Metal Hammer has issued a new feature on Danish metal icon, King Diamond, reflecting on a 2016 interview in which he looked back on supernatural encounters, near-death experiences, Metallica’s approval and run-ins with Gene Simmons.
In the following excerpt, King reflects on the time he was nearly sued by KISS:
It was also in 1988 that King was reportedly threatened with a lawsuit by KISS. At that time, KISS had been out of make-up for six years. But, KISS being KISS, had their image trademarked. On his 1988 album Them, King had his face painted in a design that bore a strong resemblance to that used by Gene Simmons.
“They might have wanted to sue me,” he says. “But lots of people used make-up before KISS, and they were not the ones that inspired me. It was Alice Cooper and Peter Gabriel. But I don’t hate KISS; I still listen to them.”
In the end the lawsuit never materialized. King believes he knows why. “I didn’t have much to be sued for,” he says, laughing.