Ryan Drever | Drowned in Sound
There’s not much left to say about KISS that hasn’t already been screamed, picketed or printed by generations of militant fans, close-minded religious fanatics or gore-hungry press over the course of about four decades. But that’s not to say there’s no new ground left to cover for this larger-than-life hard rock juggernaut.
The next-level pioneers of shock rock, the wholesale manufacturers of early American Heavy Metal and the single greatest thing to happen to the face-paint industry since the death of mime; KISS are as relevant today as you let them. Ignoring that painful Costa Coffee ad for a moment – or as long as humanly possible – their music still holds up pretty well, even for those averse to KISS’s occult gimmickry of pyro, blood-spitting and trapeze-aided guitar solos – which makes the quality of their latest record, Monster, unsurprising for the most part.
But if ever there was a case to let the artist explain themselves it would be our recent conversation with Gene Simmons. So, here’s the God of Thunder himself in a hasty phone interview conducted in a Glasgow back-alley as he talks Monster, Mount Olympus and Meat and Two Veg. Enjoy.
Hi Gene, how are you?
I’m deliriously happy.
That’s quite possibly the best response to that question in the history of speech.
Write that one down.
Don’t worry, I’m taping it. Actually, you’re going to have to excuse me, I’m a little out of breath, I’m doing a show tonight and have had to rush around dropping off gear and am now interviewing you in an alley behind the venue.
Oh, I thought you were out of breath because you’re talking to me.