The Return of Fox and the Ankh Man

It used to be that when a guy dropped out/got fired from the legendary rock band KISS that their replacement would adopt a new, made-up (maked-up?) persona to fit in with the "The Demon" "The Starchild" "The Spaceman" "The Catman" pantheon.

Those are the days of the past, apparently, as current (and long-time) members Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer have officially donned the greasepaint for the current incarnation of KISS. However, they're not portraying new "characters" but those of old. Back at the end of 2001, Singer put on the whiskers to become "The Catman" for the remaining gigs in the KISS Reunion Tour after Peter Criss left the road. A few months later Thayer donned the space suit to fill out the roster when Ace Frehley departed from the group again.

Since then it's been Singer and Thayer as "The Catman" and "The Spaceman." Had this been the early '80s, Singer and Thayer may have adopted new make-up designs. That was the case for drummer Eric Singer and guitarist Vinnie Vincent. These unfortunate musicians joined KISS when the idea of someone slapping on the Criss or Frehley make-up must have seemed distasteful. Or, perhaps, the characters had been so associated with Criss and Frehley than a switch-up would just be too odd. Regardless, Carr and Vincent endured the early days of their tenure in KISS as "The Fox" (originally "The Hawk") and "The Ankh Warrior". So, yeah, maybe Singer and Thayer just recycling Criss and Frehley's make-up is for the best.

Eric Carr as "The Hawk"

Eric Carr as "The Fox"

Vinnie Vincent as "The Ankh Warrior"