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23. Juli 2026
INTERVIEW WITH TOMMY THAYER (via
Pavel Hromada) Kiss will be there, we won't be there!
The paths of rock and roll are sometimes unpredictable.
And so it happened that guitarist of the legendary Kiss
Tommy Thayer spends a lot of time in the Czech Republic. "I
thought, since I'm here, I might as well get involved in the
local scene," he says in the hotel lobby, where we meet a
few days after he guested with Ben Cristovao at Rock for
People. And some orthodox rockers almost burst a vein.
"Believe me, I'm used to it," chuckles Tommy, who has heard
his share of things since he officially became Spaceman in
Kiss.
He has many nicknames in the band, of which he
has been a member for almost a quarter of a century. For
example, Tommy, the Kiss fan, because he knows the band's
repertoire better than its authors. "We've recorded a few
new songs. But I don't know what we're going to use them
for," he reveals about the future of the legendary masked
band. "We're definitely not done. We're just not going to
tour anymore." But we have to start this conversation with
the collaboration with Ben Cristovao, which, in addition to
hosting the festival, also resulted in the joint song
Bikerock.
You've been here quite often lately. What
is your relationship with the Czech Republic? It's an
interesting story. Three years ago, when Kiss last played at
the 02 Arena in Prague, I met a girl named Vivian after the
concert, who lives not far from Prague. We got along, you
know. And so we started a relationship. She often came to
visit me in the United States and went on tour with us. We
gradually became closer and closer and, as you can probably
guess, she got pregnant. Now we have a daughter who is
eighteen months old. So I've been coming here quite
regularly since then. About every month and a half.
You've been here quite often lately. What is your
relationship with the Czech Republic?
It's an
interesting story. Three years ago, when Kiss last played at
the 02 Arena in Prague, I met a girl named Vivian after the
concert, who lives not far from Prague. We got along, you
know. And so we started a relationship. She often came to
visit me in the United States and went on tour with us. We
gradually became closer and closer and, as you can probably
guess, she got pregnant. Now we have a daughter who is
eighteen months old. So I've been coming here quite
regularly since then. About every month and a half.
But you also started working with Czech musicians...
Yes. I thought that if I spend time with you, I can get
involved in the local music scene. First of all, it's my
passion. Music is what I love. And at the same time, it's
another thing for me to do, to work, to stay active, and to
do what I love, now that I have a family and a little
daughter here.
I know you filmed with Turbo, that
sounds logical. But working with Ben Cristovao was a
surprise...
I met his manager Lukáš Rychtarík about a
year ago, maybe a little less. It was quite a coincidence,
because he got in touch with me by email. And I was just
thinking that I might want to get in touch with him, because
I heard about Championship Music. I knew about Ben, I was
interested in what he was doing, because he is one of the
biggest pop performers in the Czech Republic. At the same
time, I was starting to write some music with Dan Reed. I
don't know if you know him, he's American, but he's lived in
Prague for about fourteen years. In the eighties and early
nineties, Dan Reed had a band called Network. They had some
success around the world, they did good tours, they
supported Bon Jovi, the Rolling Stones and others.
I
admit that I don't know much about him...
We've known
each other for a long time. When I first came to Prague, I
called Dan because we hadn't talked for a long time. I said
to him: "Let's get together, spend some time together." And
that's how it started. I went to his place, he lives not far
from the hotel, and he has a small recording studio in a
room at home. I said to him: "I have an idea for a song." We
put it together, we recorded something, and I thought it was
really good...
I suppose we're talking about that
song with Ben now.
We continued to do it. I enjoyed
it. At the same time, I was thinking that maybe there might
be someone in Czech who would like to hear those songs,
production, co-writing or anything related to that was
interesting. And at that moment, Lukáš contacted me via
email. We got in touch, I sent him some songs and he played
them to Ben. One of those things he was interested. He liked
it so much that he said, "I'd like to work on this one." It
was about nine or ten months ago.
So that's the song
Bikerock?
Yes, exactly. But it was originally called
something else. Dan and I basically had a song ready. The
music stayed the same, the melody is very similar. But Ben
didn't want to use the original lyrics. He wanted to go in a
different direction lyrically, because he loves his Harley.
He wanted to do something about his beloved motorcycle,
which we thought was fine. It made more sense because it was
more in line with his personality. The original lyrics went
a bit differently. I even thought at one point that I would
show the song to Kiss, but that would have been a different
approach. Anyway, Ben and I got together a few times,
reworked the lyrics and some of the melodies. But the music
and the overall feeling remained basically the same as in
the beginning. So we ended up writing it together. All three
of us co-wrote it. And that's how Bikerock was born.
When you appeared on the Rock for People stage, it seemed to
me in one word "cool". I was very surprised by the reactions
on social networks. "How could you afford it?" "It's a
betrayal of Kiss!" "Let's hope that Gene Simmons never finds
out!" I think that, sorry, sometimes people give a fuck...
That's crazy. But I'm used to the fact that the internet
is full of crazy people with their big opinions, who of
course know better than us how to do it. That's why they
have such great musical careers!
I think that in
today's world, on the contrary, the most interesting thing
is when unusual collaborations are created. We are not in
the 1980s or 1990s. We are already approaching 2030! And now
this is what is interesting. An artist like Ben is of course
from a different genre than I am. And I am older. But when
you take what I have, which is strong and valuable, and put
it together with what he has, something interesting is
created. And another important thing is that we also have a
lot in common. We all grew up on great pop and rock music.
Ben too.
Oh, right. About five years ago, I did an
interview with him and he was almost all about Aerosmith. He
loves that band...
Exactly! How could he not? We all
love Aerosmith, Kiss, Beatles, Stones. Those are the roots
of everything for everyone, no matter what you do and
produce today. Another example is Aerosmith and Run-D.M.C.
Come on. That collaboration restarted their careers! These
are the things that hardcore fans or traditionalists first
say: ,"That's terrible, that's not allowed, that's against
the rules." I don't agree with that. I think that's exactly
the best. To put two things together and create something
strong, new. And as you said about Rock for People. You got
a "wow" feeling. And it was "cool". It was refreshing for me
too!
THE INTERNET IS FULL OF CRAZY PEOPLE WITH THEIR
BIG OPINIONS, WHO OF COURSE KNOW BETTER THAN WE HOW TO DO
IT. THAT'S WHY THEY HAVE SUCH BIG MUSIC CAREERS
I
also always saw Kiss as a rock band that made rock pop.
Absolutely. Kiss are a loud guitar, rock and roll band.
But they always had a strong pop feel. Just like Aerosmith,
Def Leppard, or even AC/DC. You Shook Me All Night Long is
actually a pop melody, just with heavy, loud guitars.
That's how it's always been. And if you look at what Ben
does, it's basically pop music with good melodies and lyrics
that resonate with young people. That's exactly what it's
all about.
Speaking of Kiss: you probably have time
for these collaborations because Kiss stopped touring...
The timing is really remarkable. Kiss ended their
concert career with the End of the Road World Tour in
December 2023. That's two and a half years ago. That gives
me more time. It's interesting how life works sometimes. I
can come here, watch my daughter grow up, and at the same
time build relationships with Czech musicians. It's a great
thing that it happened in such a timely manner. If Kiss had
still been on tour, a lot of this probably wouldn't have
happened at all because I would have been busy somewhere
else.
POSTER/SUPER POSTER
(von Detlef Münstermann) Ich bin Sammler des deutschen
SUPERPOSTER MAGAZINS und des schwedischen POSTER MAGAZINS
Auf meiner Website
www.posteryeti.eu sind alle COVER der Magazine
POSTER und SUPERPOSTER in der Größe 200x286 Pixel
abgebildet.
BEN CRISTOVAO & TOMMY THAYER LIVE ON STAGE
(from Pavel Hromada) Ben Cristovao switched to rock and
roll with the guitarist from Kiss. They had a blast at Rock
for People.
In the end a very special guest comes on
stage, Tommy Thayer with the iconic white Gibson Les Paul,
the guitar he played in the band Kiss. Yes, you read that
right. Ben invited the Kiss guitarist to Hradec.
If
you bring someone from Kiss, then something from Kiss has to
be played, and so it comes to one of the band's biggest
hits, the song I Was Made For Lovin You. Was it necessary?
Probably not, and it's clear that this position doesn't suit
Ben very much vocally. Maybe this is the first time I've
found something that isn't perfect. On the other hand,
everyone sings the iconic chorus on the Hradec Králové
airport. And that won't change until the end of the concert. Ben
Cristovao & Tommy Thayer - I Was Made For Loving You - Rock
For People 2026
[Deine Meinung]
7. Juni 2026
CZECH RAPPER BEN CRISTOVAO ENTERS ROCK WITH KISS GUITARIST.
HE WILL ALSO COME TO ROCK FOR PEOPLE
(via Pavel Hromada) Ben Cristovao has released a new
single Bikerock, featuring Tommy Thayer from Kiss. The
surprising collaboration won't just stay in the studio - the
famous guitarist is also set to appear with Ben at
rockforpeople.cz/en
And there's more to the whole
story than just a quick festival idea.
Ben Cristovao
is not a name that would normally appear on metalista.cz But
the new single Bikerock deserves the attention of the harder
scene. Not because Ben would transform into a metal frontman
overnight. But because he invited a person whose name
belongs in the textbook of great American hard rock to the
rock-tinged song: Tommy Thayer from Kiss.
The new
song was released just before this year's Rock For People,
where Ben will perform on Friday, June 12. And that's where
Thayer is set to arrive as a special guest. An ordinary
studio curiosity thus becomes a festival moment that will be
watched by the audience, who might otherwise have missed
Ben's concert.
At first glance, this may seem like a
very unexpected connection. Cristovao comes from a
completely different world than Kiss. ??But that's exactly
what makes this news interesting. Rock for People has long
been based on clashes of genres, and Bikerock fits perfectly
into this logic. The pop performer takes the rock'n'roll
language, adds a great guitar legend, and tests whether a
similar combination can also work in front of a festival
crowd.
According to available information, Tommy
Thayer is not just a guest solo in the chorus. He was also
supposed to be a co-author of the song, sung in English. The
recording was made at the Golden Hive studio, and in
addition to Ben and Thayer, Dan Reed and producer Ondrej
Fiedler, known as fiedlerski, are also signed to the song.
Ben's guitarist Karol Komenda also participated in the
recording.
However, this is not the first significant
Czech connection for Thayer. In recent months, he has also
been talked about here because of his collaboration with the
band Turbo. The latter has a personal background: Tommy is
the partner of Vivien Kybicová, daughter of the late singer
and guitarist Richard Kybicová, one of the key figures of
Czech rock and the original face of Turbo. Thayer wrote the
song Time Of My Life for Turbo, the Czech version of which
is known as Vidím tu lásky svý stát, and according to his
own words, he wanted to honor the memory of Vivien's father.
It is this Czech line that gives the whole story another
dimension. TommyThayer is no longer just a former Kiss
guitarist who briefly appears in a home video or on a
festival stage. Lately, he has been moving around the Czech
scene more naturally than one might expect. Whether through
family ties, Turbo, or now through Ben Cristovao.
The
metal audience will probably be divided about such a
collaboration. Some fans will take it as a fun fling. Some
will be scratching their heads as to what Ben Cristovao has
to do with rock. But it is important not to remain
prejudiced here. Thayer has no reason to guest on something
he would not stand for musically at all. And if Bikerock is
supposed to function mainly as a festival challenge, then it
makes sense: a simple idea, a distinctive guitar, a
well-known name and a desire to make the performance
something more than an ordinary set.
Tommy Thayer was
the man in Kiss who took over the role of Spaceman after Ace
Frehley left and for many years held the guitar pillar of
one of the biggest rock brands in the world. At Kiss, he
learned exactly what a similar song needs: a direct stroke,
a stage gesture and the awareness that rock’n’roll is not
just a set of chords, but also an attitude.
So
Bikerock is not news that Czech pop has discovered metal en
masse. It is more of a small but very visible genre
shortcut. Ben Cristovao borrowed a piece of rock mythology
and brought a guide who was actually in that world. Now it
remains to be seen whether this will remain just an
interesting story at Rock for People, or whether it will
become one of the most surprising moments of this year's
festival.
NEW ACE FREHLEY SPECIAL
(from Naokiss) Today, on Ace’s birthday, “BURRN! Presents
Memorial: KISS Ace Frehley” (Shinko Music Mook) has just
been released in Japan. I just bought it. Here's my copy.
NEW KSS COVER AIR ON RUSSIAN TV
(from Alex Fedotov) Watch the new cover version of KISS,
which was shown on the Russian channel NTV on April 5. The
show is called "The Mask" and the performer is Beaver. The
show is still on the air, so the name of the artist behind
the mask of the beaver has not yet been revealed.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMitbBVYWas
[Deine Meinung]
Heart valve replacement surgery was a success! On the road to recovery, taking it one step at a time. Grateful for my Heart Surgeon and his staff. And special thanks to Lisa for her love and support.
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