Musicians in today’s rock bands look like garbage collectors and the only true new star is Lady Gaga, members of the legendary heavy metal group Kiss have said.
Stage presence – none of the bands have it, they look like garbage collectors
“There are a lot of bands that have something. What’s missing is stardom. The ability to get up on stage and rule, bigger than life,” said Kiss bassist and singer-songwriter Gene Simmons.
In a conversation during a promotional appearance for the Kiss Monster Book, the band explained their decision to record their next disc, Monster, with analog equipment.
They also defended the Russian punk band Pussy Riot, whose members were sentenced to prison last week in Moscow.
“There are no stars. There’s no Elvis, there’s no... even Prince,” said Simmons. “Stage presence – none of the bands have it, they look like garbage collectors. They look worse than the audience that comes to see them.”
“There’s no pride,” said the 62-year-old, who is known for his own on-stage persona as The Demon in a band that flaunts over-the-top costumes and black-and-white make-up. Kiss’s four band members spoke to reporters in The Viper Room, a renowned Hollywood bar where the actor River Phoenix died of a drug overdose in 1993. Dressed in black, without make-up, in silver neck chains and long hair, the creators of rock hymns like I Wanna Rock ‘N’ Roll All Night and I Was Made for Lovin’ You agreed the extravagant Lady Gaga stands alone among new performers.
“The only new rock star is Lady Gaga. That’s it. She’s a star,” said Simmons, in white crocodile skin cowboy boots and a silk scarf.
“There are some very, very good bands, I’m a big fan of Foo Fighters, but give me the stars.
“It’s not just about the show,” he said. “Elvis could walk up on stage with nothing. But charisma. Image. Mystique.”
Paul Stanley, the group’s star and lead vocalist,went further: “Musicians who look like the delivery boy... don’t realise that there’s more. When big bands go on stage, they deliver their goods.
“That’s why we’ve been around 40 years, because people know that when they come to see us, they’re going to get their money’s worth and they’re going to be entertained.
“We are proud to be entertainers and a hell of a rock band.”
Stanley, who was wearing a black jacket and checker-board shoes with silver studs, and Simmons are the last members of the original Kiss, which they formed in the early 1970s.
Lead guitarist Tommy Taylor and drummer Eric Singer were brought in later as replacements after a break-up in the original line-up. Asked about the Pussy Riot furore in Russia, Simmons said they’re “not a good band, but they have the right to do whatever they want to do. And it’s too bad that politics gets in the way of rock bands”.
The band is promoting its megabook as a collector’s item. A limited edition of 1,000 copies. It is individually signed by the band’s members and spans Kiss’s 40-year history.
Monster, their 20th studio album, is scheduled to be released in October.