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Peter George Criscoula (born December 20, 1945) a.k.a. Peter Criss, is best known as the drummer for the rock band KISS.

Criss joined Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons in the early 1970s as drummer for their band, Wicked Lester. The two musicians had answered an ad placed in a local paper by Criss, who was looking for a band after the demise of his band Chelsea, with whom he had recorded one LP. Wicked Lester had also recorded an album together, but it remains unreleased to this day.

KISS released their self-titled debut in February of 1974.

Peter was lead vocalist on several notable KISS songs, including "Black Diamond", "Nothin' to Lose", and their breakthrough hit "Beth".

Criss struggled with alcoholism through many of the years he was in the band. Although always credited as drummer, 1977's Love Gun was the last KISS album on which Criss played throughout. On the 1979 release Dynasty, he drummed only on his own composition, "Dirty Livin'" and did not play at all on 1980's Unmasked. David Letterman's house drummer Anton Fig secretly ghosted for Criss on most occasions, but Richie Fontana, Allen Schwartzberg and Sean Delaney have also been said to have played drums and percussion anonymously on KISS records.

Criss left the band in 1980 and launched a lackluster solo career, in which he released only two albums and an EP across a fifteen-year span of time. He then reunited with KISS in 1996, but his drumming was hardly used on the subsequent Psycho Circus album, and much to his chagrin, he was forced to sing a song written by Paul Stanley ("I Finally Found My Way") rather than contribute his own original material.

Things began to slide for Peter on the road:

• On April 5, 1997, Criss was a no-show to a KISS performance in Columbus, Georgia, allegedly due to "health reasons". At the last minute Peter's roadie, Ed Kanon, was tasked with replacing him for the night, donning his makeup and costume.

• After December 5, 1998, for unknown reasons, Paul began singing lead vocals throughout "Black Diamond" rather than Peter.

• In October 2000 Peter began adding a painted teardrop to his face as a form of protest against Gene and Paul.

• On October 7, 2000, he demolished his drum kit onstage in a fit of angst, although the audience largely thought it was part of the act.

• Criss quit the band in late 2000, and the attorneys made the announcement official in January 2001. On February 3 Criss released a statement blaming Gene and Paul for his disassociation from the band.

• In 2002 Criss returned to the band once more.

• On August 9, 2003, as the recording backing track for "Beth" began, Peter threw down his microphone and refused to sing. Later it was claimed the microphone was defective, but there were other mikes onstage.

Before the 2004 "Rock The Nation" tour, Criss' contract was not extended and former KISS member Eric Singer returned as the band's drummer.

Trivia

According to an article in Spin Magazine, Peter was a gang member in his teen years, and when his grandmother caught him making weapons for a rumble, she broke a broomstick over his head.

During an early KISS tour, someone threw an M-80 firecracker onstage, and blew Peter off of his drums. He couldn't hear for the rest of the night.

In 1989, a Star article claimed that the drummer was a homeless alcoholic. The man who had claimed to be Peter was Christopher Dickinson, who was discovered living under a bridge by Roseanne Barr and Tom Arnold. Criss and Dickinson later got into their first interview on The Phil Donahue Show in 1991.

Peter was somewhat of a prankster while in KISS. Once, as a joke, he left a trail of his clothes from his hotel room bed to the open window (Peter was hiding under the bed).

In early 2002, Criss had a role on the HBO series, Oz. He has also appeared on Family Guy and Millenium.

Discography

• Chelsea: self-titled (1971)
• KISS solo album: Peter Criss (1978)
• Out of Control (1980)
• Let Me Rock You (1982)
• Criss Cat #1 (1994)

External links

Peter Criss - The Official Website

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