Nothin' to Lose: The Making of KISS (1972-1975) – An Oral History Through Original Interviews About the Music Scene They Changed Forever Reprint Edition

“Nothin’ to Lose brought back great memories of our days touring with KISS in the ‘70s. The book is an incredible ride through KISS’s early days and a must read for any KISS fan!” – Don Powell, Slade

“Like taking a time machine back to the ‘70s, Nothin’ to Lose is a wild and no holds barred look at the rise of KISS.” – Eric Carmen, Raspberries

“In Nothin’ to Lose you witness first-hand the extraordinary transformation of four struggling musicians from New York City overcoming almost insurmountable odds to become worldwide superstars. This is the definitive account of KISS’s early years.” – Kevin Cann, author of David Bowie: Any Day Now

“The KISS boys will go down in history for their indefatigable work ethic, spirit, and insatiable appetite for all things honest-to-God outrageous rock ‘n’ roll. KISS is the real deal and this book is the real story of the American rock ‘n’ roll dream.” – Ted Nugent

“Aerosmith played a few shows with KISS in early ‘74 and while we both went off in drastically different directions, we shared the big dream of making it at any cost. I always admired KISS’s fearsome spirit and rock and roll attitude and knew they were gonna hit it big. It’s a crime they haven’t been inducted in The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. Their songs were simple and catchy and they were innovators with theatrics, pushing the envelope as far as it could go. When you put that all together it’s an undeniable combination. Nothin’ to Lose is an electrifying look at a band that changed the course of rock and roll history by sticking to their guns and blazing their own trail of heavy metal thunder. I couldn’t put it down. Two thumbs up!” – Joe Perry, Aerosmith

“Nothin’ to Lose is an electrifying look at a band that changed the course of rock and roll history by sticking to their guns and blazing their own trail of heavy metal thunder. I couldn’t put it down. Two thumbs up!” – Joe Perry, Aerosmith

“I found the story of KISS’s fanatical determination, shockingly rare matter-of-fact common sense, raw luck, exquisite timing-not to mention the sheer brinksmanship of the whole lunatic enterprise-exhilarating and inspiring.” – Binky Philips, My Life in the Ghost of Planets: The Story of a CBGB Almost-Was

“A vivid oral history of the early days of one of rock’s most outrageous and enduring bands, Nothin’ to Lose makes every reader an eyewitness to the dawn of Kiss. Here’s a book that screams out: C’mon and read me.” – David Browne, author of Goodbye 20th Century: A Biography of Sonic Youth

“An incredibly vivid and gripping oral history that illustrates how Kiss went through a slow and steady transformation from a loft party band to the hottest concert attraction capable of blowing anybody and everybody off the stage.” – Daniel Siwek, House of Blues

A rollicking oral history. – Kirkus Reviews

“Does the world really need another KISS book? Perhaps not, but the world really needs Sharp’s . . . KISS book. When it comes to KISStory, there are many sides to every story, and what makes this one so special is the tremendous amount of detail to be found in the more than 200 interviews . . . Full of extraordinary primary-source material that will keep KISS fans up at night, Sharp’s excellent work should serve as a blueprint for future rock oral histories.” – Library Journal (starred review)

Does the world really need another KISS book? Perhaps not, but the world really needs Sharp’s . . . KISS book. . . Full of extraordinary primary-source material that will keep KISS fans up at night, Sharp’s excellent work should serve as a blueprint for future rock oral histories.” – Library Journal (starred review)

“With an engaging you-are-there immediacy, Nothin’ To Lose takes readers on a journey from the band’s unlikely origins to their triumphant arrival at rock’s topmost echelon. Hardcores will appreciate the book’s attention to detail while newbies will marvel at the band’s against-all-odds success story. Even casual fans will be enthralled by this colorful rock and roll tale.” – Robert Rodriguez, author of Revolver: How The Beatles Reimagined Rock ‘N’ Roll

“Even casual fans will be enthralled.” – Robert Rodriguez, author of Revolver: How The Beatles Reimagined Rock ‘N’ Roll

“Ken Sharp’s masterful study goes directly to the source-KISS themselves and the key masterminds behind them-to tell one of rock’s greatest glam-rags to riches stories. Driven young men, living in the gutter with their eyes on the stars, KISS didn’t just ignore their limitations, they obliterated them. Revel in the roar of the greasepaint and the smell of the crowd as they share it all, blow-by-blow, first hand.” – Paul Myers, author of A Wizard A True Star: Todd Rundgren In The Studio

“Revel in the roar of the greasepaint and the smell of the crowd as they share it all, blow-by-blow, first hand.” – Paul Myers, author of A Wizard A True Star: Todd Rundgren In The Studio

“A fascinating read about one of rock’s most outrageous bands.” – Simon Kirke, Bad Company/Free

“As someone who goes all the way back to high school with ‘Stan’ [Paul Stanley], I found the story of KISS’s fanatical determination, shockingly rare matter-of-fact common sense, raw luck, exquisite timing-not to mention the sheer brinksmanship of the whole lunatic enterprise-exhilarating and inspiring all over again.” – Binky Philips, My Life in the Ghost of Planets: The Story of a CBGB Almost-Was

“From KISS’s earliest days playing crummy bars in front of 50 people to headlining arenas, Nothin’ to Lose is a gripping look at the underbelly of rock ‘n’ roll. And as one of the members of KISS’s original road crew, I should know, I was there.” – Peter “Moose” Oreckinto, KISS roadie (1973-1976)

“A fascinating chronicle of the construction of a multimedia phenomenon.” – Publishers Weekly

“If you thought you knew everything there was to know about KISS . . . well, you’d be wrong. Nothin’ to Lose focuses on KISS’s early days from 1972 to 1975, all told in first-person by the band members, friends, and record industry insiders-including, yes, MOI! If you want to find out how Gene Simmons learned to breathe fire and what Paul Stanley’s early makeup looked like-this is the book that’ll tell you. Buy this book or just KISS off!” – Alice Cooper

“If you thought you knew everything there was to know about KISS . . . well, you’d be wrong. . . Buy this book or just KISS off!” – Alice Cooper

“A rollicking, wild ride through the creation of one of rock’s most iconographic bands, this is the ultimate KISS book. Whether it’s Paul Stanley telling the story of their early club shows, or Gene Simmons talking about how a promoter asked them to play not ‘so good’ to not discourage the headlining band, Nothin’ to Lose gives the insider’s perspective any KISS fan must have.” – Charles R. Cross

“The ultimate KISS book. . . Nothin’ to Lose gives the insider’s perspective any KISS fan must have – Charles R. Cross, author of Heavier than Heaven: A Biography of Kurt Cobain

“Stuffed with outrageous stories gleaned from a myriad of different perspectives-from their days struggling to find the band’s muse, to weird and funny stories about being on the road, to the creation of the KISS Army and their eventual rise to fame-Nothin’ to Lose rises above the standard cookie-cutter anecdotes heard a million times to offer KISS fans a unique look at the origins of one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Anyone who wants to know what it was like to make it in rock ‘n’ roll in the seventies will need to pick this up.”- – Dale Sherman, author of Black Diamond: The Unauthorized Biography of KISS

“Rises above the standard cookie-cutter anecdotes… [for] a unique look at the origins of one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Anyone who wants to know what it was like to make it in rock ‘n’ roll in the seventies will need to pick this up.” – Dale Sherman, author of Black Diamond: The Unauthorized Biography of KISS

“Nothin’ To Lose is the quintessential story of the origins of one of the most popular and successful rock bands in the world. The KISS story is told with complete accuracy and attention to detail by Ken Sharp with help from Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. Mandatory reading for every new artist. This is a masterpiece!” – Kenny Kerner, Co-producer of KISS and Hotter Than Hell

“Told with complete accuracy and attention to detail… Mandatory reading for every new artist. This is a masterpiece!” – Kenny Kerner, Co-producer of KISS and Hotter Than Hell

“Nothin’ to Lose is a joyous and mesmerizing exploration of the early history of the ‘Hottest Band in the World’ through the first-hand recollections of those closest to the action. A celebration of the persistence and self-belief of the band and their early supporters as they fought for their existence and hard-won success, this book is addictive. You won’t be able to put it down!” – Julian Gill, author of the Kiss Album Focus series

“A joyous and mesmerizing exploration of the early history of the ‘Hottest Band in the World’… This book is addictive. You won’t be able to put it down!” – Julian Gill, author of the Kiss Album Focus series

An indelible and irresistible portrait of the crucial formative years of the legendary rock band KISS and the music scene they changed forever—culminating with the groundbreaking success of their classic 1975 album Alive! and the smash single “Rock and Roll All Nite”

Including original interviews with: Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, Bob Seger, Alice Cooper, and Ted Nugent, as well as members of Aerosmith, Black Sabbath, Rush, Slade, Blue Öyster Cult, Mott the Hoople, Journey, REO Speedwagon, Styx, Raspberries, the James Gang, the New York Dolls, Iggy & the Stooges, the Ramones, Suzi Quatro, Argent, and Uriah Heep.