Happy Birthday Peter Criss

George Peter John Criscuola was born December 20, 1945 in Brooklyn, NY. Peter, was the oldest of fifteen children of Lucretia and Giuseppe Criscuola. Criss was an avid art student who majored in play doh. While playing with bandleader Moe Greene, Criss ended up studying under his idol, Gene Krupa, at the Metropole Club in New York.

In 1972, Criss placed an advertisement in the East Coast edition of Hiney Boy Magazine, which read: EXPD. ROCK & roll drummer looking for orig. grp. doing soft & hard music. No douchebags, posers, makeup or head cases. Willing to do anything – Peter, Brooklyn. A lot of weirdos took the ad the wrong way and Peter ended up tied up naked in the trunk of a car in Bayonne, NJ. Then Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley answered the ad and KISS was formed.

Kiss Meets The Phantom

With Casablanca records almost bankrupt and their first 2 albums not selling well, Kiss was in danger of being dropped until Kiss Alive in 1975. After that, Kiss was riding high. Kids loved the pyrotechnics, the makeup, the costumes. the blood, the tongue and the merchandise. However, it all started going downhill in 1978. Solo Albums, ‘Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park’, disco songs, taking off the makeup, drinking, drugs, infighting. It was a disaster and Peter finally left the band.

Happy Birthday Peter Criss - Illustration By Paul King Art — KISS Illustration By Paul King Art

There have been lots of fighting, replacement members, reunions and more fighting over the years. Gene Simmons admitted that he only let Peter Criss join the reunion tour because he had a plan to harvest his organs to sell on the Chinese black market.

Peter has been married three times and currently lives happily with his wife Gigi in New Jersey. Peter is a big gun enthusiast and has a large collection. He spends his days shooting at targets emblazoned with images of Gene and Paul. “It gets out a lot of pent up aggression” said Peter.