Wenn | Contact Music
Aerosmith star Joey Kramer has urged the original members of Kiss to rethink their decision not to perform at the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame
Induction Ceremony on Thursday (10Apr14), insisting they should just “lighten up” and play.
Founders Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons pulled the plug on plans to mark their induction with a live show when they learned that Hall of Fame bosses would not be honouring their current bandmates Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer at the bash in New York.
But famous fans like Slipknot’s Corey Taylor have blasted the decision and now drummer Kramer has weighed in on the drama, insisting all seven past and present members of Kiss who will be at the Hall of Fame event should get up onstage and perform.
In an interview as part of the podcast Totally Driven Radio, the Aerosmith star says, “You have to recognise the fact that there’s two other guys that have been in the band for the last 12 or 15 years. I mean, can you just ignore them? Is that fair? From my point of view, I think, basically, they should all play.
“Yeah, it’s only the original four that are getting inducted into the Hall Of Fame, but I think they should all play.
“I think that what I’m about to say applies to a lot of things in today’s world, in today’s society. I think people need to lighten up a little bit and not take things so goddamned seriously and make everything so important. It’s, like, hey, it’s life. S**t happens. You’ve gotta roll with it and let’s just make the best of it and have fun.
“Those guys have had a very fruitful career. They’ve got nothing to complain about… You can get to a point where you just deal with one another – you go onstage and do what you’ve gotta do and do your job… You don’t have to hang out, you don’t have to be buddies, you don’t have to have dinner together… I think it’s kind of unfair that they indulged their egos to the extent that they do.”
Kramer adds, “For my band, the reason I think… that we’re still together all these years later is because the common denominator for us has always been the same… the music – not money, not women, not drugs… And, when it comes to the music, the fans are the most important thing, because they get you and put you where you are.”