Bon Jovi and KISS in 1984-1987

I kind of recall an interview with Gene Simmons (maybe with Paul?) in Guitar magazine not too long ago where he says that Yngwie Malmsteen and Richie Sambora auditioned for the role around 1981 and both were given serious consideration but it didn't work out eventually. It must have been the Creatures of the Night era...

According to Kiss Kollector Online, both Richie Sambora and Yngwie Malmsteen recently stated in interviews that they were asked to audition for KISS. The two guitarists are believed to have been contacted by KISS around 1981 when Ace Frehley was too incapacitated by drugs to play with KISS any longer. Another guitarist who was unknown then, Adam Bomb, has also made it clear he was asked to audition for KISS back in 1981. In Bomb's biography it states that in 1981 "at age 16, Adam was asked to audition for KISS. He flew to Los Angeles and played three songs with KISS." A year later, he'd hook up with future GUNS N' ROSES guitarist Izzy Stradlin and also became friends with future KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer (who back then was still the guitarist in BLACK N' BLUE).

As for Richie Sambora, he says in an interview in the December/January issue of Germany's Metal Heart magazine that Gene Simmons had invited him down to Los Angeles to audition for KISS even before he joined BON JOVI. "Gene Simmons called me and invited me to come to L.A. to audition for KISS," Sambora said. "KISS absolutely wasn't my favorite band, but obviously it was a big honor and a big opportunity for me. In the end, nothing came out of it, but at least I had a couple of great weeks in Los Angeles." Upon returning home, Richie's then-bass player told him he should hook up with a certain Johnny Bongiovi. They hit it off, and a few weeks later they started writing songs together. Long story short, John Bongiovi changed his name into Jon Bon Jovi, and Richie and Jon would become very famous with their band BON JOVI after releasing their debut album in 1984 and opening for KISS that year.

Yngwie Malmsteen states in a September 2005 interview on Glam-Metal.com, "I remember once when I was living in Sweden and I got a phone call from KISS. It was so funny because it was like, 'Yeah we hear that you are really, really hot' and I'm like, 'I don't know... it's quite cold here.' (Laughs) Stuff like that, I didn't ****ing get it at all. Then they asked if I was at least 6 feet tall and I'm like, 'I don't know, I'm 1 meter and 83 cm.' I had no ****ing idea what they meant at the time. There was a real communication problem there."

According to Melodicrock :

1982 guitarists besides Cusano, Farris, Aldrich & Meadows: Joey Hunting (Dear Mr President), Adam Bomb, Howard Leese, Robin Crosby, Marq Torien, Michael Ray (Wendy O Williams), Richie Sambora, Bob Stewart, John Verner (Ambrosia) Bruce Kulick, Spencer Sercombe (Shark Island), Joe Shikany (Cheyanne),somebody from Chicago (the band).

Robben Ford & Bob Kulick played on Creatures but weren't in line for the job.
Aldrich, Hunting & Bomb were considered too young as they were all teenagers. According to Gene Eddie Van Halen asked to join Kiss at this point.

December 1983
After the LIU Euro tour with Vinnie refusing to sign his contract, Paul contacted Dana Strum to find a replacement guitarist: Kevin Carlson (Aldo Nova), Jack Starr (Virgin Steel) & one rumour mentions Mick Mars. Paul even called Yngwie's manager & Steve Vai was mentioned but Paul didn't follow up on it as he was put off by the Zappa connection

May 1984 beside Mark Norton: Tony Bruno (Saraya / D2) & Tommy Lafferty (Voodoo X / Crown of Thorns)

Was asked or asked himself? Either way, that is a weird request.

http://www.classicrockmagazine.com/n...-joining-kiss/

http://www.sixxsense.com/pages/media...386387/1647959

Gene’s proud he told Eddie that quitting his own band would be a mistake – but they still recorded demos with guitarist’s brother Alex.

Gene Simmons is proud of what he told Eddie Van Halen when the guitarist begged to replace Ace Frehley in Kiss.

And although he was always convinced a line-up featuring Eddie and brother Alex wouldn’t have lasted long enough to make an album, they still recorded a demo session together.

The glam-rock demon was instrumental in making Van Halen a big-name act after seeing them as a support band and vowing to sign them after two songs. He oversaw the recording of their first demo and says he even bought singer David Lee Roth his first pair of high-heel boots.

Simmons says events unfolded in 1982 when Kiss had sacked guitarist Frehley. Van Halen appeared in the band’s studio, where they were working on new material, and played the main theme from future hit single Jump on a synth.

Speaking on Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx’s radio show, Simmons says: “I say, ‘Eddie, what’s this?’ ‘Oh, that’s the next record.’ ‘Really? I’m hearing it before guitars?’ ‘No, there’s no guitars – that’s it.’ ‘Oh, okay.’

“So I take him to lunch across the street and he actually tells me: ‘I want to join Kiss. I can’t take Roth – he’s driving me nuts. We’re not getting along. I’ve got this sound in my head that I want Van Halen to do, and Roth doesn’t want to do it, and we’re just getting to a point where he’s believing his own hype.’

“I remember feeling proud of what I said. I said: ‘Don’t do it. Stay with the band you started. There’s no role for you – you’re too big. You cast too much of a shadow to be the guitar player in Kiss.’

“And he went back and he was miserable for the next 20 or 30 years. But it would never have worked. Not even close.”

Nevertheless, a three-track recording exists featuring Simmons and the Van Halen brothers. “I’ve got Alex and Eddie on Christine Sixteen, Love For Sale and Tunnel Of Love,” says the bassist. “But it wasn’t a natural fit.”

I knew all that, I thought it was common knowledge?

What I said, and what all these quotes prove, is that Richie was never offered the job, he only auditioned. So he didn't turn it down, he never got it.

The Van Halen -bros versions of the demos are on the KISS Box Set, if anyone's interested.

Ice

They're not on mine however.

I don't remember the whole track list, but at least I think Christeen Sixteen is the demo version. It sounds pretty much like the final version, as they made Ace copy what Eddie was doing.

If not, it should float around the web somewhere. I know I have it somewhere.

Ice

I was asked to audition for KISS as well

Here's the story: http://www.kissfaq.com/articles/vanhalen.html

Ice