Former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick is featured in a new interview with Vinyl Writer Music discussing his years with Union, which also featured ex-Mötley Crüe vocalist John Corabi. An excerpt from the chat is available below.

Union formed in Los Angeles in 1997 featuring Kulick, Corabi, bassist James Hunting (David Lee Roth, Eddie Money) and drummer Brent Fitz (Slash). They released rtwo albums before calling it quits: the self-titled debut in 1998, and The Blue Room in 2000.

VWM: In the wake of the (debut) album’s release, you experienced a critical windfall but struggled commercially. It seems that Union was in a unique position of having veteran players but also being an entirely new band. So, I would assert that Union fell into a gray area commercially. Would you agree?

Bruce: "Yeah, I think that’s fair. I think we had some great things going for us meaning; okay, you’ve got two guys that are known for being in some other big bands, but both of those bands moved on in a very big way. Mötley Crüe finally refound themselves with Vince Neil and they started to rebuild that, and KISS certainly went on to do something incredibly huge by being back in makeup. And when that happened, it just left my era in complete disarray, and in some ways, it made my whole era inconsequential. Of course, time has been very kind to my era of KISS and now my years are much more revered and respected, but at the time, when Union was coming out, it didn’t mean it a whole lot. And again, we were just lumped into that category of the old guard in an era when the new guard was in, and so we just didn’t get a break. If we had gotten a tour with one of those bulletproof bands who no matter what the flavor of music is, you know, let’s say an Alice Cooper tour or something, we would have maybe had some exposure. But we couldn’t gain traction, and we didn’t get offered any significant tours like that. And that made for a very hard road to travel, and eventually, of course, made it impossible to continue."

VWM: Tell me a little bit about the Union Work Force and the grassroots club tour Union embarked on in support of the first record. After so many years with KISS, it must have been a shock to the system.

Bruce: "Well, I knew I had to go back to a very low-budget version of touring, and as hard as that was, I really did believe in the music and the band. I do remember that the fans were incredible. I mean, those people got it, and as much as they might have been excited about KISS being back in makeup, they didn’t forget me. They loved our music, they’d show up, they’d help sell the merchandise, they’d be our runners, and they would just be so supportive. I’m still friends with quite a few of them from back then, and that’s not such a common thing when you think about it. Sure, every band has true fans, but do The Rolling Stones stay in touch with a couple of regular fans? I’m not so sure. I mean, even Gene and Paul have some über fans that they know and stay in touch with.

It’s always interesting when bands do get close with some fans, and without them, I don’t think Union could have survived those primitive tours. So, I want to thank them, and like I said, I’m still friends with some of them. They really made a tough situation just a little less painful by being supportive and helping us out. And the people who did the newsletters, sent emails, or whatever they did, I mean, let’s face it: they were huge for us. But with every band, the fans are what make it, because really, they make you known, make you successful, and give you the opportunity. So, I’m very grateful for that."

Read the complete interview here.

Photo by William Hames