One of the world’s most famous drummers, Peter Criss, (formerly of the rock band Kiss) has finally come out with his long awaited autobiography titled “Makeup to Breakup” via Scribner books. Peter has talked about penning his autobiography since the late 1980’s and the time has finally come to release it to the world.
The book starts off at the lowest point in his life where Peter was contemplating suicide. The entire book is in chronological order except the beginning, where Peter felt compelled to start by recalling the most desperate time in his life. A good portion of the book talks about his family and how he grew up in Brooklyn, NY, and explains his love of big band music and the English invasion; influences which eventually shaped Peter as a drummer everyone came to know and love.
There are many influential people that Peter talks about in his life including Carlos Cancel,who was the one who convinced Criss to stick with music for his life’s work, former Kiss Manager Bill Aucoin, his mom and grandmother and most importantly, his current wife Gigi. Peter spends a lot of time talking about these people, along with others, who helped him get to where he is today. In fact, his book has the longest dedication page(s) I have ever seen. Four pages of friends, family members, companies, former band mates and business associates, and doctors who provided care to him are all acknowledged in the book. Peter’s relationship with all former band members of Kiss: Gene, Paul, and Ace are all talked about at great length and convey what his feelings are about each, then and now. You will have to read the book for these juicy details, as well as Peter’s thoughts on current Kiss manager Doc McGhee.
He also delves into his past failed marriages and drug abuse which led him to unfortunate decisions that cost him spiritually and financially. Criss talks about his battle with cancer and how he overcame it, in addition to his wife’s personal battle with this deadly disease.
You can see that Peter really poured his heart and emotion into each detail of the 365 page book. Kiss fans will have a new perspective on some of the differences Peter had with his former band mates. It’s been long overdue but I can say that the book was definitely worth the wait!
