Big fan of Liverpool’s Fab Four, singer and bassist made mention of them to exemplify how not all bands are made to last
Gene Simmons he is sharp in his recent interviews. After reinforcing his case that rock is dead and saying that young fans don’t even know it Pearl Jam AND Nirvanathe singer and bassist of the now closed band Kiss he drew a tortuous comparison between his band and the Beatles.
It’s worth pointing out: it’s not as if Simmons was belittling or mocking Liverpool’s Fab Four. The (literally) chatty musician has always mentioned the quartet as his favorite group. This, however, did not stop him from making a comment that could spark some controversy.
It happened during an interview with Michael Franzese (via Chatty). Gene was asked about the origins of Kiss, a band that ended its career in December 2023 after over fifty years of activity. He initially stated:
“Scientists talk about this kind of thing called a ‘singularity’. Things just happen, not often, just every now and then. When the planets align, you have the right thing in the right place at the right time. The first of these things IS That’s when I met my partner, Paul Stanley [vocalista e guitarrista]. We decided to put together a band that we had never seen before. We liked it The WHO, Jimi Hendrix AND Beatlesband with unique visuals. So let’s take it Ace [Frehley, guitarrista] AND Peter [Criss, baterista e vocalista].”
Criss’ entrance earned a separate statement from Simmons. The bassist said the drummer caught his attention by playing a show “in a little gentlemen’s club wearing scarves and singing Wilson Pickett and R&B in general”. “This guy had the voice and the attitude.”he added.
However, Ace and Peter had problems with alcohol and drugs and ended up leaving Kiss in the early 1980s. It was then that the comparison with the Beatles was born.
“The band started, but not everyone has genes. Not everyone can run a marathon. There are some people whose genes, whose DNA, are more like running a short race. That’s why very few bands last very long. Incredibly, the Beatles lasted seven years. We were active for about 52 years, with different members and everything, because not everyone lasts.”
In fact, the Beatles lasted a decade, between 1960 and 1970. Their first album was released in 1963, but the group had existed before that.
The importance of makeup for Kiss
At another point in the conversation, Gene Simmons pointed out that perhaps Kiss would not have been as successful if they had done without their famous gimmick. It’s not just this aspect: for the musician, the loss of any element of “uniqueness” mentioned at the beginning of the interview would be detrimental to the commercial success of the band.
“There’s a question: the right thing in the right place at the right time. If you take away one of those things, the possibilities diminish. If you put Kiss or Jimi Hendrix or someone like that in another era, it wouldn’t work because the ears of the masses wouldn’t be attuned to it – it’ll be the same if you take the great bands of that time and put them in today.”
Reinforcing his point, he concludes: Success is “a big puzzle” that works “with most of the pieces together.”
“The look also helps. Little Richard Putting your legs on the piano and playing the piano like a wild man has nothing to do with the songs, but it helps with the staging. Chuck Berry doing the duck walk. What does this have to do with music? Nothing. But when you see it live, it really helps.
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+++ READ MORE: The great Kiss hit that Gene Simmons always hated
Source: Terra
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.
