KISS’ PAUL STANLEY DISCUSSES LED ZEPPELIN SUIT, ACE FREHLEY AND NIKKI SIXX’S CRITICISM OF GENE SIMMONS

Russ Rollins of the “Monsters” recently spoke with KISS frontman Paul Stanley. Excerpts appear below as transcribed by blabbermouth.net.

On Led Zeppelin being accused of copying the iconic guitar riff in Stairway To Heaven from Spirit’s 1968 instrumental Taurus:

Stanley: “Well, it’s pretty strange that this lawsuit came forty-plus years after the fact. That’s a little weird, that somebody would suddenly decide to launch a lawsuit…”

Discussing whether he has ever heard any parts of other bands’ songs that sounded like they were lifted from KISS and whether he has ever been accused of ripping off other artists:

Stanley: “Well, yeah, and a lot of times it’s really unfair, because there are a certain amount of notes and they only get jumbled so many different ways. There’s a [Bruce] Springsteen song that sounds like… There’s a part of the song that sounds like [KISS’s] I Was Made For Loving You, so I’m sure he wasn’t sitting around listening to that. But it finds its way into everybody’s music. You can’t come down on everybody for their creativity…”

Talking about being at odds with Gene Simmons over the KISS bassist/vocalist’s admittedly callous remarks regarding Prince’s death but also taking Gene’s side and lashing out at Nikki Sixx:

Stanley: “You know, to rehash the past, Gene said some things that I think were uncalled for, and also perhaps didn’t bring a filter into the mix, and sometimes perhaps he doesn’t think through before he says something. And I just thought some of the things he said were a little cold and offensive, and I felt that I needed to distance myself from that, because the two of us have been together forty-plus years. That being said, it was over and done. And Gene and I never had a bad word about it; it was just something we both understood. But then to have somebody else harp on it over and over again, I just was… I didn’t like it. I thought it was self-promotion, and I didn’t like it. And I said, ‘Quit.'”

On whether he has gotten a positive response to his reunion with original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley for a cover of Free’s Fire And Water for Ace’s solo covers set, “Origins Vol. 1:

Stanley: “Sure. Everybody — from Paul Rodgers, who originally sang it, who’s one of my inspirations, he loved it, and a lot of people thought it was terrific and were surprised by it. Of course, it leads some people to say, ‘Well, what’s next?’ And I don’t really think… What’s next is that Ace and I are in contact and enjoying reconnecting. It doesn’t need to, and won’t, lead anywhere in terms of… Why would we change the band? The band is great. KISS is great the way it is. And it’s great to be in contact and texting and speaking with Ace. He’s in great shape. Psychologically, you know, he’s clean and sober, and he’s one of a kind. He can be a strange apple, but that’s what makes him so cool. And I’m glad I took up the opportunity to be on his album and also shoot a video with him.”

additional source: blabbermouth.net

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