Gene Simmons answers KISS's fiercest critics

Gene Simmons has answered KISS’s fiercest critics in an interview with Planet Rock backstage at Download Festival 2022.

Ahead of KISS’s pyro-tastic Friday night headline show on The Apex Stage, Wyatt caught up with Gene Simmons at the band’s compound.

Towards the end of the interview, Wyatt mentioned KISS’s plans to retire following the conclusion of their swansong The End of the Road World Tour, and quipped: “On behalf of the fans thank you for the last 50 years, and on behalf of your fiercest critics thank you for calling it a day.”

In response, Simmons said: “Oh, I’ve got quite a few homes and thing that the fiercest critics. ...

“You have to take things with a grain of salt – not everybody likes Jesus and you’re just never going to be able to appeal to everybody. And who wants to appeal to everybody? You want to stay true to what you do.”

He continued: “My son Nick, who is out here, who’s got his own successful career going with music – they’re on TV shows and all that, soundtracks.

“So, his girlfriend Keltie, lovely girl, (we said) ‘Do you want to go to Download?’ ‘No, the music’s too loud.’ KISS! It’s KISS! She likes quieter pop stuff, and that’s great everybody should have whatever they want.”

Earlier on the chat, Wyatt commented on Download being KISS’s last ever show on UK soil.

Clarifying things, Simmons said: “Well let’s be more specific, it’s the last ever time in Blighty for the ‘stage KISS’. I’m 72, I still have hair, I have quite a lot more on back unfortunately and they call me Chewbacca Ass! There’s so much hair on my butt I’ve got to put a part in otherwise it sticks.

“Everything comes down to pride. Have enough self-respect to know when to leave with dignity because you love the fans and you appreciate… it’s too soft of a word, we’re forever grateful for this astonishing journey because without the fans we wouldn’t be here.

“But having said that, we’ve all seen boxers who’ve stayed in the ring too long. Or poor Elvis (Presley) who ended up naked, bloated on a bathroom floor in Vegas. That ain’t Elvis. Quit while you’re on top. Quit while you have something that resembles people’s preconceived notion of you. Remember we walk out there and introduce ourselves with ‘You wanted the best, you’ve got the best, the hottest band in the world KISS!’ Not like ‘oh I remember them when they were really good, you should have seen them back in year one or year two.’ No it’s right here, right now and if you can’t deliver the goods on a certain level have the self-respect to say ‘thank you and we’re done.’ We’re approaching 50 years – how long can you do it?”

On a roll, he added: “You want to respect the fans enough to know when to get off that stage and it’s going to be sad and it’s going to be happy – sad that you have to leave something that you love so much but really happy and proud for ‘look at what we did?’

“We raised the level of what a fan can expect on that stage for their hard-earned money. There’s no question about that. So, if you see wrestling and there’s pyro or Sir Paul McCartney – one of my heroes – and there’s pyro… anybody that’s putting stuff in their shows. I mean, where do you think they got that from? Mungo Jerry?!”

Check out photos of KISS, Skindred, Wayward Sons, Kris Barras Band and many more on the opening day of Download Festival 2022 below.

Friday at Download Festival 2022 in photos:

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