In a more than hour-long conversation with Forbes, KISS legend, Gene Simmons, discusses life after playing with KISS, shares his views on Linkin Park’s relaunch and new vocalist Emily Armstrong, talks about the long-awaited reconnection of the Oasis brothers, the drama surrounding Ticketmaster’s Dynamic Pricing for the band’s 2025 tour and his run-in with Liam Gallagher.
He also addresses Morrissey’s recent dismay with record label executives, the controversy surrounding his new album, Bonfire of Teenagers, and Morrissey’s claims that an offer for The Smiths reunion tour was neglected by guitarist Johnny Marr.
To top it off, Simmons shares his formal critique on the Grateful Dead, admiration for Taylor Swift and weighs in on the stresses of Chappell Roan’s rapid rise to pop-stardom and run-ins with invasive fans. An excerpt from the interview follows...
Forbes: The guys in Linkin Park recently announced that they’re reforming the band with a new singer named Emily Armstrong. Have you listened to the new music?
Gene Simmons: "It's great. I listened. I saw some videos. The new female singer, great! She fits the band. She sounds great and good luck to them. Life is short. Go out there and live it up, enjoy it. Linkin Park got fans, they want to hear the songs and the music. Why not? There are bands that tour, Lynyrd Skynyrd, lots of bands that barely have any original members or no original members. People want to hear those songs."
Forbes: What do you think about the choice of picking Armstrong instead of trying to find another male vocalist who was imitating Chester Bennington’s voice?
Simmons: "I love it. It breaks the rules because when you think about the rules - AC/DC, we took them out on their first tour, [people said] they couldn't survive without Bon [Scott]. That's the voice! Well, actually they did survive and they got bigger. 'Well, once you get your new lead singer, you can't get rid of him!' No, actually, Axl [Rose] did a terrific job. If he was in AC/DC or Guns N’ Roses, they would both be great because it was convincing. Van Halen - a band I supposedly discovered or found, they had signed to me and all that - and I personally preferred the [David Lee] Roth era Van Halen. It was great. There was nobody like him, it changed what lead singers were. Once Roth left, “Oh boy, that's the end of it!” No, actually they literally got bigger with Sammy Hagar. All these “rules.” Genesis, they lose Peter Gabriel, it's over! Nope. Once Gabriel left, Genesis became a stadium band with a drummer who came up from the back. All those “rules,” who made the rules anyway? In rock and roll, there are no rules."
Read more at Forbes.
