and since 2001, Kulick has been a member of Grand Funk Railroad. On Feb. 2, Bruce unleashes his third solo album, BK3. With guest appearances by Gene Simmons, Gene’s son Nick, Corabi, KISS drummer Eric Singer, Toto guitarist Steve Lukather, Edguy singer Tobias Sammet and The Knack frontman Doug Fieger, along with Kulick’s always solid playing, it’s an album KISS fans won’t want to miss. Bruce recently talked to Live-Metal.net’s Greg Maki about BK3 and more.

Live-Metal.net: Before we get in and start talking about your new album, I just wanted to say that I’m 30 years old, so when I was a kid I discovered KISS through the Hot in the Shade album. And then, in ’92 I went to—I think it was third concert I went ever to—it was KISS on the Revenge tour outside of Washington, D.C., at the old Capital Centre. So your era of KISS will always have a special place for me.

Do you hear a lot of that? I know it’s not as celebrated as the makeup era, but do you hear things like that from fans?

I do. It’s more often than you would believe. You gotta realize that a lot of the tickets for the current KISS is a lot of people that are just literally curious and they never really had the opportunity to see the band or some guy who’s a fan is finally gonna be able to take his family to see what he grew up with, et cetera, et cetera. I’m not surprised. In plenty of my traveling, I’m running into people that are especially nostalgic about when they saw me live and that Crazy Nights album or whatever it was that changed their world. It’s pretty exciting to be part of a band like that, if you think about it.

And not to spend this whole thing talking about KISS or anything, but I saw the news yesterday about KISS getting snubbed by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Does that matter to you at all? Do you care about that?

I was really excited that they were even considered. It’s funny that on this trip to Australia—I always take various music magazines, Rolling Stone or guitar magazines—and I remember I was reading the article in Rolling Stone where they talked about how they decide who would possibly go in and who’s chosen, and the subject of KISS came up—I even cut out the article to have, knowing that, well, we’ll see what happens. They said that it was a huge debate about even doing that with them, mentioning them in the short list. So to be honest, my reaction reading that was like, “No way. They ain’t gonna get in.” Do you know what I mean? Because if there was already a huge debate about it, what’s gonna sway them to do the right thing and put ’em there? I still don’t think it affects really what the band’s all about and the fame of the band. And maybe it removes some of that confusion as to who’d be onstage, how would they handle it, would Ace and Peter show—all of it that goes along with that kind of stuff.

Congratulations on your new album, BK3. I think it’s a really good piece of work.

You’ve said about it—and it’s in the press release—that you feel like it’s your Revenge. In what way?

It’s a little play on words, but you gotta understand that I was very, very excited doing the Revenge album. It was one of those records where I walked away feeling like 99.9 percent thrilled over what we created. I give a lot of credit to [producer] Bob Ezrin for that and the fact that we were relentless with making sure that it was the best thing we could possibly do. I took that same attitude creating this album and that’s a tall order. When you’re not willing to settle in any manner, shape or form, that means sometimes redoing things and costing a lot of money, et cetera, et cetera. In that way, I feel thrilled about this record and I feel like I accomplished exactly what I set out to do.

I guess he was the first one I reached out to, yeah. I didn’t know he’d offer up his son, Nick—I was gonna ask him anyway, if you know what I mean. But it kind of snowballed from there, which was really, really cool. I knew I was gonna have John on there. That’s a given. He was already on my second solo record and of course we did Union together, quite successfully, at least musically speaking. I knew that I’d ask Eric to be on the record because I hadn’t had the opportunity of having him on the other solo records.

But yeah, having Gene obviously set the pace and really got the ball rolling with kind of really readdressing and making a little different formula for the album in some ways, because having him contribute was a big score for me and it kind of set the pace for the kind of what’s missing now. That was kind of a good way to look at the overall recipe of the album and see what other pieces were missing. I was just really grateful that he was involved, and I know he really enjoyed what we came up with. So it was all good.

What was it like working with him on this? The working situation, I assume, would be at least a little different from your days in KISS.

We were comfortable working together. Actually, what was a little hard at first was making sure we were in the right direction with the song. Originally, Jeremy [Rubolino], the guy who produced the record with me, and I thought, let’s get him involved with this track we already have. In fact, it was the one that Eric played drums on that Tobias wound up singing, which came out great, “I’m an Animal.” But Gene was kind of taking it in a different direction and I didn’t want it to go in different direction. So that’s one advantage you have that it’s your record. You can say, “OK, what else are we gonna do here?” And then, the next thing I know, we’re fooling around with a different kind of riff that I really like and then Jeremy joined in and we kind of went off in the right direction, and all of a sudden, I’m hearing Gene kind of muttering these “ain’t gonna die” lyrics, not really knowing what that was or what it would mean lyrically yet in the big picture of the lyrics of the song. But it certainly was the germ of an idea that was strong enough that I knew that we were gonna have a killer Gene track here.

Once we committed to that, Jeremy and I, back and forth, sent Gene some demos while I was on the road with Grand Funk. He was digging where it was going, we booked the studio, ironically Family Jewels came in that day, of course. We kind of worked that out. It was the one called “Memphis Blues.” It was one that they were kind of setting up something for Nick to go to Memphis. That was fun, actually, having the crew in there. It didn’t take up the whole day, just some of the morning. We needed to finish the lyrics and I had a clear idea where I wanted to go from what Gene was singing. Didn’t take us long to get the lyrics done, under an hour. It was definitely one of those ways that Gene can express himself, kind of snubbing his finger at the naysayers and at the same time celebrating who he is. That came together pretty quickly. He sang it in less than an hour, and then it was up to Jeremy and I just to redo guitars, add lead guitar work and get the string section on there. It’s very much in that Revenge, Carnival of Souls kind of vein, I feel.

Yeah. When I was working with Gene on the song, I saw Nick at the house and he was working with some music with an engineer friend of ours that we used back in the Hot in the Shade days, because Gene wanted him to explore some of the ideas that he had. Nick played Jeremy and I what he was into, which was a little more eclectic than I expected. But Nick was very aware of all the KISS years. He made references to songs and albums that I never thought he was aware of, particularly Carnival of Souls. I was very surprised. We wanted him to check one or two songs and, sure enough, he went with what was to become “Hand of the King.” He went off and came up with some really great lyrics that the imagery, I think, was very, very strong.

He came in and sang. The first time, I could tell he was a bit green in the studio and he didn’t know all the terms and the way musicians speak. “OK, now we’re gonna comp the vocals.” And he’d say, “Comp? What’s comp?” And then we had to explain that that’s when we put together the best of what he sang for the final performance. But I gave him a lot of credit because after that was all done, I think he did a fine job the first time. We knew we were gonna have him come back and do some harmony, and he actually said to Jeremy and I, “Do you mind if I sing it again because I think I can do it even better?” We were like, “Sure.” And really the performance you hear there is the second time he was in the studio with us. I think by then he really owned it. He really knew what he wanted to do. It’s actually gonna be the first single from the record. I’m really excited about it.

You mentioned John Corabi. I think he’s an incredibly talented musician and you guys have done some great work together. What is it about the two of you that clicks so well?

Back in ’96 when I didn’t know what I was gonna do, ironically the guy who worked with KISS during some of the years that I was in the band, Larry Mazer, he’s the one who recommended that I speak to John, knowing that he was a fan of John and he knew John from some other bands that he was in and his chapter with Mötley Crüe was about to be finished being written. So the next thing I know, we got together and it was very natural for us just to hang and start to create some music together. So John and I have a good chemistry in that way, and our goal for Jeremy and I to have him on the record was to just really do the best of John. The Blue Room was a very, very important album for Jeremy and I thought it was a terrific album, as well, and Jeremy was so excited to have an opportunity to work with John because The Blue Room was like a soundtrack for one of his summers or something. The goal was to do something even better than the best of The Blue Room. I really feel like we captured the best of John on there, and I’m very proud of that song in particular.

I think Union is one of the great overlooked, underappreciated bands of the past decade or so. In a perfect world, what needed to happen for you guys to get more exposure?

I have some theories. We weren’t really on a major label. We were on one of the independent labels and that was a tough time in the late ‘90s, even for indies. Sometimes somebody broke through and then the panicked major league company picked it up. I really do think it had to do with the timing of it and the fact that we weren’t on a major label. I stand by the records and the music, and that’s forever when you make a piece of product.

Yeah. I think Jeremy worked with me very, very differently than I had experienced before and I think he did bring out some qualities of my voice that I really needed to work on, and a lot of fans, the ones that have heard things, are really responding to that. I’m actually very excited about the fact that he was able to get that out of me. Plus the songs meant something to me, so it wasn’t hard for me to get behind it. My voice isn’t the best tool of my musicianship. Certainly, my guitar playing ability and my ear to create music, I think, are stronger. That’s all.

Jeremy pushing you on the vocals—is that part of the reason why there’s only one instrumental on this album?

And even that was an after thought. Jeremy and I, the first 10 songs we recorded were actually all vocal tunes. And then some of those fell off because we realized this record is turning out heavier, with Gene and now Tobias singing the “I’m the Animal” song, and we just kind of stayed away from a few of the more pop numbers. At some point when we took a look at what’s in contention to be completed and put on this record is when I said to him, “You know, there’s no instrumental on this album.” We did take a stab at writing something at one point that was kind of little too Marilyn Manson for my tastes, even though I thought it was good. And that’s when I actually took on the challenge of trying to write an instrumental, and the one you hear is what came up. I didn’t envision co-sharing it with Steve Lukather, but that’s what happened.

What is your approach to instrumentals? Do you write and compose them ahead of time?

Look, the instrumental track’s gotta keep your interest. There’s no doubt. I think right away the challenge there once Jeremy heard that—by the way, Lukather only got involved because I was having some frustration booking a specific studio that I knew he knew the people at and then, next thing I know, I’m having lunch with him and we’re hanging, just catching up and Jeremy is telling me, “You gotta have him play on that song.” And I’m like, “No way, he intimidates me. He’s such a monster on the guitar.” But that’s exactly what Jeremy wanted to push me with. In the same way that all the other songs had such attention to detail, shall I say, the instrumental needed to be something more than just me showing off on guitar. So by having the two dueling guitar players, in a sense, made that track different. Now look, an instrumental needs melody and I already had the theme. That’s me playing all the chorus themes, and Lukather did a lot of the verse work in there and I let him play some of the other solos. And in the gaps that we didn’t like what he played or we felt like we can take that and do it better, that’s when I dropped in my guitar work. So it was done very unconventionally, but somehow it all really came together. It’s a catchy instrumental.

Do you have any plans to go on tour here in the United States behind this album?

It’s too soon to say. It’s interesting that I know I do better when I go international. It’s just easier for me. I’d like to get out there and do some things, so we’ll see what I can do. But I don’t have anything firm yet.

We already have some dates booked for next year. The band, I admit, we can work in any month, but we seem to end up more seasonably busy in the summer and the fall. Hence me going to Europe at Thanksgiving because I know I’m not gonna conflict with anything the band’s gonna do. Same thing with me going to Australia in December. Everybody’s thinking about the holidays now and not everybody’s touring right now. I try to do it all. That’s me. Grand Funk takes up about a third of my year, so I try to fill in the other parts when I can.

How did you end up in that band? Honestly, until I heard that you joined several years ago, I didn’t know they were still active.

Right. Well, you gotta remember the band mostly does the kind of venues that are casino shows and classic rock concerts, which have a bill of a lot of bands, or that county fair that’s going on regardless of who’s playing. I was approached by [drummer/vocalist] Don [Brewer]’s wife, who I knew from back in the Michael Bolton days, when I worked with him. We opened for Bob Seger and Don was the drummer in Bob Seger, so he was aware of me. Don’s wife, at the time—and now we’re talking about 1983—was married to the bass player that was gigging in the Michael Bolton band, you see. Somehow I wound up on the short list of people they wanted to talk to and I was very grateful to get first an e-mail and then a phone call from Don. It kind of surprised me, but I was flattered. Next thing I know, I’m off to Michigan to go try a rehearsal with them and it all really clicked rather quickly. It’s a terrific band. It really is.

What else do you have going on? You just did another one of the Rock ‘n’ Roll Fantasy Camps.

And the camps are a lot of fun. Yeah, they’re expensive and I feel they’re worth every nickel. The exposure you get to the name counselors who spend real quality time with you—this is like boot camp for what it is to be in a band and make music. And then the special guests that come by to visit the rooms and jam with you and share some of their knowledge with you on a very intimate level is just very exciting for the people. I’ve worked with people that could barely play an instrument, so the way I’ve been able to make sometimes a very motley bunch of people who are varying degrees of talent come together and then perform on stage at a famous venue like the Whiskey, with Robby Kreiger from The Doors sitting in—how cool is that?—and them not looking like a mess, meaning it comes off as a band, and that’s a real thrill for them. It’s very, very rewarding on many levels for the campers, but I get my kicks out of it, as well.

I was in Anaheim a couple weeks back on the 24th of November. I really enjoyed it. I got there really early because I knew I couldn’t stay for the whole show. I went to Europe the following day, so I had to pack and everything. I got to see the soundcheck and take some pictures. There’s some great pictures on my Web site, actually, all the little backstage stuff. It was fun to see them. It was the first time I saw them with Eric on drums. They were really good. It was a solid show.

Well, the same thing. I know that the guys touted the record as being a return to the ‘70s. I really hear more ‘80s and ‘90s in it than that. But I’m just really proud that Paul took the band and just took charge and put together a solid KISS album. I’m real excited that Eric and Tommy got to be featured, and I particularly like those tracks, too. They weren’t like, let’s just throw away a song to the drummer, who cares? No. It was all very good, quality stuff. It’s an exciting time. This is interesting in the KISS world. After not a lot of new product ever coming out from the band besides new licensing deals, if you know what I mean, a brand-new record and then Ace after 20 years putting out a solid record and then me coming third but not least with a new record myself. I think it’s great.