PETER CRISS reflects on beating breast cancer nearly two decades ago: “God gave me my miracle”
06-01-2026
In a new interview with Julian Gill, Lonnie Weischaar and Ken Keenan of the KissFAQ podcast, original KISS drummer Peter Criss spoke about the lyrical inspiration for the song “Walking On Water” from his latest solo album, simply titled “Peter Criss”, which arrived on December 19, 2025. Asked how important the “Walking On Water” track is to him, Peter responded: “Very important. I had breast cancer a while back, and I prayed. I’m a very religious guy, so I really prayed very, very hard. I was at church probably more than the pastor, and I really prayed hard. And God gave me my miracle. And I felt, and I kid you not, that I really could walk on water.”
He continued: “Have you ever watched that ‘Being There’ movie with Chauncey Gardner? And at the end he walks on water, and you realize he’s an angel. I love that movie. And I felt like that. I felt like I could walk on the ocean, and it was such a high. I was so elated that I was cured. And so I wanted to write a religious song, and I wanted to write about the experience that I was feeling inside, ’cause I always sing from the heart. Everything comes from my heart. And that’s one of my favorite songs. I’m glad you brought it up, because ‘Walking On Water’ is special. I think Paul Shaffer played an amazing organ on it. The whole band was just dynamite. But the vocals were very — yeah, it’s near and dear to my heart. It’s one of my favorite songs on the album… That meant so much to me about beating cancer, ’cause I’m a big cancer guy. Every year I go out on October and I raise money for men for breast cancer.”
Criss, who turned 80 last month, went on to say that he will continue to write and record music as long as he is physically able to. “I’ll never stop, man,” he said. “I ain’t stopping until they put me in the box. I’m gonna keep on going till I… Music is a gift from God. I’m so blessed that I’m talking to you guys and talking about my writing and my composing and my feeling about music.
“My mom used to say, ‘Wasted talent is a bad thing,’ and I grew up with that always in my ear,” he explained. “And I got a gift from the Lord, and I’m gonna just keep going until I can’t. And that’s the way it is. If I get to live to 180, then I’m gonna be still singing and playing them drums at 180. I’m never gonna stop.”
Criss, who discovered a lump in his left nipple in December 2007, told Reuters men need to get over their perception that breast cancer is a woman’s disease.
“It can happen to you, and when it does, if you don’t deal with it right away, with your ‘dude’ and your metal and your tattoos, you’ll go in the box and we’ll see you.”
Back in 2015, Criss told the Asbury Park Press about his battle with breast cancer: “I try to get the awareness to men that we get it. Men don’t know. What annoys me is that it’s called breast cancer. Bingo, right off the bat, it’s breast cancer. Why isn’t it called pec cancer?”
He continued: “Every year I meet 20 18-year-old boys (who have breast cancer) and they don’t know what to do. They’re embarrassed. It’s a chick’s disease. Only girls get it.
“My battle is I just want guys to know they can get it, and if they can detect it immediately (they can be cured). (Early detection) saved my life and I’ve now become very involved.”
While some men feel embarrassed because of “this macho crap,” Criss told CNN surviving breast cancer was actually a blessing. He was treated before the tumor could spread and said he was speaking about male breast cancer to raise the profile of this rare disease.
Criss, who played drums for KISS and was known as “Catman,” offered this advice to men who spot lumps in their breast: “Don’t sit around playing Mr. Tough Guy. Don’t say ‘It’s going to go away.’ It might not and you might not see life anymore and how beautiful that is.”
In a six-minute video, KISS‘s Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons unbox the “Alive!” 50th-anniversary super deluxe box set, taking fans on a walk down memory lane on the making of the record that catapulted the band into worldwide success.
KISS‘s “Alive!” turns 50 in 2025 — a golden jubilee for the iconic live album that catapulted the band and revolutionized live albums for the music industry from end-of-career obscurity into career-defining mainstream success. Often revered as one of the greatest live albums ever by countless music journalists, “Alive!” is celebrated with a Super Deluxe 180-gram 8-LP + Blu-ray Audio boxset showcasing 120 total tracks amplified with 88 unreleased tracks. LPs 1 and 2 feature the original album newly remastered by Bernie Grundman from the original 1975 stereo analog master tapes. LPs 3 through 6 showcase two full-length concerts from the 1975 “Dressed To Kill” tour — RKO Orpheum Theatre in Davenport, Iowa on July 20, Second Show and Wildwood Convention Hall in Wildwood, New Jersey on July 23 — newly mixed by legendary producer and engineer Eddie Kramer from the original multi-track analog tapes as KISS performed in 1975, with no overdubs. Bonus tracks on LP 7 and 8 include five rehearsal tracks at the Davenport gig including an impromptu jam and an additional six songs from Cleveland Music Hall, Cleveland, Ohio on June 21, 1975, all newly mixed by Eddie Kramer from the original multi-tracks. The Blu-ray Audio disc features “Alive!” newly mixed by Eddie Kramer from the original album multi-track analog tapes in Dolby Atmos and 5.1 surround along with the newly remastered stereo in 192kHz 24-bit and 96kHz 24-bit PCM stereo set to a brand-new visualizer featuring a treasure trove of unreleased live photos.
The Super Deluxe explodes further with an extensive array of bonus kollectibles including:
* 100-page hardcover book with extensive liner notes by Ken Sharp featuring new interviews from Paul Stanley, Gene Simmons and many notable “Alive!”-era KISS team members plus tons of unreleased photos and rare imagery.
* “Alive!” 1975 press kit featuring
– Press Release
– Four Black & White Glossy Photos 7.5″x10″
– Marketing Slick Sheet
– “Alive!” Tour Program
– “Alive!” Back Cover Fan Banner Poster
– Album Cover Lenticular
– T-shirt Iron-on
– Four Live Color Glossy Photos
– Peter Criss Drum Head Litho
– Wildwood Concert Poster 20″x28″
– Cleveland Concert Mini-Poster 10″x17″
– Cobo Arena Concert Main Floor Ticket Stub
– Wildwood Concert Ticket Stub
– Cleveland Concert Ticket Stub
– Cobo Arena Concert Backstage Pass
– New Year’s Eve – Nassau Backstage Pass
– Four Double-Sided Coasters
– Four Guitar Picks
– Bumper Sticker 8″x2.5″
– “Alive!” Die-Cut Double-Sided Mobile
– Gotham Rock City News Volume 4 Newspaper – Track-by-Track interview with Eddie Kramer of nearly all tracks appearing on the collection
“Alive!” (Remastered)
LP One – Side A:
01. Deuce
02. Strutter
03. Got To Choose
04. Hotter Than Hell
05. Firehouse
LP One – Side B:
01. Nothin’ To Lose
02. C’mon And Love Me
03. Parasite
04. She
LP Two – Side C:
01. Watchin’ You
02. 100,000 Years
03. Black Diamond
LP Two – Side D:
01. Rock Bottom
02. Cold Gin
03. Rock And Roll All Nite
04. Let Me Go, Rock ‘N Roll
Live In Davenport, Iowa – RKO Orpheum Theatre – July 20, 1975 – Second Show*
LP Three – Side E:
01. Deuce
02. Strutter
03. Got To Choose
04. Hotter Than Hell
LP Three – Side F:
01. Firehouse
02. She
03. Ace Frehley Guitar Solo
04. Nothin’ To Lose
LP Four – Side G:
01. C’mon And Love Me
02. 100,000 Years
03. Peter Criss Drum Solo / 100,000 Years
LP Four – Side H:
01. Black Diamond
02. Cold Gin
03. Let Me Go, Rock ‘N Roll
Live In Wildwood, New Jersey – Wildwood Convention Hall – July 23, 1975*
LP Five – Side I:
01. Deuce
02. Strutter
03. Got To Choose
04. Hotter Than Hell
05. Firehouse
LP Five – Side J:
01. She
02. Ace Frehley Guitar Solo
03. Nothin’ To Lose
04. C’mon And Love Me
LP Six – Side K:
01. 100,000 Years
02. Peter Criss Drum Solo / 100,000 Years
03. Parasite
LP Six – Side L:
01. Black Diamond
02. Cold Gin
03. Let Me Go, Rock ‘N Roll
Bonus Live
Rehearsals – Live In Davenport, Iowa – RKO Orpheum Theatre – July 20, 1975*
LP Seven – Side M:
01. KISS Jam
02. Room Service
03. Strange Ways
04. Rock Bottom
05. Watchin’ You
Live In Cleveland, Ohio – Cleveland Music Hall – June 21, 1975*
LP Seven – Side N:
01. She
02. Ace Frehley Guitar Solo
03. Nothin’ To Lose
LP Eight – Side O:
01. C’mon And Love Me
02. 100,000 Years
03. Peter Criss Drum Solo / 100,000 Years
Blu-ray Audio – Alive!
Disc Five:
[Dolby Atmos* / Dolby True HD 5.1* / 192kHz 24-bit & 96kHz 24-bit PCM Stereo]
01. Deuce
02. Strutter
03. Got To Choose
04. Hotter Than Hell
05. Firehouse
06. Nothin’ To Lose
07. C’mon And Love Me
08. Parasite
09. She
10. Watchin’ You
11. 100,000 Years
12. Black Diamond
13. Rock Bottom
14. Cold Gin
15. Rock And Roll All Nite
16. Let Me Go, Rock ‘N Roll
* Previously unreleased
