Superstar guitarist Marty Friedman was rejected by KISS for being “too short”.
The former Megadeth musician who spent ten years with the iconic heavy metal group between 1990 and 2000 once auditioned for the Gene Simmons-fronted band but the opportunity was taken away almost immediately.
During an interview with ‘Sam Ash Music’ about the experience, when Friedman was asked if there was any KISS song he would’ve liked to play on, he said:
“I would’ve wanted to be on any KISS song.” “I’ll give you a quick story about that – when they were changing guitar players a long time ago, I got a call from KISS’ people.” “They say like ‘Do you think you’d be interested in auditioning for KISS?’ I’m like ‘Tell me when and were’.” “They came back and were like ‘We’ve got a couple of questions for you. You don’t have any facial hair, do you?’ No. ‘You got long hair right?’ Right. ‘You’re skinny right?’ Right.” “‘And you’re over 6 feet tall?’ and I’m like ‘What? I’m 5’ 7″ but I’ll have an operation, I’ll do something.'” “And they were like “‘I’m sorry, it’s not going to work out.’ I was so bummed.”
Disappointed to have missed out on a chance to play with the ‘Rock and Roll All Nite’ hitmakers, who completed their final tour last year with founding members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons still part of the lineup,. Marty admitted that he understood the decision to pass on him due to his height, given the importance of the band’s image, adding: “I get why they did it. KISS is meticulous about their image, and having a height difference wouldn’t fit the band’s aesthetic.”
Keep up with the latest trending music news by following us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram
Author: Al Denté
Photo: Shadowgate