Dear Mr. Stanley,
Sorry, I mean Paul because to quote you, “Nobody calls me Mistah Stanley.” Anyways, I hope this letter finds you feeling well. It really breaks my heart to have to write this letter but as a KISS fan for over 30 years, I am begging you, please pack it in and call it a day. I’m going to be blunt here and say that very few things sound worse than your voice does over these last few years. Over the years you have given us KISS fans 40+ years of timeless Klassics, unforgettable performances, and stage banter that should be collected and printed as its own bible. I think it’s now time for you to cash in your chips and enjoy retirement.
I get it though. You are physically in tip top shape. You look great and you still can kill it on stage. You are hands down one of the greatest front men of all time but as of right now, you are residing in the same club as David Lee Roth, David Coverdale, and Ozzy Osbourne of vocalists who are pushing it past their prime. I can only imagine how hard it is to swallow knowing that your voice is shot to hell. For an artist who has prided himself over the years as someone who gives his fans 110%, why are you going out there and only capable of delivering to the fans 35, maybe 40% at max? Is it because the fans are still buying tickets? Is it because the KISS ARMY fooligans pump your ego so much that you feel that it’s ok to go out there and not be able to give it your all?
Paul, it’s not like you’re not trying. You are definitely not one of these artists who go out there and phone it in. I know that if you were physically capable you would give 110% and the result would be nothing short of outstanding. Remember the 1992 Revenge tour? You were on top of your game. “I Still Love You” from Alive III is one of your shining moments and there’s no doubt in my mind if you could, you would kill it like that every night. The truth is that you still do put 110% out there but we, as fans, are only getting about 30%. That is a really sad thing because it breaks my heart to see you work so hard for such subpar vocal output.
This is a subject that has divided the KISS Army right down the middle. There are those that will defend you and your voice turning a deaf ear to it as if nothing is wrong. Then, there are those of us who hear your voice for what it really is and find it absolutely painful to hear. It’s not even so much that it’s painful to hear just because it’s bad, it’s painful to hear because it literally has this side of the Army asking, “Is anyone else not hearing this? Paul? Do YOU not hear it yourself? Do you not feel the pain in your throat as you strain to push out notes that are nowhere near to making them the way they did even just 6 or 7 years ago?”
The last time I saw you live on the Sonic Boom tour, I knew things were on their way down. Your voice had lost its strength and I could just tell that it would only be a matter of time that your voice would bid us farewell forever. Well, that time is now. Paul, I really hope that eventually you will see and hear it for yourself that what you are delivering to the KISS fans is no longer the great voice that it was but a tired, strained, and dying voice that deserves rest and retirement. We wanted the best, we got the best, but now, we’re just getting less than ok.
Best to you,
Don
The Great Southern Brainfart
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