“To thine own self be true”: The best band to open for Kiss, according to Gene Simmons
Do you know what Gene Simmons hates? That’s right, loads of stuff. Rap music, a number of different artists and essentially anybody who has ever tried to talk back to him. However, even a man as critical as Gene Simmons has some complaints that take precedence over others, and one of his most consistent opinions is the fact that he can’t stand artists who copy trends and end up becoming a reflection of whatever’s popular at the time.
Kiss market themselves in a way that makes it seem like the only reason they ever bothered painting their faces was to sell more iconic merchandise. This may well be the case; however, the band members would never admit to that. Instead, Gene Simmons once again reverberates his pet peeve and says that the reason they painted their faces is that they wanted to look like a unique musical outfit.
They certainly achieve this, as there is no other band in the world who remotely resemble Kiss. The band look completely unique, and they have been able to experiment with different genres and styles of music as a result of their uniqueness. Not only that, but the flamboyant element of the band is something that they have constantly tried to push when performing, which meant even as a support band they were littering the stage with interesting set design, lights, smoke and pyrotechnics.
Can you imagine trying to follow that as a support? Imagine being a well-respected rock band, ready to go on stage and let the music do the talking, but the support band you book ends up giving the crowd a healthy dose of something that audiences simply weren’t accustomed to at the time. Many a band have called Kiss one of the hardest acts to follow, and it begs the question, since they have been a headline band for decades now, has there ever been a support band that they deemed otherworldly?
The quick answer is yes, and the reasoning for it is in line with Gene Simmons’ constant refusal to listen to bands who follow trends. When he was asked who the best opening band he has ever seen was, he said without hesitation, “Best set? AC/DC on their first tour.”
Not many people realise just how bold it was for AC/DC to pursue the sound that we now recognise as quintessentially theirs. A lot of bands at the time had moved on to new wave and punk music, but AC/DC decided to pursue hard rock and great guitar sounds. It was tough for them to pierce the market, but when they eventually did, people loved it.
“[They’re] a band that didn’t pay attention. We share the same philosophy, no matter what any other band is doing, to thine own self be true,” said Simmons, “I’ve said it before but it’s more truer now than ever, a lot of people look the same, and act the same and do the same thing. Rap, country, there’s a lot of sameness going on. Every once in a while you see a band like AC/DC, nobody’s like them. We like to think we work in that way, too. It’s unique to have your own fingerprint – cos mother nature knows best – there’s no other fingerprint on earth than us and bands should march to the beat of their own drummer. See what I did there?”
