Back in the dearly departed year of 2018, face paint enthusiasts KISS announced their farewell tour. They promptly extended it, and then the pandemic happened, so needless to say, they're still making their way towards the End of the Road: the band are bringing their high-octane theatrics to several shows across Europe, Australia and North America this summer to finish up the itinerary.
In a new interview with an episode of KLOS's Whiplash, bassist and mouth-haver Gene Simmons opened up about why KISS are kicking off their platform boots after nearly half a century together.
"The reason for stopping touring is because of pride and self-respect, and a love and admiration for the fans," he told the host. "The last thing you wanna be is to be a world-champion boxer and stay in the ring too long. It's only a matter of time until your legs are not gonna be able to hold you up, and you're gonna lose."
Simmons continued: "We've also seen boxers who've stayed in the ring too long and bands who continue touring too long. And they forget lyrics and you can see the deep wrinkles in their faces. I mean, it's just the nature of life as we know it on earth."
Yes, ageing is indeed a thing that inevitably happens to everyone and everything. Now 72, the musician seems to feel affirmed in the group's decision, adding: "We're doing the right thing. We're gonna quit while we're on top, do the best we can, and it'll be sad, but it's also gonna be happy. On the last show we ever do as a touring band, I'll be crying like a 12-year-old kid whose foot you're stepping on."
You can only rock 'n' roll all night and party every day for so long, right?
Plus, Simmons already proclaimed that rock is dead — and that those fans he loves and admires so much are to blame. "Fans killed the thing they loved by downloading and file sharing for free," he told Metal Hammer back in April.
Listen to the Whiplash interview in full below.
Say what you will, but the self-proclaimed namesake of Liam Gallagher's son should definitely have a lot of pride in the fact that Joni Mitchell apparently owns a KISS pinball machine.
In a new interview with an episode of KLOS's Whiplash, bassist and mouth-haver Gene Simmons opened up about why KISS are kicking off their platform boots after nearly half a century together.
"The reason for stopping touring is because of pride and self-respect, and a love and admiration for the fans," he told the host. "The last thing you wanna be is to be a world-champion boxer and stay in the ring too long. It's only a matter of time until your legs are not gonna be able to hold you up, and you're gonna lose."
Simmons continued: "We've also seen boxers who've stayed in the ring too long and bands who continue touring too long. And they forget lyrics and you can see the deep wrinkles in their faces. I mean, it's just the nature of life as we know it on earth."
Yes, ageing is indeed a thing that inevitably happens to everyone and everything. Now 72, the musician seems to feel affirmed in the group's decision, adding: "We're doing the right thing. We're gonna quit while we're on top, do the best we can, and it'll be sad, but it's also gonna be happy. On the last show we ever do as a touring band, I'll be crying like a 12-year-old kid whose foot you're stepping on."
You can only rock 'n' roll all night and party every day for so long, right?
Plus, Simmons already proclaimed that rock is dead — and that those fans he loves and admires so much are to blame. "Fans killed the thing they loved by downloading and file sharing for free," he told Metal Hammer back in April.
Listen to the Whiplash interview in full below.
Say what you will, but the self-proclaimed namesake of Liam Gallagher's son should definitely have a lot of pride in the fact that Joni Mitchell apparently owns a KISS pinball machine.
