According to Ultimate Guitar, KISS frontman Gene Simmons told Radio.com that if the band is inducted into the Rock N’ Roll Hall Of Fame, they will not be re-uniting with original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss.
Simmons stated, “No. How many chances in life do you get? When you stick your hand in fire, you get burned the first time. Fire and nature doesn’t care if you’re a good guy or a bad guy. Both of those guys had three chances to be in the band. Three times they f–ked it up. They were every bit as important as we were at the formation of the band and they would have been the ruin of the band if they had continued to be in the band. When you have a cancer in your system, it’s best to cut it out as fast as you can. It used to be a part of your body; it turned into cancer. You gotta cut it out.”
Simmons also added that he believes his former bandmates are much happier not being in the band, “I believe that both Ace and Peter are happier now. They’re healthier, they both look fine. When they were in the band, they were both on junk, or crack or alcohol. Clearly not a healthy place for them. They belong home doing autograph shows in clubs. They’re happier.”
See the entire interview below. The comments in question appear at 4:26.
source: ultimate-guitar.com
155 Responses
Ace and Peter should be inducted (btw, there’s nothing stated about them not being inducted, just not performing) and I’m not thrilled with the way he presented his feelings either, but here’s a different perspective:
If I were married, had serious problems with her that completely derailed the marriage and my happiness, wound up in a very costly divorce, and took her back via multiple negotiations with lawyers after a cooling off period only to have patterns repeat themselves again resulting in yet another divorce… I probably wouldn’t want to dance with her at our daughter’s wedding either – even if I had a lot of fans.
It’s one thing to be the armchair quarterback and another thing altogether to be in the huddle, folks. Would it be better if Gene thought a little bit before saying stuff – yep, absolutely. Does it mean that he’s not entitled to his feelings after being there, doing that – nope. Do I agree with his stance – nope, not that either – it’s just one night so I don’t see what the big deal is. Is it my decision to make – nope.
Also, there’s a little bit of he said, she said going on here – the quote is from a website about something that was told to another website. Nothing about this was posted on the band’s official website or Gene’s site (at least not when I checked it). It wouldn’t surprise me if he actually said these things – certainly sounds like something he would say, but it also wouldn’t surprise me if the media took some stuff out of context for the sake of buzz and site hits/visits.
This was a direct quote taken from a video interview. You can google the video
I agree Gene has the right to his feelings, but not to dash the hopes and dreams of the other members.
Still don’t see any video about this via google or youtube – just links pointing back to the same written interview. Again, I wouldn’t put it past him and it would be a bad case of non-filtering on his part if he did, but I would definitely be interested in seeing the actual source of this information directly. If you have a link, could you share it?
Sadly, what rarely makes headlines is something like “Gene Simmons Speaks Fondly About Ace And Peter In New Book.” Positivity like that just wouldn’t draw enough interest, I suppose. What I’m talking about is documented on page 522 in the book “Nothing to Lose” that came out recently. Per Gene: “For the good, we were fortunate enough to have met Ace and Peter, who completed the puzzle and made us whole. Both… were every bit as important as Paul and I in defining the sound and look of the band… That’s the memory I’m always gonna take with me.”
I do get tired of all the drama with this band. I’d guess I’d be more upset if Ace and Peter weren’t going to get be inducted IF this happens. Glad I saw the original four during the ‘farewell’ tour – I took that as a major sign it would be the last shot for that experience.
Brandon,
I managed to find the actual interview and have now embedded into the story. As I posted above, the comments in question appear at the 4:26 mark. I hope this has cleared up any confusion.
Dana from EddieTrunk.com 🙂
How can Eric and Tommy not feel like whores. I mean they both portray guys who USED TO BE in the band!!! Whether Gene likes it or not, Ace is a legend and was ALWAYS the most popular guy in that band! If Ace and Peter aren’t significant enough to the HOF career of Kiss for Gene, then why have two other guys PRETENDING to be them!! I guess without an Ace and a Peter CHARACTER it wouldn’t SELL…..would it Gene!! Crawl inside your Kiss Coffin and go to sleep. Ace and Peter are better off not being slaves to you and Paul and whoring themselves out on every ridiculous retail item on the face of the planet!!
KISS is my band. Ace is my guy. Peter is a has-been since 1977. However, Gene does have a valid point or two. First off ,Ace and Peter seem happier not being in the band. If they wanted to be a part of the band they could have been by seizing the opportunities they were given. They didn’t care enough to do the fans or the band the justice they deserved by cleaning themselves up,getting their heads right and becoming stand up guys when they had the chance. Secondly, the wearing of the makeup was an issue for me too,but it’s too late in the game to create new personas.They are too recognizable as icons for what represents KISS. Thank goodness that Eric and Tommy care more about the band than their predecessors because not only has KISS survived,it has thrived. They have given the privilege of being a member of KISS the respect it deserves.
Really? It’s a one night performance that reflects the history of the band. Do you think people want to hear some new KISS songs with imposters or Detroit Rock City with the original line up?
Whatever respect I had for KISS, of of my favorite bands as a kid and a proud member of the KISS Army, is completely gone.
Are they going to have Buce Kulick up there? I sincerely doubt it.
Hang it up, call it a day. I think the HoF is kind of a joke anyway, and I’m pretty sure that Ace and Peter know how real KISS fans feel. The reason they have Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer dressing up as the original members is because they are milking the nostalgia act. If the songs actually mattered, the makeup would be secondary, but they make sure those guys are the spitting image of Ace and Peter, because they know what people want to see.
Hall of Fame is a joke and over the years Gene has put his old ass on every exposure show and talk show just to make money for himself. What did Kiss have anything to do with it? Peter and Ace maybe are better off not being in that show because it’s all about Gene, what a douchebag. Paul doesn’t need the lime light and should voice his opinion instead of Gene. Oh well he can’t take the money to his grave which may not be too far away from his old ass.
Well get ready!!! You guys know as well as I do how many RUSH fans showed up for RUSH’s induction and how it was like a wall of sound when their name was announced? If KISS is inducted and we all know how many KISS fans there are that believe 1000% that Ace and Peter should be involved, ALL OF THEM!!! I just betcha the fans Boo them, BIG TIME!!! This will be the most embarassing moment for Gene and Paul in their lives!!! Like Dave said in his post THIS IS ABOUT THE FANS!!!