If cats have 9 lives, the cat man must have used up several in his feral youth, but he's definately purring over his latest one, happily ensconced behind the drums once again in KISS. Peter Criss has walked a sometimes rocky road since his exit from the band in 1980, encountering career obstacles and personal hardships, but he's landed on his feet - enthusiasm, optimism, and sense of humor intact - and isn't afraid to talk honestly about the experiences that provided life-changing lessons.

G : It's nice to see you happy, Peter. P : It's good to be back with the family. You're wanted, you got a lot of attention, there's a lot going on. We're back, it's a good feeling, it's nice to play stadiums and arenas again. We're getting off on each other again. At rehearsals we're jumping up and down. We were wondering if there's something wrong with us or it's just that we're happy to be back together.
G : Which KISS songs are toughest to learn again ? P : "Watchin you", "She", "Parasite" are my enemy songs, and my solo with "God of Thunder" is hard. I have to keep listening because I forgot, it's been 17 years. I forgot how physical we were. That's what we ran on, energy. Now it's running on more brains and timing and pacing yourself. I never did that, Gene always said I was my worst enemy, I'd sort of go along just flying. I'm getting better with that.
G : Which songs came back the easiest ? P : "Strutter". I'm working on "Beth". It has to be exactly the same. I owe it to the fans. I had gotten away from doing "Beth" the way we used to do it, through the years I messed with it and it got Vegas-y, because we were doing night clubs. Gene said it. "Hey, if I came to see you and that song has meant so much to me, and it's like some other song, I'm gonna hate you." That's why I have to listen to the stuff over and over, I put up old movies of us. It's unbelievable how much homework this is. They get on me consistently. They want the original drumming an attitude. I'm a different drummer, I'm a better drummer and the guys know it. I'm playing better, I'm better. I don't take things like I used to and freak out. I understand that everything they say is from the heart.
G : How do you account for KISS' enduring popularity ? P : We've always been every parent's nightmare. Guys in 7" heels and platforms - I don't think parents ever really cared for us. I think that's a good thing. Teenagers, kids love to rebel. We were worrying we'd ever get cool, that they wouldn't rebel anymore ! I think we've always had the edge, and kids always loved that about us. We always set our own pace, ran our own road, we never really copied anybody. We always did our own thing and we never stopped. We had this incredible winning thing about us, and no matter who gets in the way, no matter who puts us down, no matter what happens, come hell or high water we're gonna get there.
That's the attitude we've always had and we've got it back again. I think that's the major reason for our popularity. That and the love for our fans. We've always reached out to KISS fans. And being a KISS fan doesn't come easy. We had the balls to come back after 17 years. And none of us have ever stopped, we always kept trying, good or bad. All my hard times, I always had the guts to still keep going no matter how hard it seemed for me, and for Ace, too. The fans love each one of us for the special something each one of us has.
G : You talk about parents - you're a parent. What does your daughter Jenilee think of all this ?
P : My daughter is flying, she's a KISS fan, and she never saw all of this. She doesn't know Gene or Paul all that well. It's a new world for her.
G : I bet she's popular now. P :" What can we give you to get us tickets to see your dad?" She's huge in school.
G : She has to watch it and not let people use her. P : I told her that. I'm going to let her go through some of the moves because she has to learn. But I'm finding that people come out of that woodwork too.
G : Does Jenilee play any instruments ? P : No but she has a beatiful voice. She doesn't think much of it. But she loves to buy CDs. She's into the Pumpkins, Oasis, so many bands. She got me into a lot of stuff. It's good for me.
G : What was it about drums that intrigued you ? P : When I was very young, music played consistently in my house. My father loved the big bands - Benny Good man, Artie Shaw, Count Basie. That's what I started out playing, big band music. My idol was Gene Krupa. When I heard that "Drum Boogie" as a kid, that was it. That's what I wanted to be. My closest friend I grew up with since kindergarten was Jerry Nolan of the New York Dolls. Jerry wanted to be a drummer also. Gene Krupa was his idol as much as mine. My mom loved Dinah Washington and Billie Holliday. She would sing for hours, she had the best voice, one of the most beautiful voices I've ever heard. She could have been a proffesional singer. My dad was a ballroom dancer, he was in dance marathons when he was young. So music ran in my family and it was playing in my house all the time. They didn't have a television, they couldn't afford it so they had a radio and an old Victrola. That's why I wrote on my solo album, "I was vaccinated with a Victrola needle and I'm hooked on rock'n roll." I started beating on pots and pans with knives and forks, I played phone books, my dad got me an old pair of brushes, in a hock shop, and I played and played. I didn't drive my mother crazy, she loved it. It never bothered her. My dad picked up an old Army snare drum for me. Ever since I can remember  wanted to be a drummer. At one point, I was around 15, I couldn't afford a floor tom tom and neither could Jerry so we got one and shared it. He was lefty and I was righty so we set up our drums side by side and we played.
G : Your parents were into music, but were they supportive of the fact that you wanted to become a rock musician ? P : Yes absolutely, totally. My mother made some of the first KISS t-shirts with glue and glitter. She made my hot pants, embroidered my name on the ass, with one S at the time. I still have them. And the pants I gave you she made. She was a major supportive person, she came to all the KISS rehearsals in the early days in the loft.
G : So you always had your family's support. P : Yes, that's probably why I miss them so dearly because they're not here to see this. A week ago I was lying on my coach, there's a big family portrait next to it, a photo we took with our families, the first time we played Madison Square Garden. I looked up at it and started crying, because I realized I'm going back there and the two people in that picture are gone. Ace's, Paul's, and Gene's parents are still living and mine aren't. It really hurts. I'm going to dedicate my drum solo when I do it at the Garden to my parents. I believe my mother has a lot to do with why this is all happening.
G : Your guardian angel. P : I believe that and it keeps me going.
G : What did you think when you heard about Stone Temple Pilots not being able to do the Tiger Stadium show with KISS because the singer nearly overdosed and went into rehab ? P : I pray for him. When you're in that place you can blame it on stress and make excuses, I did the same thing. If you can't get high on your music, your band, your family, the important things in life, you're in trouble. I did the same thing, I was in his place, and I hope he gets out of it. You have to consider your music, your band, your family and what you're really here for. You gotta hit the bottom to see the top. How could you get that low ? By getting that high. I hit the bottom in 82, went to rehab. It was a nightmare. It was the best thing I could have done for myself. I went once, that was enough of a lesson for me not to want to go back. It's hard. It was no picnic - no pools, no tennis courts, no bullshit. You kicked it and you stayed straight. I pray for anyone who gets out of that snakepit. You know what, every day above ground is a good day.
G : How do you prepare for the show ? Are you going to do warmups on pads ? P : I never did that before because my adrenalin is so high, it's good - thank god - that at this age I have so much energy. But now I need to, I work out on the pad every night, it keeps me in good time. There's a new set of drums, they're like 60 pounds, they come in a suitcase. I can set'em up in the back dressing room and I can warm up. It's something I never did but I'll do that now.
G : Do you have to do anything to prepare mentally ? P : No, this is enough for me, just to know where we're at right now.
G : When you're on stage, what goes through your head ? P : So much runs through my head. Sometimes I think about going to Hawaii ! Sometimes I pick someone out of the audience and stare at that person for a while. I'm always trying to look at someone who's really digging it and I'll look at that person and all the vibes will go to everyone else.
G : How do you feel afterward ? Drained or flying ? P : I'm flying. I can't sleep - I never could sleep well anyway. After a show I could do three more shows. I always wish  we'd do another show after the show, because I'd be calmer, more collected, more paced, my arms  would be a lot looser. And after a show I've got an amazing appetite, I can eat two pizza pies. I'm really worked up. I run from one guy's room to the other. I used  to weigh myself before the show and after and I lost three to four pounds per show. The boots weigh more than me. You lose weight on the road, you work it off at night. Now that I'm tinier I'm a bit worried about that. I'm trying to eat and build up my muscles. But I don't believe any rock star can be thin enough !
G : So you mentioned not being able to sleep, do you have trouble on the bus ?
P : I can't sleep at the hotel, much less on the bus. All my life I've never been a great sleeper. My dad worked nights and I used to stay up all night with my mom. There are times when I don't sleep for two days and then I'll get the greatest sleep in the world. But lately, sometimes I wake up every hour on the hour. Last night I was up till 6:00 in the morning. I lie in bed and my mind starts racing. I get in bed and that's when it all hits me. I tried sleping pills in the past, but they made me feel worse. I couldn't function, I was crancky. Even Excedrin PM, I take one and I get a headache, I feel like shit when I wake up. I bring my own pillows, at least then I'll get some sleep in. And I bring certain pillowcases, with superheroes on them. I'm like a little kid, I like cheerful pillowcases. They really stand out at the hotel ! I bring other things from home, a portriait of my mom and dad, my daughter. I used to bring a teddy bear with me. Why grow up ? There's nothing wrong with it. Whatever gets you through the night.
G : What about days off ? Will you go out or hole up in your hotel room ? P : I used to hole up in my hotel room due to the coke abuse in the early days. You couldn't go out anyway because you'd be hassled. But the years have gone by now and I've this freedom to go anywhere I want. I went to Europe last year and was out everywhere with my camera. If I can I'd like to, that's bullshit being locked up in a room, that's over for me. I want to really enjoy this ride. I want to capture it, put it on video and on camera. I want to remember the days, I don't want to waste them away in my room anymore. I have too much energy and life's too short. I have a whole different attitude about that. I told Paul, let's go out, let's go to restaurants, wherever's cool in that town. Let's make sure we take it in, so when this is all over I can say, "Wow what a great ride we had." I don't want to spend the rest of my life in a hotel again.
G : Looking back on the highlights of KISS, what standout moments come to mind ? P : Madison Square Garden the first time. When I was 13 I passed it with my mother and told her I'd play it some day. I swore to her I would and I did, so to me that's a major milestone. Anaheim Stadium was outrageous, the first stadium I ever played, big moment for me.
G : Do you have a favorite of all the past KISS albums and songs ? P : I still love the first album, always will. I love Hotter Than Hell, great album. I love the early albums. We were young, they meant so much to us. One of my favorites is Destroyer, and KISS Alive ! is my all time favorite. We had so much energy, we just played. That great KISS energy was there. It's the all time greatest rock and roll album in the world.
G : What are you proudest of from your solo material ? P : There's a song on my solo album called "I can't stop the rain", I think it's one of the best songs I've sung, and another on there I wrote for my ex-wife called "Baby don't you let me down". I was really proud of that album. I liked Let Me Rock You, it was a damn good album but it got shoved out of the way. Gene wrote something on there, Steve Stevens, some of the guys in Toto, Vini Poncia produced it. A lot of great musicians on there. And the last one I did, The Cat #1, "Blue Moon Over Brooklyn" was about my mother's death. When she died a blue moon was shining through the hospital window. There will not be another blue moon till 2111. That meant so much to me, that song. I wrote another song about the breakup of my marriage, "For The Good Times". "The Truth", on The Cat is about civil war, the death of Martin Luther King. I like to write true stuff. "Blue Moon" is a personal song to me, I wish it would have made it.
G : Do you think some of your solo material may get re-released now ? P : I hope so. That would be very cool. It was on a label that didn't really push it. Nobody paid attention to it. Maybe people will pick it up now and give it a second look. I went in with no money and I killed myself doing it. It was right after I got smugged and I was there with a crushed in face, I was on painkillers. When I was singing "Blue Moon Over Brooklyn", I really felt it. If this wasn't one of the most painful albums of my career I don't know what was. It took so much out of me, so many sleepless nights, so much pain. It was terrible. So much agony went into that album.
G : Where do you see yourself in 10 years ? P : I see myself living in Kauai, having a studio there, still writing, still playing, maybe producing, being the mayor of the Island, having a nice boat. The guys can visit me whenever they want. Really enjoying life. I want to be surfing at 60.
G : Are you into surfing ? P : No, but I will be at 60 ! I want to skydive, too. Why not, if you're healthy. My mom always said, "It ain't the age it's the stage." I've been all over the world and that island is paradise. It holds a major place in my heart, I've been going there for the last 10 - 15 years and I love it there. It's where I want to retire, it's my dream.
G : Where are you living now ? P : At the beach. I like the ocean. As long as I'm near the ocean I'm happy. I find peace of mind there.
G : There are a lot of singles there. P : Yeah. There are a million women down here. I'm a single guy now. I'm gonna have a good time on tour !