Big fan of Liverpool’s Fab Four, singer and bassist made a mention to exemplify how not all bands are made to last
Gene Simmons is sharp in his recent interviews. After reinforcing his thesis that rock is dead and saying that young fans don’t even know Pearl Jam and Nirvanathe vocalist and bassist of the now closed Kiss drew a winding comparison between his band and the Beatles.
It’s worth emphasizing: it’s not as if Simmons was belittling or mocking Liverpool’s Fab Four. The (literally) loud-mouthed musician has always mentioned the quartet as his favorite group. This, however, did not stop him from making a comment that could be met with some controversy.
It happened during an interview with Michael Franzese (via Blabbermouth). Gene was asked about the origins of Kiss, a band that ended its career in December 2023 after more than five decades in activity. He initially stated:
“Scientists talk about this kind of thing called ‘singularity.’ Things just happen, not often, just once in a while. When the planets align, you have the right thing in the right place at the right time. The first of these things was 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 The Who, Jimi Hendrix and Beatlesbands with unique visuals. Then we take Ace [Frehley, guitarrista] and Peter [Criss, baterista e vocalista].”
Criss’s 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. That’s when the comparison with the Beatles arose.
“The band started but not everyone has the genes. Not everyone can run a marathon. There are some people whose genes, whose DNA, are more like running a short race. This is why very few bands last very long. Shockingly, the Beatles lasted seven years. We have been 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 existed before that.
The importance of makeup for Kiss
At another point in the conversation, Gene Simmons pointed out that perhaps Kiss would not be successful in the same way if they did without their famous makeup. It’s not just about this aspect: for the musician, the loss of any element of the “uniqueness” mentioned at the beginning of the interview would harm the band’s commercial success.
“There is a question: the right thing in the right place at the right time. If you take away any of these things, the chances go down. If you put Kiss or Jimi Hendrix or someone like that in another era, it wouldn’t work because the masses’ ears weren’t in tune with it — it’ll be the same if you take the big bands from that era and put them in today.”
Reinforcing his point of view, he concludes: success is “a big puzzle” that works with “most of the pieces together”.
“The look even helps. Little Richard Putting your legs up 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.”
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.
