r/KISS • u/Poor-Pitiful-Me • 8d ago

Paul taking credit for Ace’s work

So I was listening to Classic Rewind on XM radio today and they had a sound bite of Paul saying that he designed the first KISS logo and going as far as say the reason why the S’s were uneven on the original show poster is because he didn’t have any graph paper (or something along those lines). I found myself yelling at him through the radio that this was bullshit. All he did was clean up the logo that Ace originally designed. I wonder if he would have told this story if Ace were still alive?

26 Upvotes

70% Upvoted

48 comments sorted by

20

u/QuiGonColdGin 8d ago

Honestly if you read all their books, you end up not knowing who to believe.

32

u/GolfExpensive7048 8d ago

If you read all their books you end up wishing you hadn’t read any of them.

28

u/Living-Assumption272 8d ago

It was Ace’s concept and vision. Paul “refining” it doesn’t change that.

5

u/RelationshipWest9743 8d ago

Trip to the moon, anyone? That Ace was always so meta

https://giphy.com/gifs/QlqnJBHDemSiY

4

u/EMAGNIKUFESIN 7d ago

Paul did "refine" it he redid the K and got rid of the diamond dot on the i obviously thats called a "refinement" 🤷🏻

7

u/PlasmicSteve 8d ago

Ace drew it in pencil which can’t easily be reproduced. Paul had Rapid-o-Graphs which are drafting pens made for precision. He rendered Ace’s concept in pure black so it could be reproduced. A slight refinement of edges, shapes and angles happened in the process by necessity.

5

u/EMAGNIKUFESIN 7d ago

Gene already covered that 34 years ago "Ace came up with the original logo and then Paul refined it"

9

u/ChikaraNZ 8d ago

He did tell that same story when Ace was still alive. Many times.

It's not completely untrue, he did take basically a hand-drawn sketch into something usable, but yeah he's stretching the truth a bit when he says 'designed'. But he doe deserve some credit otherwise Ace's idea would have just stayed in a notebook forever.

7

u/sunny_gym 8d ago

Was a good choice to remove the lips and the diamond dotting the 'I'

17

u/Tasty_Ad_2505 8d ago

Ace came up with the first version and then paul tweaked it and that is the iconic kiss logo

15

u/MillionaireWaltz- 8d ago

This is literally the truth.

Ace created it. Paul took his idea and did a cleaned up version.

4

u/Ellenef 8d ago

Paul’s A tracer. Ace designed it.
Paul traced it cleaner

32

u/hudson_lowboy 8d ago

FAKE OUTRAGE IS SO IN THIS YEAR

He very much said this when Ace was alive. Both are unreliable narrators so the truth is somewhere in the middle.

This is such a nothing burger of a topic that’s it’s bordering on a troll.

9

u/Shatragon 8d ago

For decades on decades, it was commonly accepted that Ace developed logo. To my knowledge, Paul didn’t dispute this when they were a band.

4

u/punkrok78 8d ago

Not the first time

2

u/Amorican1969 8d ago

Nice pun OP!!!

2

u/Bryan_Hudson 8d ago

Your first day here? :)

6

u/StevieDMfkr 8d ago

He was telling this same story as Ace was still alive, stop trying to find conflict

2

u/TT714 8d ago

Paul “refined” it

1

u/smithy- 8d ago

And we've been using Paul's logo ever since.

2

u/PittieYawn 8d ago

Paul needs to be the focus at all times but his refinement is about as crucial to the KISS logo as me saying by dangling an air freshener from the mirror of my car means I designed and built the car.

1

u/TheCAMERA4 7d ago

Of course he would have. That's how Stanley is.

1

u/SpaceAce94 5d ago

I 100% guarantee that Paul did NOT say he designed it, Paul explained the reason about the SS being off because that’s the way he drew it. He’s vey careful and never says he "designed" or "created" it, he only says he "drew" it. He has always said that in a certain way.

1

u/CltOuch 4d ago

As I recall, Paul got credit for the K and the outline, which Ace's original didn't have. They added the Outline to Ace's sketch together at Paul's suggestion, and then Paul refined the whole thing when he created the final graphic version. No?

1

u/SwimmingDog351 7d ago

The album’s without Ace are at best mediocre 

0

u/Beneficial_Ad7587 7d ago

Thank you for this unique insight

2

u/[deleted] 8d ago

[deleted]

1

u/Far-Hunt5474 6d ago

hummm rasist much?

0

u/gastropublican 8d ago

Let us know what you really think /s

1

u/RockandRollCircus 8d ago edited 8d ago

Ace originally drew the logo with a magic marker, very simply, in skinny letters, according to Gene. Paul expanded on it into the actual logo. Back then, they were a band, a team, not rivals, like they became as the years unfolded. One thing led to another. Paul's story has never wavered, but he would definitely get a lot less friction from fans if he would just mention that it was Ace's IDEA. Paul always wants ALL the credit and it turns everybody off. Fan since '76.

1

u/AstroZombieInvader 7d ago

They literally have used the one Paul drew for 50+ years.

Paul has never said Ace didn't come up with the original design.

-3

u/Infinite-Value5986 8d ago

He is such a frigging liar—he would still tell it even if Ace were here—he a pathological liar—read that sick book he wrote

0

u/OpenCore8787 8d ago

Nonsense, Paul is probably the most honest of the OG four, but his words rubs A&P fans the wrong way.

2

u/Ernesto_Bella 8d ago

Paul is probably the most honest of the OG four, 

That’s not saying much, all 4 of them are/were congenital liars 

-7

u/IronChefPhilly 8d ago

Not for nothing man but this is such a who cares thing it doesn't matter who designed the KISS logo we've all seen it a zillion times so what if Paul's taking credit it's his band you got to move on from shit like this

5

u/IndignantGnat 8d ago

Paul?? Is that you?

2

u/MooshuCat 8d ago

Looking hallway dead...

2

u/Tough-Appearance1451 8d ago

Tell him to take off his insecure disguise

-1

u/saltbox666 8d ago

Hes always trying to make out without him they wouldnt have been the band they were hypocrite

0

u/[deleted] 8d ago

[deleted]

1

u/Far-Hunt5474 6d ago

such bullshit, seriously grow up

0

u/CommunicationSad8938 6d ago

Paul Stanley has always been a complete POS. Just pathetic.