KISS’ Gene Simmons Respects The Beatles: “All The Music Pieces Came In The Place When I Heard Them”
KISS bassist Gene Simmons sent his respectful words for the rock giants The Beatles and admitted that all the music pieces came in one place when he saw and heard them live for the first time.
Gene Simmons is one of those huge names of the rock and roll community. For over 50 years, he has been creating new stuff with the band he received international fame, KISS. He is currently the bassist, songwriter, and singer of the band. Performing in the band’s entire material, including live albums, studio albums, compilation albums, and more. He also has two different solo studio albums. Those were 1978’s self-titled Gene Simmons and 2004’s Asshole.
On the other hand, The Beatles was a rock band activated from 1960 to 1970. Even though they were a 10-year band, the band’s remaining members, Ringo Starr and Paul McCartney, have been continuing to their careers, except for the band’s late musicians, John Lennon and George Harrison. Selling more than 600 million copies worldwide, The Beatles received 7 Grammy Awards, 4 Brit Awards, 15 Ivor Novello Awards, the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction in 1988, and many more things throughout its career.
Starting his career in the early ’70s, Gene Simmons was one of those who influenced by The Beatles after seeing them for the first time in 1964 on The Ed Sullivan Show. Thanks to The Beatles, the another great musician had been born. Simmons had started playing guitar and writing his own music when he heard and saw them live. Since then, he has been making great stuff.
During his recent interview with Wyatt Wendels, Gene Simmons has opened up about what he feels like about The Beatles. At first, the musician claimed that all Chuck Berry, Little Richards, The Beatles, Led Zeppelin, and The Rolling Stones are connected to each other.
“When I started listening to music – Chuck Berry, and Little Richard – it started to evolve. Then you heard The Beatles, the [Rolling] Stones, Small Faces, and then, Led Zeppelin. They’re all connected [with each other], Simmons said (as transcribed by MetalCastle.net).”
Gene Simmons Admits All The Pieces Of Music Came In The Place When He Heard The Beatles
Later then, Gene Simmons recalled The Beatles‘ attending The Ed Sullivan Show in 1964. It was the show he first ever saw The Beatles live. Touching on the musician’s views, Simmons said that they looked copies of themselves. Saying that all the pieces of music came in the place when he heard The Beatles, Simmons added that he started playing music after he saw them.
“All the pieces [of music] came in the place when I saw and heard, The Beatles,” he continued. “They were [at] an American show called The Ed Sullivan Show, and they came on, and the audience of course was gone crazy, mostly girls.
“And they came on and they looked like they came from the same Beatle mother. They looked like brothers from the same mother; the same haircuts, same highs, and same everything. I’ve never seen anything like that before.
“More importantly, I realized I was listening [them] with my eyes. I mean that’s words repeating, ‘listening with your eyes.’ The live experience is as much visual as it is overall, audiovisual.
“And then it made set, ‘Wow, The Beatles, they speak with accents, they look like they come same places. And the girls kinda like ’em.
“And that’s one that hit me that, ‘Hey, maybe I can be one of those kinda Beatle kinda people, I don’t look like I come from here, I speak with that accent, and I don’t look like I fit.’
“I mean I was much bigger than those people. The English in those days were tiny, Americans were huge compared to them.
“Immediately within two years of hearing The Beatles, I started writing my own songs. I picked up the guitar, learned how to play the C and G and D chords, and started writing my own songs.
“In fact, I recorded one of the very first songs I wrote, which appears in the largest box set of all time I was just released.”
Back in September 2021, Gene Simmons had claimed that rock is dead because of its fans. He also revealed the main thing to keep rock music alive. In the interview, he had mentioned The Beatles and said that there are no new Elvis Presley or Beatles.
“No, that’s not what it’s about,” he said. “It’s about the fans who continue to download and file-share for free, so new bands can’t earn a living.
“That’s the main thing, that we should reach out, we should send a message to fans, ‘Please, go and support your favorite new band, please. Don’t do it for free, support them, so they can devote time to their art.’
“Because, between 1958 and 1988 – that’s 30 years – we had The Beatles, and Elvis, and Hendrix, and Madonna, and AC/DC, and Motown, all this music that’s iconic. You want to put KISS in there, fine… And Prince, and all that stuff.
“From 1988 until today is more than 30 years, that’s about the time Napster started, who’s the new Beatles? Where’s Elvis?
“Foo Fighters, one of my favorite bands… Dave Grohl, amazing. That’s an old, grandpa band, they’ve been around almost 25 years.
“So, where are The Beatles, where’s Elvis? You can’t because the talent is out there, but they can’t survive.”
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