There are many people who say that the most important thing in music is what you leave out of a song and not what you include in it. That’s what the Kiss co-founder, bassist and singer Gene Simmons meant in an interview with Adam Carolla (Transcribed by Ultimate Guitar). The musician said that it’s easier to be in a Progressive Rock band or Jazz group rather than to be in a band that plays mostly about three chords.
He used Bruno Mars and The Rolling Stones as examples of that, comparing their music with what Jazz groups do.
Gene Simmons explains why it’s easier to be in a Progressive Rock or Jazz band
“The hardest thing to do is to do a simple song. It’s easier to be in a prog band. Really. Because you’re not playing the game of ‘memorable,’ you’re playing the game like jazz, of showing off. You don’t expect somebody to walk out of a jazz concert humming (sings a jazz horn line with many notes). You don’t expect that.”
“So the hardest thing to do and you have to respect the art of it, if it’s a Bruno Mars tune or, you know, whoever, is that hearing it once and the melody — especially the chorus — sticks. And the art of that, it just happens. Like all these musicians, The Beatles and whoever you like, Lennon, Jagger/Richards, can’t read a stick of music.”
“I can’t read or write music. Nobody could. Hendrix couldn’t read or write music. No, you just do it. It’s like being able to write a book in another language, although you can’t read or write in another language because it’s verbal,” Gene Simmons said.
Although Kiss was one of the most successful bands of all time, with an estimated amount of more than 100 million records sold worldwide, many people criticized the band for making “simple songs”, when it came to music and lyrics. Kiss came to an end in 2023 after 50 years on the road and in 2024 Gene Simmons reactivated his solo career and he has been touring around the world playing his solo material, Kiss tracks and some covers.