“The only thing that means anything to me is you get up onstage and people love what you do.” In a characteristically no-holds-barred interview with GW, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley discuss ‘The End of the Road.’
“It’s a celebration,” Paul Stanley says, when asked what fans can expect to witness on Kiss’ End of the Road tour. And whether or not you’re a tried-and-true member of the Kiss Army, one thing that can be agreed upon is there’s certainly plenty for Kiss to be celebrating. The band, always with co-founders and main songwriters Stanley (guitar, vocals) and Gene Simmons (bass, vocals) at the helm, have experienced incredible highs and more than a few lows in the 45 years since the release of their self-titled debut album. But one thing that has never wavered is their commitment to delivering a show worthy of four guys who call themselves the “Hottest Band in the World.”
“The RIAA tells us we have more gold records than any American group, in any category, in history,” Simmons tells Guitar World with his characteristic bluster. “I could give a fuck, by the way. The only thing that means anything to me is you get up onstage and people love what you do. The rest is just blah, blah, blah.”
That commitment to the live experience is largely the reason the band — which these days also includes guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer — is calling the End of the Road tour their final outing. “You want to go out on top,” Simmons says.
And as Paul and Gene explain in the following interviews, when they say “final,” they mean it. “It’s one of those great occasions where you know what’s coming next,” Stanley says. “You get to cherish the moment, knowing that the moment will pass. You hear so many times people say, ‘I wish I had known…’ Well, this is a chance for all of us to have that one last hurrah together, because we know that’s it. And there’s nothing bittersweet about it. It’s all just sweet.”
Guitar World recently sat down separately with Stanley and Simmons (“often when we do interviews together, there’s not enough oxygen in the room,” Gene explains) to discuss the End of the Road tour and the long journey they’ve taken together to get to this point. In addition, the two talked about the various members who have been in and out of Kiss over the years — including guitarists Ace Frehley, Vinnie Vincent and Bruce Kulick — and whether any or all of them might show up for this last “hurrah”; the particulars of their long-lasting relationship; and just what they’ll be up to after the curtain finally closes on Kiss. Continue reading