Rockpages Talks To Author of “Kiss and Sell”Source: Rockpages.grCHRIS LENDT (Vice-President of Marks-Glickman Management, Author of “Kiss and Sell”)
Rockpages.gr: You are the author of one of the most well-written and accurate book on KISS. How do you feel about it after all these years since you’ve written it?
Chris Lendt: I'm pleased that Kiss and Sell has been so well-received and widely recognized. It was a labor of love as I devoted an enormous amount of time and effort to the project. The extent of my involvement with Kiss was unique and covered a 12-year stretch. To my knowledge, there haven't been many similar insider books written about any artist.
Rockpages.gr: You had worked with KISS from 1976 up to 1988. Your job was more or less to keep things under control on a financial base. We all know when was the most lucrative period for the band, but which one was the lowest point –financially- and why?
Chris Lendt: My recollection is that the 1982-85 period was the roughest. The Elder was a flop, Ace followed Peter and left the group and the big record deal that Kiss had with Phonogram/PolyGram was terminated. Years of over-spending were beginning to catch up with the band. There was a lot of uncertainty during that period and the band's popularity was in a steep decline.
Rockpages.gr: Bill Aucoin was the manager of the band when KISS decided to hire the services of Howard Marks and Carl Glickman. Was there a tension between the two sides and have you ever found yourself in an awkward or embarrassing position? Any specific incident…?
Chris Lendt: There was tension at times as Bill began to feel that his prerogatives as manager were being limited by the role the business manager started to play. I think I related one personal anecdote in the book about Bill being annoyed that he had to get the business managers to OK some of his spending decisions. That kind of tension is not necessarily a bad thing. It can protect the artist from a manager who might be prone to excess. But Bill wasn't used to his authority being challenged and eventually it became a thorn in his side.
Rockpages.gr: Many people recognize Howard Marks from the “I Love It Loud” video and the Exposed Video intro. Only few know bits and pieces regarding his life. What can you tell us about it?
Chris Lendt: Most of what I knew I mentioned in the book. He was from Cleveland, Ohio, attended a university in that state, and began his career in advertising sales. I believe he may have served in the U.S. Army. Eventually, he started his own ad agency and was quite successful in Cleveland as a local businessman before moving to New York and starting an ad agency. I believe one of his key accounts was Hazel Bishop, a very well-known brand of cosmetics in the '60s. He met Bill Aucoin through his advertising work. Bill directed TV commercials. They co-produced a syndicated TV show about the record business, Flipside, for several years before Bill started managing Kiss. Howard has two adult children who live in the New York area. He died in 1990.
Rockpages.gr: How about Carl Glickman…have you kept in touch with him over the years? Is it safe to say that Howard was more interested in the entertainment aspect of KISS while Carl was solely focused on investments and the economics of the band?
Chris Lendt: I sent Carl a copy of my book when it was published in 1997 and he sent me a thank you letter. That's been my only contact with him. He lives in Cleveland and is involved in charities and philanthropy and funded a kidney center at a local hospital. Your assessment about Carl being primarily interested in investments and financial management is accurate. Until the investment firm Bear Stearns collapsed last year, Carl was on the board of directors for more than 20 years.
Rockpages.gr: When we talked 12 years ago, you told me the reasons behind your writing “Kiss and Sell”. Would you like to repeat them for our readers and why you thought that this was the right period for such a book in 1997?
Chris Lendt: I had started working on the book around 1991-92. My first literary agent wasn't able to sell it to a publisher so the book was in limbo until 1996 when I found another agent. She was able to get me a contract with Billboard Books in the fall of 1996. Kiss and Sell was published the following year. Selling a book written by a new author is almost always difficult. It's seldom up to the author to decide when their work ought to be published. The fact that Kiss was back in the spotlight when they began their first Reunion Tour made my book much more saleable and timely.
Rockpages.gr: Lydia Criss published a superb book a while ago. In there, she fondly remembers the travel in Far East with you and Peter. What do you remember from Lydia, Peter and those days?
Chris Lendt: I wrote about that in my book. We had some wonderful times, visiting Bangkok, Hong Kong and Singapore. What made it so much fun was that it was a first-time experience for all of us. I remember all of the hotels, the Bangkok taxi driver who doubled as a drug dealer, the restaurant on the river in Bangkok, the drug escapades, the brothels, the sightseeing excursions, etc. Most vacations aren't nearly that inclusive! Since my travels with Lydia and Peter, I have been back to all of those places.
Rockpages.gr: I believe that the last time that you spoke with Gene was in 1993 while the last time that you had anything to do with them was 21 years ago. How you would describe Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley?
Chris Lendt: Their longevity as partners attests to the depth of their relationship and how successful they've been for four decades. In both the business and creative worlds, partnerships are often the key to success. If you're lucky in life, you can find a partner who complements you so that what you accomplish together is far greater than what you would have done on your own.
Rockpages.gr: Have you kept in touch with anyone from the KISS Organization
Chris Lendt: Linda West, Fritz Postlethwaite, Dick Weidenbaum and Michael Perlstein come to mind. I did speak a few times to Lydia Criss during the time she was writing her book.
Rockpages.gr: The Aucoin Management Offices were infamous in the 70s for their wild parties and the abundance of various substances…what do you remember about it?
Chris Lendt: In retrospect, perhaps I missed out on some of the highlights of these parties.
Rockpages.gr: Chris, would you change anything?
Chris Lendt: As time passes, I realize what a unique and unusual experience I had for nearly 12 years and one that will never be repeated or duplicated.
