In the Kiss musician’s opinion, nothing revolutionary in music has emerged since 1988 — and younger audiences don’t know who Nirvana was either
The rock gravedigger strikes again. Gene Simmons reinforced his old argument that the musical style to which he himself belongs, with Kiss“he died”. This time, he even included big bands in the discussion.
In an interview with The Zak Kuhn Show (via Blabbermouth), the vocalist and bassist of the now closed masked band was asked if rock “is still dead” — in reference to the argument presented on several other occasions. The (literally) loudmouth assured that it was and highlighted how the period between 1958 and 1988 brought many more music icons than the following decades.
“People don’t understand how I can say that when we all have our favorite songs and bands. But let’s play a game. From 1958 to 1988, that’s 30 years. We had Elvis Presleywe had Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, Pink Floyd, David Bowie…in the world of ‘disco’, there was Madonna. On heavier guitars, AC/DC, Aerosmith and so on. And the artists of Motown at the same time. He had Prince. In the program, Yes, Genesis, Gentle Giant. And heavy bands like Led Zeppelin and so on. From 1988 to today, it’s almost 40 years. Who are the new ones Beatles?”
The channel presenter mentioned the Nirvana. Simmons reinforced that he likes the band, but said that younger people don’t even know about them. And there was even a name that was mentioned in the previous answer.
“Stop. We are blind. I’m a huge fan, but if you walked down the street and asked a 20-year-old ‘who’s Nirvana’s bassist?’, they wouldn’t know what you were talking about. Or ask: ‘can you sing a Nirvana song?’. Everyone knew the Beatles and, to a lesser extent, the Stones and Elvis. Even if you hated rock, you knew about them. […] But years ago, my son saw a pretty girl and tried to start a conversation. She was wearing the Rolling Stones t-shirt, the one with the tongue. To start a conversation, he said: ‘Ah, so you’re a fan, huh?’. She asked what, he said ‘the Stones’ and she asked: ‘what is that?’. Even with him humming the riff of ‘Satisfaction’ and other songs, she had never heard.”
What about Pearl Jam, Gene Simmons?
Willing to refute any other artist or band that could be considered “the new Beatles”, Gene Simmons asked for two more names. The interviewer mentioned Pearl Jam and Foo Fighters. The answer? “No way”. He continues:
“I love Foo Fighters, I love those bands. Mike McCready [guitarrista do Pearl Jam] He told me he grew up listening to Kiss. One of his solos [‘Alive’] was caught note by note Ace Frehley [guitarrista do Kiss, em ‘She’]. But my point is: if you randomly walk down the street and ask the first 20-year-old, ‘name someone or a Pearl Jam song or sing a song’… good luck. They can’t.”
In the Kiss musician’s opinion, both he and the person responsible for the interview are “too close” to rock, which makes judgment difficult. At the same time, he highlighted information that neither of them would know: who the prime ministers of England, France or Canada are.
Still in his point of view, Dave Grohl became “much more popular” than Pearl Jam and Nirvana, the group he was part of before Foo Fighters. The reason? The artist transcended the rock bubble.
“Younger people may know Dave because he has done TV commercials and spent time with people outside the world of guitar and shows. This is how you become an icon. Everyone knows who it is Snoop Doggbut other rap stars, not necessarily. Snoop is in the media, he had a program with Martha Stewart. The fact is that the masses have no idea who is in Phishone of my favorite bands, or Pearl Jam.”
Kiss’ Big Hit That Gene Simmons Always Hated
Source: Rollingstone
Earl Johnson is a music writer at Gossipify, known for his in-depth analysis and unique perspective on the industry. A graduate of USC with a degree in Music, he brings years of experience and passion to his writing. He covers the latest releases and trends, always on the lookout for the next big thing in music.
