“I’ve always missed being in Kiss, but if that meant being the Spaceman like Tommy, I wouldn’t want to do it”: Bruce Kulick was never invited to rejoin Kiss – and he's OK with that

Bruce Kulick has opened up on his departure from Kiss, and explained why he wasn't all that fussed when he never received an invite to rejoin the band in the early 2000s.

Over the years, Kiss has recruited a number of electric guitar stars, from Mark St. John to Thayer and Vinnie Vincent, whose controversial guitar solos drove Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley mad.

Kulick’s is another name that can be found on the list, but his stint with the band was particularly unique: he was a key part of Kiss’ no-makeup era and stuck around when the band began to explore a grungier sound in the ’90s.

However, Kulick – whose time in the band came to an end when the first Kiss reunion rolled around in the mid-’90s – and his contributions are often under-appreciated, and he wasn't invited to take part when Kiss played their 'End of the Road' farewell shows.

That wasn’t the first time he wasn’t invited back by Kiss, either. When their first reunion fell through, Simmons and Stanley employed Tommy Thayer as their guitarist, and decided against re-hiring Kulick.

Bruce Kulick Guitar Solo - Live Budokan, Japan (1988) - YouTube

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But as Kulick explains in the new issue of Guitar World, he’s not all that bothered, and while he misses being part of the band – and would have liked to have been a part of the farewell shows – he wouldn’t have wanted to compromise on who was as a player to get back in.

“I’ve made peace with not being included in Kiss’s End of the Road,” Kulick says. “That said, no, they never called me.

“I’ve always missed being in Kiss, but if being in Kiss meant being the Spaceman like Tommy, I wouldn’t want to do it,” he continues. “And if being a part of the final shows meant I had to ask to be there, I’d rather stay home. I guess that’s why Ace respects me and has always been kind to me.”

For Kulick, donning the Spaceman makeup was never an option, and the fact he would have been required to do so had he returned means he’s not especially disappointed with how everything panned out.

“I’m not disappointed they didn’t ask me to be in Kiss again,” he explains. “To be in Kiss again, I would have had to be the Spaceman, right? If I had done that, I would have negated my entire non-makeup era.

“Tommy Thayer did a fine job playing Ace’s riffs with some swagger. He did the Spaceman well, but I never wanted to.”

To read the full interview with Bruce Kulick, head over to Magazines Direct to pick up the latest issue of Guitar World.