dailygleaner.comSAULT STE. MARIE, Ont. - To some, Ron Wood is still the spankin' new Stone - and he officially joined ranks with Mick, Keith and boys in 1976.
Tommy Thayer hasn't strutted his stuff as a member of Kiss for nearly as long, but he concedes to feeling some kinship with the famed British musician when it comes to being dubbed new kid on the block.
"If Ronnie Wood is the new Stone after 35 years, I'm definitely the new guy in Kiss," says Thayer, who officially took over lead guitar duties when original axeman Ace Frehley finally departed for good in 2002.
"But my place in the band has become more and more fortified as time goes on, and that's great. Good things take time and this continues to build and grow for Kiss and for me personally, too."
And, of course, Thayer can take some comfort that drummer Eric Singer, who first joined Kiss in 1991 but departed for a spell in the mid-1990s when the band reunited with Frehley and original drummer Peter Criss for the Alive/Worldwide Tour, is not original, either.
And Thayer is not the first axeman to take over during the notoriously troubled Frehley's absences from the band; Bruce Kulick, Vinnie Vincent and the late Mark St. John also did guitar duties, some for longer than others, some painted up, some not.
But overall, Thayer appears secure in his own skin - or, perhaps, makeup.
"It's an amazing feeling. You know, we're riding a big wave right now and I'm honoured to be playing lead guitar in Kiss now."
No doubt. Maybe that's because Thayer has found his promised land.
The Portland, Ore., native, now 49, was just another Kiss-crazed kid in the 1970s, whose desire to learn the electric guitar was likely sparked by the likes of Frehley and other such notables of that decade, including Alice Cooper and Deep Purple.
The profound difference, though, between Thayer and his young counterparts lies in the fact he would go on to actually trade guitar licks with Paul Stanley, sport the flamboyant Spaceman persona once occupied by Frehley and stake claim to being part of Gene Simmons' inner circle, ever so coveted these days since the ample-tongued demon's side career as a reality show darling took off.
Actually, Thayer's history with the group goes back years earlier when his Kiss cover band caught the ears of Stanley and Simmons, the latter offering the starry-eyed Thayer a job as his assistant - a gig that saw Thayer do everything from book hotel rooms for the band to perform handyman chores around band members' homes.
His loyalty - and perhaps work ethic witnessed in cleaning Simmons's gutters - paid rich dividends.
Such attributes would surely put Thayer in good stead with Simmons and Stanley, both known for their business smarts and hands-on management style, plugging the Kiss brand with a finesse that would dazzle Madison Avenue.
"People say, ['Oh, you know you're lucky,' or '-You were in the right place at the right time,'" Thayer said in a recent telephone interview from Phoenix, Ariz., where the band had played the previous evening.
"You know, all that stuff kind of plays into it, too. But I'm a true believer and I've been down this road for a while now, and I know for a fact the amount of effort you put into something is synonymous with what you get out of something. It's true for anything you do in life, including being in a rock 'n' roll band.
"The more effort you put into it - you stick with something and continue to work hard at it - things will start coming your way."
Arguably, Thayer couldn't be a Kiss member at a better time. The group's Kiss Alive/35 North American Tour, which kicked off at Detroit's Cobo Arena in September, has been a smash and the band's popularity appears, in many respects, to be peaking - a far cry from the early 1980s when new wave ruled and Kiss could barely get arrested.
Although senior band members are closing in on the eligibility age for social security (Stanley was forced to pull out of a California show in 2007 after his heart started beating at more than twice the normal level), Thayer contends members are in top shape.
"Paul is feeling great. ... His physical health is fantastic," said Thayer.
He added Stanley quite readily kicked a bout of the flu early in the tour.
"Paul and Gene look like they're 25 years old on stage, the way they move and what they do. It's incredible."
A sold-out show that was supposed to take place in Sault Ste. Marie Tuesday was postponed due to inclement weather until next summer, the band's website said. It had been promoted as the last concert before Kiss undertakes another tour of Europe in support of the new Sonic Boom album, beginning next May, with more dates across the world presumably to follow.
The current leg was billed as fan-directed, with cities jockeying with Darwinian zeal to land the makeup-clad rockers, often via the extremely successful, sometimes controversial, fan vote. Earlier this year, North Americans voted online to bring Kiss to their town, and Sault Ste. Marie placed third, behind only Oshawa, Ont., and Winnipeg. When it appeared Oshawa and Sault Ste. Marie might not actually get the opportunity to host the band when both cities were left off the initial tour list, Oshawa lashed out, while Sault residents hardly raised a fuss, perhaps soothed by promises from Stanley and Simmons that the band was indeed Sault bound. In the end, both cities landed Kiss.
Thayer concedes there was confusion when tour lists were being drawn up - an unavoidable occupational hazard.
Concertgoers anywhere are likely to be treated to Thayer belting out the odd Frehley classic, including Shock Me. The guitarist considers the cover a salute to his recently dried-out predecessor, having his own day in the sun with the recent solo release, Anomaly, hailed by disciples and critics alike.
"You know, I've always been a fan of Ace, particularly in the early days when I was first picking up the guitar," Thayer said. "I wish him all the best with what he does and continued success. Anomaly is a cool record and Ace is a cool guy."
In fact, Ace would be right at home with the bulk of the material offered on the current tour, which leans on classic cuts. Rock and Roll All Nite, Strutter, Detroit Rock City and Calling Dr. Love will be shouted out loud, alongside a few offerings from Sonic Boom, the band's latest studio album, whose music harkens back to Kiss's cherished 1970s riff-rock era - which suites Thayer just fine.
Kiss's 19th studio album, its first in 11 years, was a joy to record, Thayer said.
"I mean, Kiss has a great legacy and an amazing history, but what we're doing now is a fresh start and it's been such a great experience," he said of the Stanley-produced offering, released in October on the band's own label.
Thayer's especially thankful for what he considers was the ample role both he and Singer played.
"(Stanley and Simmons) wanted us to sing our own songs, which is just amazing to be singing on a Kiss record. So by the time we finished it, it was a very real, pure, from the heart, from the gut rock 'n' roll album. And we did it on our own."
Fans might flock to Kiss shows and lap up any new merchandise the band markets, but those who determine who is feted by the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame haven't shown similar ardour. Although the band was finally nominated for induction this year, Thayer, a fan long before he ever joined, scratches his head as to why such recognition took so long.
"I think it's laughable that Kiss has not been nominated or inducted before now," he added. "You know, I don't think the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame defines Kiss anyway. What defines Kiss is the Kiss Army and the allegiance of fans and decades being on top of the music world and pop culture. That's why Kiss is where it is and why you see Kiss everywhere around the world."
