Kiss is one of the best-selling bands of all time, with an estimated amount of more than 100 million records sold worldwide. Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley were the only two original members of the band who were part of the group during their entire existence, from 1973 to 2023. The group’s songwriting and sound changed a lot over the decades and in an interview with Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan (Transcribed by Ultimate Guitar), he explained why Kiss is different from bands like AC/DC and Metallica.
Gene Simmons explains why Kiss is different from AC/DC and Metallica
“I could argue the AC/DC or Metallica idea, which is, you stay true to your DNA. Well, it’s an argument that works well for them. And Iron Maiden. We didn’t have a choice because we gave in. There were those first records that had, you know, sort of Chuck Berry crossed with this and that: a little Beatles, a little Motown, a little this, a little that. Whatever that thing was, the identity, the fingerprint, was diluted as members within the band started to veer from the band.”
“There are other bands that have stayed true to who they are and have survived and become bigger. By the way, I don’t do that. I go, ‘That’s their journey. This is ours. I prefer to make dollars. The only thing I care about is a brand new five year old who experiences Kiss or the imagery, even if it’s not the music, just somehow gets seduced and beguiled by that,” Gene Simmons said.
Kiss played the final show of their career in 2023, at the Madison Square Garden. They final line-up had the guitarist Tommy Thayer and the drummer Eric Singer.
