KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer gave an interview to Guitar World in which he explained his role in KISS and claimed he is the Ronnie Wood of the band.
Tommy Thayer started working part-time with Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons back in 1994 for their upcoming book ‘Kisstory.’ Following that, he managed the band’s 1995 Worldwide KISS Convention tour as well as the KISS MTV Unplugged concert.
During the preparations for 1996’s KISS Alive/Worldwide Tour, Thayer worked with Ace Frehley and Peter Criss to help them relearn their 1970s original guitar and drum parts. Moreover, the future KISS guitarist also worked as the producer and editor of the band’s long-length video and film releases.
In 2002, Tommy attended KISS’ performance at the 2002 Winter Olympics Closing Ceremony to fill in for Frehley, if necessary. A month later, he made an appearance with KISS at a private concert as The Spaceman, the stage persona created by the band’s original guitarist Ace Frehley.
After the 2002 performance in Jamaica, Thayer officially became the lead guitarist for KISS. Since the time he first got involved with the band, the guitarist has made many contributions to the band’s success. In a recent conversation with Guitar World, Thayer touched upon his role in the band and what he has brought.
In the interview, Thayer said he has been KISS’ lead guitarist longer than any other guitarist who played with KISS. However, he argued that he will always be the new guy and the guitarist who joined the band later. Then, Thayer claimed he is the Ronnie Wood of KISS due to that.
Following that, Thayer touched upon his contributions to the band and stated he is the glue that kept KISS together. The guitarist then added that his character and personality is of a team player, and that’s how he ensured they stayed together and made it work.
Tommy Thayer told Guitar World the following:
“I don’t know if many people realize this, but I’ve been the lead guitarist in KISS longer than any other KISS guitar player. But I will always be known as ‘the new guy’ though – no matter what happens. I’m ‘the Ronnie Wood’ of KISS.
My legacy will be a guy who came in, worked hard, and was the glue that kept the band together for a long period of time. I think the kind of character and personality that I have is that of a team player and somebody who can bring people together and bind things together.
And I think the reason that we’ve done so well and so consistently in the last 20 years is because of the personalities, the give and take, and the ability to keep everybody happy… and keep working together on a professional level.
It works well. I’ll probably be that guy that has been in the band longer than anybody else besides Gene and Paul, that kept things together and was the glue that made it work.“
Apparently, Tommy Thayer made that remark because Ronnie Wood also joined the Rolling Stones later on as the replacement of Mick Taylor. Considering his contributions to the KISS, it is safe to say that Thayer’s role in the KISS had indeed made an impact on the band’s career.
