Months back, KISS bassist/singer Gene Simmons addressed whether the band could continue in some form when their “End Of The Road” world tour comes to a close.
“KISS will continue in ways that even I haven’t thought of,” Gene predicted on Dean Delray’s “Let There Be Talk” podcast.
“But I can conceive of… You know, the ‘Blue Man Group’ and ‘Phantom Of The Opera’ tours around the world with different personnel. There could and should be a KISS show, kind of live on stage with effects and everything else, but also semiautobiographical thing about four knuckleheads off the streets of New York that ends with the last third as a full-blown celebration, a full-on performance. Not with us. Although not a problem stepping in every once in a while.”
KISS guitarist/singer Paul Stanley addressed the topic in a recent interview with Ultimate Classic Rock.
“KISS is like an army or a sports team,” Stanley said. “When the MVP is no longer playing or retired, the team doesn’t call it quits. On a battlefield, an army, when they lose soldiers, doesn’t wave the white flag. Somebody else picks up the weapon and runs forward. So in one form or another, I believe there will always be a KISS.”
Stanley reiterated his belief that KISS could continue without any original members.
“I didn’t invent the wheel,” Stanley said. “I may have polished it a bit, but what am I, except a combination of all of the people who inspired me? When I added my individuality to it, it became essentially what people know as Paul Stanley. But to believe that I’m the only person who can do that is a bit self-centered and egocentric. Is there somebody else out there who could pick up and wave the flag? Absolutely. I’m not saying there should be a copy of me. I’m not a copy of anybody else. But I’m certainly a combination of many people that inspired me.”
Stanley concluded: “We’re far from done. I’d like to say that this is the end of the road, but they keep paving more road. The only people that seems to bother are the people who hate us. Quite honestly, they’ve never mattered and they still don’t. The people who want to see us are thrilled. The people who wish we’d go away are going to have to wait. And in one form or another, we’re never gonna go.”
