KISS co-founder and bassist Gene Simmons recently gave an interview to Guitar World where he named the bass players who helped shape his sound. Simmons said he initially picked up the bass instead of guitar because it increased his chances of being in a band, as there were fewer bass players at the time.
Simmons also explained “the hardest thing to do” in music. “I don’t consider myself—and was never really interested in being—a bass virtuoso,” Simmons said. “I don’t like show-offs in music. I’m much more attracted to things that are memorable. It’s part of the joy of music for me.”
Simmons continued: “You can be a jazz player and be respected by musicians, but the rest of the world doesn’t care. We’re going to play a game: name a jazz player that means something. How about John McLaughlin? He’s a great player. But here’s a question: can you hum any melody that he’s ever played on a solo? Of course not. With all due respect, that music is intended to show off how well you play – but I don’t care about that. The hardest thing to do is write a good simple song or riff. That’s really hard.”
Simmons also mentioned Jaco and Flea as excellent technicians but not the most memorable. “There are an awful lot of amazing bass players, like Jaco Pastorius and the jazz guys,” Simmons said. “Or guys like Flea, who is really good on his instrument, but I can’t remember anything he plays – and I also do not like the sound of a bass being slapped.”
“Clapton, before he went pop, and when he was considered ‘God,’ he was interviewed, and he said something very profound: ‘The hardest thing to do is to know what notes to put in a solo, and what notes not to put in a solo.’ Sometimes, if it’s shockingly simple, and barely moving at all, but I can hum it, that’s what matters because it’s memorable.”
