Carlos Santana’s scathing criticism of Kiss
“He’s a great musician,“ B.B. King once said in praise of Carlos Santana. “Nobody that I have ever met in show business is nicer than he. A fantastic man.” On this occasion, the latter sentiment is perhaps even more notable given that he was moved enough by Kiss in a negative way to dish out some rare criticism against the New York band.
Santana’s musicianship has often been the subject of lofty praise. It wasn’t only B.B. King that admired him but also Prince, Jerry Garcia and just about everyone in his native Panama. There has always been a sincerity to his art that he feels is lacking when it comes to Kiss and, most notably, Gene Simmons. “He’s not a musician, he’s an entertainer. Kiss is Las Vegas entertainment, so he wouldn’t know what music is anyway. That’s why he wears all that stuff,” he said.
Adding: “Simmons hides his talent beneath costumes and makeup. A musician doesn’t need the mask or the mascara. There’s a difference between an entertainer and a musician.” For a while, Simmons took this rare derision in his stride, commenting: “Not everyone likes the same meal.” But soon, he ditched the dietary analogy as Santana clearly etched further under his skin with further comments.
This prompted Simmons to stir up a little feud with the nicest man “in show business” when he fired back: “I’m sick and tired of these bands like Carlos Santana looking at his shoes and thinking that’s a rock concert. Get off the stage.”
In many ways, the dichotomy of their respective comments indicates their differing musicianship. Simmons is happy to accept that he’s no virtuoso but affirms that he can provide more exultant fun than most, while Santana is of the view that fun is facile if it isn’t backed up by a certain degree of artistry, which he evidently thinks Kiss are lacking.
In some ways, Simmons’ stance has often set Kiss up for criticism from those who don’t quite get the act. In fact, amid the Satanic Panic, guardians feared that they had abandoned art altogether and were simply espousing occult doctrine to impressionable kids.
A born-again Bob Dylan was at it, too. While performing at the University of Arizona, the audience grew tired of him purely singing songs praising Christ and began to demand a few hits. Dylan fumed and thought that the time had changed for the worse. He scathingly yelled: “If you want rock ‘n’ roll, you can go see KISS and rock ‘n’ roll all the way down to the pit.”
And Pete Townshend has called them “a parody of rock“. So, there’s plenty of ammunition in Santana’s corner. But the blithe Simmons has never seemed to mind too much.
