The “heavy metal” band Kiss plays at the Nimes festival on July 5, as part of their last tour. Gene Simmons, bassist and founding singer of the group, gives an exclusive interview to Midi Libre. He promises to throw the biggest party the arenas have ever seen.
Hello Gene Simmons, you are playing for the first time in Nîmes, in the arenas. Your thoughts on this upcoming concert?
What I can say is that we are going to bring the biggest party on the planet here. When you go see us on stage, you’ll say “Wow!” but no one will hear you because we play so loud. Remember to remind the local airport to prohibit all flights over where we will be playing, as we will be emitting fireworks that will shake the skies!
On the other hand, you have already toured France, what do you remember?
We had a wonderful time there each time. France has never had a great rock history, unlike Germany or Great Britain. It’s just not in his culture. But I assure you that something happens when Kiss plays in France. Everyone loosens up and has a great time. People are going crazy!
You talk about rock rather than metal. Is that how your music is defined?
Technically what we do is metal. But we do not refer to this term, because we were already there before it was invented. It is rather the word “rock” which has become our brand. We do not have a political message, nor a religious point of view. And contrary to what some might think, we don’t have the secret of life. We introduce ourselves as “you wanted the best, you get the best”.
You’ve been playing for almost 50 years. Between the rock of today and that of the 80s, what evolutions do you see?
Technology has had an impact. Well, I admire his ability today to make people happy. But I don’t admire this lack of creativity. For some, rock has become a technical exercise in pushing a button and making people happy. It’s like a light show. We’re not afraid of technology, but we’re absolutely not afraid of giving it our all on stage either. We are four guys who will sweat to death to move the house.
Especially since it’s your last tour. Your feelings?
A lot of feelings: I feel pride, joy, but also sadness, because it’s over. But every party must have an end. And as an artist, you have to know how to respect yourself and get off the stage while you’re still good. Quit it gracefully, while you’re still kings!
The composition of your group has changed over the years, has that changed your style?
I do not believe. The group and its soul are the same. Think of a soccer team. There are different styles, each player brings his person to the field, but the game remains the same.
Two of the founding members, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley, left the group in the 80s…
They were fired from the group, it was quite sad. But they came back with drug and alcohol problems. Gold Kiss is like the Olympic Games. And not everyone has the DNA to run a marathon. We wear boots that are the weight of bowling balls, almost 9 kg each! If you can’t come clean, you’re not fit for the stage.
Yet there are many stories of drugs and alcohol in rock…
I wrote a book called “27 : the legend and the mythology of the 27 club” and the sad thing is that a lot of the artists I’m talking about killed themselves with drugs and alcohol: Kurt Cobain, Amy Winehouse, Jim Morrison… Self-destructive, idiotic behavior. If we drink too much, it affects his gear (if you know what I’m referring to), we could at best vomit on the shoes the girlfriend bought, at worst get dragged into a fight. We owe respect to our fans. And arriving drunk or stoned is disrespecting them.
To conclude, do you have anything to add with regard to your Nîmes spectators before your concert?
A simple idea: we can’t wait. We’ll be the biggest party ever, but we can’t do it without you.
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