Punky Meadows, the guitarist for glam-rock outfit Angel, recently revealed the true story behind his failed audition with KISS. Meadows, who\u2019s known as the only guitarist who turned down KISS, shared details about how a single sentence cost him the opportunity to join the legendary rock band. His account was featured in\u00a0Guitar World.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meadows explained the circumstances that led to his audition and what transpired during his meeting with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAngel was broken up, and Gregg [Giuffria, keyboardist] and I had a band called Legend,\u201d Meadows said. \u201cAnd then, Barry Levine, a photographer who did all the Casablanca stuff and did the KISS and Angel photos back in the day, called me up. He said, \u2018Listen, Punky, KISS is looking for a guitar player. Ace is gone.’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI said, \u2018Yeah, I kind of heard something about that, but I didn\u2019t pay much attention to it,’\u201d he continued. \u201cHe said, \u2018Well, they\u2019re looking for a guitar player. I\u2019m at The Record Plant right now with Gene and Paul. I mentioned your name, and Gene said, \u2018That\u2019s a great idea!\u2019 I said, \u2018Okay, well, have Gene call me.’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The audition itself went smoothly. Meadows impressed the band members during the session.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cGene goes, \u2018Hey, we\u2019d like you to come down and sit in with us. Learn one side of Alive! We don\u2019t care which, just learn one side and come down,’\u201d Meadows recalled. \u201cI probably learned the first side, went down to their rehearsal space, walked in, and Gene, Paul, and Eric Carr were there, playing Zeppelin\u2019s Communication Breakdown.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI just walked in, plugged up, played, and it sounded really great,\u201d he said. \u201cEverybody was really happy, and so I sat down on the drum riser with Gene, and he said, \u2018You got the gig. Let\u2019s talk.\u2019 I go, \u2018Well, Gregg and I are shopping a deal. I have to talk to Gregg\u2026 I gotta let him know.’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This response immediately changed the atmosphere in the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAs soon as I said that, Gene got up and said, \u2018Come on, Paul. Let\u2019s go,’\u201d Meadows explained. \u201cThey stormed outta there, and just left me sitting on the drum riser, talking to Eric for about a half hour, or so. Anyway, I got home, and Barry called me up, saying, \u2018Punky\u2026 what\u2019d you do?\u2019 I said, \u2018What do you mean?\u2019 He said, \u2018Gene and Paul came back to the studio with their jaws on the floor. Gene said, \u2018No one has ever turned down KISS.\u2019 I said, \u2018Barry, I didn\u2019t turn them down. I just said I had to let Gregg know.’\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Meadows later learned the financial implications of his misunderstood response.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cBut I guess I insulted Gene so much by not just taking it and saying \u2018yes\u2019 right away,\u201d he said. \u201cBarry then said, \u2018Well, they were going to offer you $200,000 a year plus points\u2026\u2019 And at the time, I was broke, you know?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The incident highlights how a simple miscommunication led to Meadows missing out on what could have been a career-defining opportunity with one of rock\u2019s most successful bands.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
This wasn\u2019t the only major opportunity that slipped through Meadows\u2019 fingers during his career. The guitarist\u2019s reputation and talent had attracted attention from several legendary rock acts beyond KISS.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Wikipedia\u00a0documented that Meadows was invited to join Kiss, Aerosmith, and the New York Dolls, all of which he turned down. This pattern of declining major opportunities suggests that his loyalty to his bandmates and existing commitments often took precedence over potentially lucrative career moves.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The timing of the KISS audition coincided with a transitional period in Meadows\u2019 career.\u00a0VWMusic\u00a0revealed that after Angel broke up, Meadows, Gregg Giuffria, and Barry Brandt formed a band with Ricky Phillips and Fergie Frederiksen while shopping for a record deal. This explains why Meadows felt obligated to consult with Giuffria before accepting the KISS offer.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Born Edwin Lionel Meadows Jr. on February 6, 1950,\u00a0Wikipedia\u00a0confirmed that Punky Meadows is an American guitarist best known as a member of the band Angel between 1975 and 1980. His glam rock image and guitar skills made him a sought-after musician during the height of the genre\u2019s popularity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The guitarist\u2019s career took an unexpected turn after Angel\u2019s initial run ended.\u00a0Guitar World\u00a0reported that Meadows walked away from the music industry for over three decades before making his return. His recent comeback has been described as meaningful. The guitarist stated that Angel\u2019s second act \u201cmeans all the world to me.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Punky Meadows, the guitarist for glam-rock outfit Angel, recently revealed the true story behind his failed audition with…\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":20352,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-20351","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-musician"},"yoast_head":"\n