There is no doubt that is the Grand Master behind the Kiss brand, the intuitive entrepreneur who transformed his rock band into a factory of projects and ancillary products to the musical phenomenon that gave birth to the empire. But in the end everything ends, everything ends and Gene Simmons assures that together with Paul Stanley they will put an end to 50 years of history. First, luckily, he will return to Argentina for Monsters of Rock, i April 28th in the city park.
The history of Kiss began as another example of previous work, success, decline and rebirth. But there came a point where the group became a true classic that went beyond the commercial achievement of a new album. With his successes, that was enough for him to travel the worldas they have for the past four years with their endless farewell tour.
This is how KIss filled Polo Field with three generations of fans last year, and now surprises with a new visit, this time as part of a festival where Deep Purple will also be present, another classic born in the years 70s.
In this regard, he says: “Deep Purple are a great band and have been playing for decades, but our job as the main number of the night is to make you forget all the bands that have played before.”
“I’ve always loved Argentina”
-How are you with this return to Argentina so soon?
-I have always loved Argentina (pronounced in Spanish) and you have to say it right: Ar-gen-ti-na. I like culture, food and girls. There can be nothing better. We have wonderful memories of Argentina but this time will be the last visit, seriously. On December 2nd we will play Madison Square Garden in New York and it will be the last show Kiss will play on the whole planet. And that’s a good thing, not a sad thing. All great things come to an end and after 50 years I think that’s enough, right?
-What do you remember about your first visits to Argentina?
-Of course I remember, it was wonderful! The first thing as soon as we landed was to surprise us with how nice the people are. The women were stunning and beautiful! And if you were a straight man and you liked women, there was no better place in the world. And the food was amazing! Later we learned the history and the geography, with the pampas and the gauchos and everything. We thought it was just another South American country, but we understood the interbreeding with Europeans and the diversity of cultures that came to Argentina. It’s one of my favorite places in the whole world.
-Would it be correct to say that the Argentine public is the most euphoric and passionate in the world?
-Yes. People in Argentina are very crazy at shows. There are other countries where they are also very passionate, but they are very different cultures. In Japan, for example, we played in a stadium in Tokyo and we saw that people don’t stop during the songs. When the song ends they stop and freak out, but immediately sit back down. It’s another culture, and we mustn’t forget that until recently there were geishas, with all those old-fashioned clothes.
“I Never Dreamed Beyond the First Record”
-Do you remember if when you founded Kiss you thought they would last many decades, or did you think they would only last a couple of years?
– That’s a great question. I never thought anything beyond the first record would happen. When we first went to Electric Lady studios, to make our demo 50 years ago, my biggest dream was to release an album on a record label and be able to go to a record store to buy my record . And as soon as the first record came out, I went to a record store not far from Electric Lady and bought it! It was the biggest thrill of my life: I was in a studio, I was in a band and I was buying a record that others could listen to. It was something unimaginable!
Shortly after we played our first concert, which was in Canada, because people discovered us long before MTV, cell phones and social media. Magazines started running pictures of us and it was incredible. I never expected it to be this big and successful, let alone last half a century.
-Ozzy Osbourne commented something similar: He never thought he’d make a second album.
-I’ve known Ozzy for many years and I really think he doesn’t forget how honest and sincere his childhood dreams were. You can’t imagine things beyond what you imagine, for example a first album.
I remember someone telling me that I should meet a guy named Paul, because he wrote songs. And I’ve been making my own songs since I was 14 and they were terrible, but I couldn’t imagine other people making songs too. Because the Beatles and the Stones made songs but they came from another planet. I didn’t know that there were also ordinary people who did this. So I met him, asked him to show me and the first thing I heard was Sunday driver (Let me know), it was very good
“It’s a World of Kisses”
-How is it to be able to invent new projects and realize them?
-There’s a lot of Kiss stuff happening, even new toys. It’s a different world. It’s a Kiss world and we own the brand. But the greatest thrill is when we meet other artists and they tell us they grew up listening to Kiss, it changed their lives.
I’ll tell you a story: Paul and I were awarded in the Songwriters Hall of Fame, which is very prestigious and has figures like Gershwin and Bob Dylan, with whom I wrote songs, among other things. The speech was given by Dave Grohl, my whole family was there, and across the room was a guy named Max Martin. I didn’t know who he was, so I asked my daughter Sophie for everyone to say hi to him. She told me that she did all the hits for people like Britney Spears, and that they did the newest music, unlike mine, which was very old.
After a while I see him walking towards us and she wants to say hello, but he passes and comes towards me and says, “My God, it’s Gene Simmons! I had posters of you in my room when I was a kid.” So I looked at my daughter and said, “I won.” Those things are the best rewards: whether an artist admires you or a fan buys a ticket to a recital.
-I guess this last tour was exhausting for so long, with so much travel. Not tempted to make a residency in a fixed city in two or three years?
– (thinks about it) I don’t think so. I don’t know, but I think not. We are doing many other things. We have chain restaurants, movies, the Kiss World museum in Rio de Janeiro, Kiss cruises and cartoons that we are producing now. There are many things that can happen from here on out. Paul has his own band, Soul Station, which does R&B style songs, and I have my Gene Simmons Band. We will do other things and I’m sure we will continue to see each other; we live just a couple miles away.
We always show up saying, “They want the best, we give them the best: the hottest band in the world,” and if we can’t put on the best show like we always have, we don’t have to anymore. If you’re the boxing world champion, retire when you’re at the top – don’t keep boxing until someone knocks you out.
-Do you see any possibility that the band will continue without you, with other musicians chosen by you?
-Everything is possible.
Thanks a lot Gene.
–(in Spanish) Please.
Source: Clarin
