The guitarist Gene Simmons called a “guitar symphony”
Aside from the many guitarists that have come and gone from KISS over the years, there’s still one guitarist that Gene Simmons holds as a cut above the rest. While Simmons has dealt with many virtuosic guitar players, he maintains that Eddie Van Halen is a “guitar symphony” personified.
When speaking to Louder, Simmons mentioned the power behind Eddie’s tone in Van Halen, saying, “Eddie was a complete guitar symphony in his own right. Edward has talked about being a fan of [Eric] Clapton. I’m sorry, I don’t see that. What he did was closer to classical music”. Prior to Van Halen hitting the big time, Simmons helped finance their first demo before leaving to focus on the latest KISS project.
Simmons went on to say how effected he was by Eddie’s death, continuing, “it hit me like a punch in the face. He was such a kind and beautiful soul, a genuinely nice person. He was so non-judgmental. It’s impossible to think of him without remembering that ever-present smile of his, or the way that his fingers always flew across the guitar”. Eddie Van Halen passed away in 2020 after a battle with cancer.
Outside of music, Simmons mentioned Eddie Van Halen keeping his ego in check, remarking, “That part of his character was always a bitchslap to me, with my big ego. I’m full of myself and I love the sound of my own voice. Spending time in the presence of Edward made me think: ‘I should probably stop this’”. Amid his compliments, KISS are embarking on their End of the Road tour, which marks the final tour with Simmons and frontman Paul Stanley.
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