Monthly Archives: March 2022

Paul Stanley Blasts Hollywood For Reaction To Will Smith Slap At The Oscars

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Q104

KISS frontman Paul Stanley has little sympathy for Will Smith after his outburst at Sunday night’s Academy Awards presentation.

But what troubled Stanley most about the debacle was that less than an hour after slapping Chris Rock and cursing at him for a joke about Jada Pinkett Smith, Will was given a standing ovation accepting his award for Best Actor.

Will later issued a formal apology, but that didn’t satisfy Stanley. The Rock and Roll Hall of Famer echoed Wednesday what many live performers found so objectionable about the situation (and the copycats in might encourage).

“‘Unacceptable Behavior’?” Stanley began, paraphrasing Will’s apology. “What personal issues would embolden someone enough to walk onstage and ASSAULT another person? THEN how could an audience of people who believe themselves morally and socially conscious watch & spend the rest of the night cheering him? Sad and scary.”

Rock has yet to speak out on the issue in detail, but he did address it Wednesday when his stand-up tour with Kevin Hart played Boston.

“So how was your weekend?” Rock reportedly asked the audience after taking the stage.

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GENE SIMMONS Says TOMMY THAYER And ERIC SINGER Are ‘Appreciative’ And ‘Professional’ When It Comes To Playing In KISS

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Blabbermouth

During a brand new appearance on “The Adam Carolla Show”, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons discussed some of his fellow popular musicians who are not appreciative of their success and position. He said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “It’s not fair to point a finger, because everybody’s got their own dynamics with life and living experiences. But anybody who is lucky enough, on the face of a planet of seven and a half billion people, to have more money than you could ever spend in your life, have more chicks run after you that you don’t deserve ’cause you’re not that good looking. I’m talking about myself. Glory, fame — all that stuff. I don’t have to do a goddamn thing and people will give me free stuff. Where were they when I couldn’t afford to get on a bus? That you wouldn’t see how blessed you are is delusional; it’s criminal. Because there are millions of people who would kiss the ground you walk on just to be given the chance. So, for instance, we have Tommy Thayer [KISS guitarist] and Eric Singer [KISS drummer] who’ve been with us 20 years; we’ve been around almost half a century. And we are quitting very soon. But Tommy and Eric show up on time; they’re appreciative, professional — no drugs, no booze; nothing. And I can’t say the same thing about — I always wanna shut my mouth — Ace [Frehley, original KISS guitarist], who I love to this day, and Peter [Criss, original KISS drummer]. They were every bit as important as Paul [Stanley, KISS frontman] and I in forming the band, but not everybody has the DNA to run a marathon. Some people are shooting stars; they look great for a short time, and then bye-bye.”

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Gene Simmons Said Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse Could Have Been Rock Stars but Selena Gomez Couldn’t

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Cheat Sheet

Kiss’ Gene Simmons isn’t afraid to share his opinions on artists from other generations. For example, he said Lady Gaga and Amy Winehouse could have been rock stars even if he isn’t a fan of everything Gaga has done. In the same vein, he said Selena Gomez couldn’t have been a rock star if she tried.

During a 2021 interview with Us Weekly, Simmons revealed he respects Gaga even if he isn’t the biggest fan of dance music. “The new artists have that thing. When she first started, I said ‘Gaga is the next rock star.’ I’m not a fan of the disco boys on the poles and the sort of disco stuff of it.”

Simmons praised Gaga’s projects outside of the world of dance music. “She’s got the depth to sing with Tony Bennett which she did a chanteuse,” he said. “She’s got the depth. Listen to her sing ‘Shallow.’ She also did Edith Piaf, the classic French actress. I want to see Gaga with a rock band in the back of her rocking out because she’s got the goods.”

Simmons continued to say Gaga and Winehouse could have been rock stars but Gomez didn’t have the same capability. “I love all the Selena Gomezes and all that kind of stuff. [She] wouldn’t be able to hold up a rock band,” he opined. “Gaga’s got the goods and her versatility, you know who else had, Amy Winehouse.”

Three Sides of the Coin, episode 471 – Chris Lendt Returns to Talk Japan 1977, Dynasty, The Elder, Creatures and More!

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Michael Brandvold

Episode 471, March 22, 2022 Chris Lendt, former KISS Business Manager, returns this week to continue last week’s discussion about Japan 1977. He shares his thoughts on Bill Aucoin’s quote about the band ending. We continue talking about when Chris first saw cracks within the band. What one mistake did the band make that he thought they shouldn’t have done. Chris’s insights into KISS are always so enlightening.

Paul Stanley Names His Top 11 Lead Vocalists Of All Time

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Nova

KISS legend Paul Stanley took to Twitter to share a list of who he considers to be the top 11 lead singers of all time. 

The majority of the singer’s on the list are rock icons from the ‘60s and ‘70s including The Temptation’s David Ruffin, who ranked in at number four on the list. 

The 11th spot of Stanley’s list went to Heart’s Ann Wilson, who was recently named Iron Maiden frontman Bruce Dickinson’s favorite female singer of all time in a recent interview. 

A shock entry on the list was Steve Marriott of Small Faces and Humble Pie fame, who took the second place slot, beating out Queen’s late-frontman Freddie Mercury. 

Stanley named Led Zeppelin’s Robert Plant as his all time favorite lead singer. 

The full list curated by Stanley is as follows: 

01. Robert Plant (Led Zeppelin)

02. Steve Marriott (Small Faces, Humble Pie)

03. Freddie Mercury (Queen)

04. David Ruffin (The Temptations)

05. Rod Stewart

06. Paul Rodgers (Bad Company, Free)

07. Janis Joplin

08. Steve Perry (Journey)

09. Brad Delp (Boston)

10. Brian Johnson (AC/DC)

10. Lou Gramm (Foreigner)

11. Ann Wilson (Heart)

Gene Simmons – The Most Famous Hungarian in Rock & Roll

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Daily News Hungary

Has it ever occurred to you while I was Made for Lovin’ You was bursting out of the radio or when you went crazy with the crowd at the first notes of Rock and Roll All Nite as Kiss took over the stage back on that magical summer night in ‘79 that the bassist/ leader co-founder of your favorite American rock band might be of Hungarian descent? No wonder you were immediately drawn to their music and religiously collected every album in your teens! But even if you have discovered this cult rock band just fairly recently (talking of the younger generation), we can all agree that it is no surprise it has a Hungarian member as we are known all over the world for creating extraordinary things, pulling out iconic tunes and, in general, writing history! Well, ok here we have exaggerated a little.. Anyway, let’s look at the fascinating story of Gene Simmons and the explanation behind his signature tongue-out antics.

It is fair to say that The Demon, as Gene Simmons calls himself on stage, had to travel a long, rugged road to success and fame. It took him a fair amount of courage and persistence to be able to leave behind his threadbare beginnings and become one of the most celebrated figures of rock and roll. Born in 1949 under Virgo ascendant, the ‘80s music icon first saw the day of light under the name Chaim Witz in an Israelian hospital in Haifa, a picturesque northern seaside town. His mother, Flóra Klein (née Flóra Kovács) came from a tiny Hungarian village called Jánd tucked in the Northern Great Plain region of Eastern Hungary. She was barely 18 when she was captured in a Budapest ghetto and dragged into a Nazi concentration camp along with her entire family. After years of great ordeal and unimaginable scenes of horror, the young woman was liberated by American troops at the Austrian Mauthausen camp. She married a fellow Jewish-Hungarian called Ferenc “Feri” Yehiel Witz, a skilled carpenter, and they changed their base to Izrael to leave behind the haunting memories of their dreadful past.  However, the new land did not deliver its promises. It was hard to make ends meet in a then underdeveloped country (it was around the time of the Israeli Declaration of Independence), besides there were also constant raging arguments at home. Simmons was still very young when his father walked out on his family for good. After his departure, the family plunged into poverty.

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Gene Simmons rallies against racism in America: “it has got to stop”

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Louder Sound

The Kiss legend used an anecdote involving ex-flame Diana Ross to ram home his point

Kiss legend Gene Simmons has commented on the racism epidemic that continues to affect America, using an anecdote involving one-time flame Diana Ross to emphasise how deeply the issue has run over the years.

“Yes, [America is] racist,” Gene notes in a new interview with Metal Hammer. “Yes, it’s anti-semitic. And yet, here in America, there are no limits. You can have an African American president, you can also have the alternate – a semi-racist, semi-extremist president – but anything’s possible. Which is why I still worship the idea of America: it can get better and it will get better.

“People think of Martin Luther King, making great advancements for African Americans and just kind of smashing the door open to deal with it,” he continues. “And you’ve got to deal with this thing. We’ve got to get along and stop treating African Americans, especially, so horribly in America. Racism has got to stop.”

Gene goes on to use an anecdote courtesy of Diana Ross to illustrate his point. The rocker dated the MoTown icon in the 80s, and says she would tell him stories of her experiences as a young black artist in America in the 1960s

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Dynasty, Evolution in KISStory

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Kisstorian Brothers

As I listen to it now, seemingly 100,00 years from 1979, it dawns on me that KISS‘s controversial release, Dynasty, is a direct result of the 4 solo albums, damn good and in many ways the band’s ‘White Album’; disjunct yet many splendored. Strong as it is, turns out that selling out is a ‘Dirty Livin’.

For all it’s detracting elements, Dynasty is time piece worth revisiting on so many levels, a pivotal moment in KISStory that sees the band at their apex staring into the abyss. In a mere 5 years, KISS had gone from a dirty underground leathered shock rock band with a demonic tinge, largely thanks to Simmons early incarnations, to the biggest fucking band in the world. ‘The Return of KISS’ in ’79 with Dynasty is mega-KISS fully mechanized for world domination, with a sure-fire disco hit for radio as the ace up their sleeves. ‘Beth’ lit the radio lamp, and others kept it afloat (‘Hard Luck Woman’, ‘Dr. Love’) but ‘I Was Made For Loving You’ signaled that KISS had no choice but to compete, something ironically no one believed they’d be able to do beyond the initial buzz. Dynasty proved all the early critics wrong and yet proved them all right: KISS was more a ‘business’ than a band, as they had suspected. By 1979, KISS had over-saturated the market with product and, ironically, become almost too good, and certainly too well packaged. In modern terms, KISS had been on an amazing run but were ‘played out’.

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KISS’ Paul Stanley calls Kim Kardashian’s business advice “an insult to millions of women”

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NME

KISS frontman Paul Stanley has criticized Kim Kardashian over her recent advice encouraging women in business to work harder.

Kardashian and her family were recently profiled by Variety about their upcoming new reality show The Kardashians, which arrives on Hulu on April 14.

A clip from the interview, in which Kim offers her advice for women in business, went viral after many mocked her comments for being rude and out of touch.

“I have the best advice for women in business,” Kardashian said. “Get your fucking ass up and work. It seems like nobody wants to work these days.

“You have to surround yourself with people that want to work,” she continued. “Have a good work environment where everyone loves what they do because you have one life. No toxic work environments and show up and do the work.”

Responding to Kardashian’s comments, Paul Stanley shared an article on his Twitter, criticizing her for the implication that women just weren’t working hard enough.

“The irony here would be funny if it wasn’t such an insult to millions of women who struggle to achieve and put food on the table while battling a system of inequality and inequities. Kim, You were born rich. Embrace it with grace by not being blind.”

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Gene Simmons on Kurt Cobain: ‘Just because you died that makes you an icon? No’

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NME

Kiss bassist Gene Simmons has said that artists like Kurt Cobain and Amy Winehouse, who only released a handful of albums, cannot be seen as music icons.

Simmons was speaking about the current state of the music industry, in an interview where he discussed the importance of major record labels in supporting artists to have long-term careers.

“The internet’s a fascinating experiment, but ultimately it’s a very sad state of affairs for the new bands,” he told Team Rock Radio. “There won’t be another Beatles or another Prince or another Kiss because there isn’t that support system, there’s no record companies because kids have decided they can download and fileshare and bypass paying the artists what they rightfully should be getting.”

Simmons then compared the music industry between 1958 and 1983 with post-1984 era, naming artists of each time that can be considered as definite music icons. “Let me see – Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Jimi Hendrix, The Who and just on and on. And through the ’70s – Aerosmith, Kiss, Led Zeppelin. Now from 1984 until today, name one superstar that’s bigger than their music, and not just somebody that’s recorded one or two records, but another Queen or another AC/DC? None, you can’t name one.”

He then added: “Kurt Cobain – no, that’s one or two records, that’s not enough. Amy Winehouse – that’s one or two records, that’s not enough. What, just ’cause you died that makes you an icon? No, no.”

Simmons then concluded, saying the many bands are currently adopting the “Radiohead model” where fans pay whatever they want for an album. “But it doesn’t work, doesn’t it?” he said.

 

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Gene Simmons to Artists – Stand in Solidarity, Don’t Play in Russia

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TMZ

KISS’ Gene Simmons has stern words for bands still on the fence when it comes to their Russian concerts — what are you waiting for? Cancel it!

We got Gene at Kings Road Cafe Thursday in Los Angeles … he says bands should stick together in solidarity and take Russia off their tour schedules — something KISS is doing.

He tells us there are more important things happening in the world that should take priority over a simple rock concert — obviously referring to the war in Ukraine.
Gene thinks an American band that travels and puts on a show for the Russian people would be giving a thumbs up to President Vladimir Putin and his current attack.

Ever since the war began, artists have been pulling out of their Russian performances — Imagine Dragons, Eric Clapton, Gorillaz, and Louis Tomlinson are just a few.
A good number of bands are sticking to their plans for now … most likely to see how things blow over, but only time will tell.

KISStorian Brothers – Candid STARCHILD calls w/KID KING KISS to benifit MAMI.org

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KISStorian Brothers

More phone calls about KISS as we again eves-drop on semi-revelatory candid calls from KISS founder and Elder THE STARCHILD of KISS to life-long KISS Army mystery-man Jason ‘KID-KING-KISS! From Paul’s UBER stint to his KISS KRUISE pitch, SOUL STATION, NASHVILLE CREATUIRES FEST and blueberry pancakes in bed, Jason gets the us the straight dope! Because of organizations like NAMI.org, and your support, great people like our friend Jason ‘Kid-King-KISS’ can live happy, enriched safe lives full of dreams like the one KISS created that brought us all together! — Support mental health awareness and the people it affects most at www.NAMI.org