Gene Simmons on what separates him from Keith Richards: “He would pass out in half an hour”
In addition to his talent as a musician, Kiss bassist Gene Simmons has made a career out of providing a string of questionable opinions. Whether this be about other musicians, fans or politics, from day one, Simmons has been a divisive force and even well into his 70s.
From claiming that Rush bassist Geddy Lee “didn’t understand the basics” of the instrument to asserting that modern music fans are the true “villains” of the industry, if it wasn’t already clear from Simmons’ bombastic on-stage personality, he doesn’t care what people think. Accordingly, he isn’t afraid to ruffle feathers to get his voice heard.
While several prominent names have hit out at Simmons, including late New York Dolls guitarist Sylvain Sylvain, who called him nothing more than “another Trump, that schmuck”, perhaps the most damning and tragic account of his personality comes from the man himself. Speaking to Goldmine in 2022, Simmons claimed: “I don’t have friends”.
Confirming himself as an inflexible curmudgeon, Simmons explained: “I don’t want to pretend that I’m interested in what you want to do because I am not”.
As he’s not interested in having companions, Simmons certainly isn’t worried about commenting on the work of his most prominent peers. When discussing the work of The Rolling Stones’ lead guitarist Keith Richards, Simmons told the Toronto Sun that his British peer would “pass out in half an hour” if he attempted to replicate what he does on stage with Kiss.
In the interview, Simmons was asked why Kiss had decided to call it a day at the end of their The End of the Road World Tour when the likes of The Rolling Stones and Paul McCartney remain on the road. “If you took those esteemed gentlemen and stuck them into my outfit with dragon boots that are seven inches high, they will feel the pain,” he responded. “Each dragon boot weighs close to a bowling ball. All in, I’ve got 40 pounds on with the bass I’m carrying around on stage. I’ve got to do that for two hours, spit fire and fly through the air.”
Simmons continued: “Respectfully, if Keith Richards, who I can’t tell you how much I admire him, but if he got into my outfit, he would pass out in half an hour. The physicality of what we do … we are simply the hardest working band in show business — period.”
“So why do we want to quit? I’m 72 and when we stop I’ll be 74,” the bassist added. “I still have my hair, but I have a lot more on my back.”
