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One of the original members of Kiss went to see a Beatles movie when it was new. During the film, he started crying like a baby. Notably, he recorded the film on a tape recorder so he could listen to it again and again.

Kiss members Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, and Gene Simmons leaning on a railing
Kiss members Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, Peter Criss, and Gene Simmons | Steve Morley/Redferns

This member of Kiss said The Beatles changed his life

The Beatles and Kiss have a number of things in common. Both bands have four members, a rocky history, plenty of merchandise, and members who had solo hits. One of the members of Kiss wasn’t interested in The Beatles initially, but later became a huge fan.

In his autobiography, Makeup to Breakup, Kiss’ Peter Criss discusses how his attitude toward The Beatles evolved. “When I first saw the Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, I was not that crazy about them,” he wrote. “I loved The [Rolling] Stones then. But then I really got into the Beatles and their lyrics, and they changed my life.”

Peter Criss wanted to look like The Beatles and said his life was like 1 of their movies

Criss revealed exactly how the group changed his life. “I started to wear a Sgt. Pepper hairstyle, I grew a mustache like Paul McCartney’s, and then I got into the [John] Lennon image, all in white with white sneakers and my hair long and straight down with the wire-rimmed glasses. Waiting for a new Beatles album was like waiting for a gift from the gods.” Criss noted he once got his hands on an advance copy of The White Album.

When he visited England, Criss and his wife, Lydia Di Leonardo, saw a Beatles movie that affected him. “In Piccadilly Circus, we went to see Let It Be, the Beatles’ last movie,” he said. “They were in the process of breaking up then and I just started crying like a baby. ‘Oh, my God. It’s over, it’s really over,’ I was babbling. I recorded the whole movie on a little tape recorder and listened to it over and over again.”

Peter Criss said this Kiss music video was similar to the movie

Criss would later relate his own life to Let It Be. During the filming of Kiss’ video for “Shandi,” Criss realized he wasn’t going to be a part of the band anymore. The scene in the video where everyone has their heads down reminded Criss of Let It Be because The Beatles knew their band was over while they made that film.

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In the same vein, the members of Kiss knew Criss was leaving the band when they shot “Shandi.” “Shandi” reached No. 47 on the Billboard Hot 100, staying on the chart for 10 weeks. Its parent album, Unmasked, peaked at No. 35 on the Billboard 200 and lasted on the chart for 14 weeks. Regardless, Criss would not return to the band until the original lineup reunited in the 1990s. Let It Be moved Criss — and he felt his own life mimicked the film.

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