Indeed, from the time the band was formed in 1974 (following the first band he and musical partner Paul Stanley played in, Wicked Lester), the Kiss shtick has played as important a part as their music. Stanley's role as the fire-breathing, platform-booted Demon has given him a successful alter-ego, he's also quite a character in real life. This fact became all the more obvious when the band temporarily shed their makeup in the early '80s. Of course, abandoning their trademark personas sort of undermined the whole Kiss concept to begin with, because really, what's Kiss without the kitsch?