FACE THE MUSIC A Life Exposed

Tormented in his youth because of a facial deformity—he was born without one ear—and made miserable by insensitive parents and a mentally ill sister, Paul Stanley sought revenge against his persecutors by becoming the makeup-laden guitar frontman for the band Kiss. At one point, Stanley debates whether to bring a Playboy Playmate to his high school reunion. Kiss fans familiar with the band’s dysfunction may be upset by Stanley's take on his bandmates as he persuasively narrates his way through decades of sex, rock and roll, and bad decision making, such as hiring a personal therapist as band manager. But the production eventually loses steam as its heavy-metal hero finds self-worth and inner peace through religion and family. R.W.S. © AudioFile 2014, Portland, Maine [Published: MAY 2014]