The thing about music that we all know and love is that really, when it comes down to it, it's all an elaborate pissing contest. And nobody proves that better than old rock dudes taking jabs at their contemporaries, still vying to earn that coveted high school superlative or something.
While Gene Simmons of KISS has already received the high honour of Very Long Tongue-Haver, he's also determined to be the fittest elder in rock, claiming that the Rolling Stones bandleader Mick Jagger "wouldn't last half an hour" in his stage costume.
In a new interview with The Sun, Simmons decided to compare and contrast. "Jagger's in amazing shape," the bassist admitted, "but he wouldn't last half an hour in my outfit. I'm 72 and still in great shape."
Of KISS's high-octane theatrics, he added: "You've got to spit fire, fly through the air and all that stuff. And you do it for two hours."
Last month, the musician had explained that the band were retiring because of "pride and self-respect" after their farewell tour wraps up later this year.
"Am I going to be convincing doing this at 75? No," he elaborated to the publication's Sarah Ridley. "Because I still have to wear these dragon boots proudly. Each of them weigh almost as much as a bowling ball, on their own. Plus I wear about forty pounds of armour and studs and guitars that I'm carrying around on eight-inch platform heels. The physicality of what we do is just crazy."
Yes, we can probably all agree that the sheer amount of tongue waggling he does on stage is indeed a feat of the human body.
Simmons concluded: "At some point, you've got to have some dignity and pride and quit while the gettin's good."
Renowned Machine Gun Kelly fan Jagger, now 78, underwent heart valve replacement surgery in 2019 ahead of the Rolling Stones touring extensively in 2021, despite the loss of drummer Charlie Watts.
Much like KISS and their ever-present outfits, the only other notable change to the Stones' live show is the absence of "Brown Sugar" from the setlist. Besides, guitarist Keith Richards says they're still too young and vibrant to sell their publishing rights, which is a "sign of getting old."
While Gene Simmons of KISS has already received the high honour of Very Long Tongue-Haver, he's also determined to be the fittest elder in rock, claiming that the Rolling Stones bandleader Mick Jagger "wouldn't last half an hour" in his stage costume.
In a new interview with The Sun, Simmons decided to compare and contrast. "Jagger's in amazing shape," the bassist admitted, "but he wouldn't last half an hour in my outfit. I'm 72 and still in great shape."
Of KISS's high-octane theatrics, he added: "You've got to spit fire, fly through the air and all that stuff. And you do it for two hours."
Last month, the musician had explained that the band were retiring because of "pride and self-respect" after their farewell tour wraps up later this year.
"Am I going to be convincing doing this at 75? No," he elaborated to the publication's Sarah Ridley. "Because I still have to wear these dragon boots proudly. Each of them weigh almost as much as a bowling ball, on their own. Plus I wear about forty pounds of armour and studs and guitars that I'm carrying around on eight-inch platform heels. The physicality of what we do is just crazy."
Yes, we can probably all agree that the sheer amount of tongue waggling he does on stage is indeed a feat of the human body.
Simmons concluded: "At some point, you've got to have some dignity and pride and quit while the gettin's good."
Renowned Machine Gun Kelly fan Jagger, now 78, underwent heart valve replacement surgery in 2019 ahead of the Rolling Stones touring extensively in 2021, despite the loss of drummer Charlie Watts.
Much like KISS and their ever-present outfits, the only other notable change to the Stones' live show is the absence of "Brown Sugar" from the setlist. Besides, guitarist Keith Richards says they're still too young and vibrant to sell their publishing rights, which is a "sign of getting old."
