(Source: Far Out / YouTube still image)
Despite Despite their rocky start, Kiss’ legacy is almost unparalleled. Aside from the uncertainty of their early days, the band’s popularity will continue for years to come, thanks in large part to Gene Simmons’ tremendous creative drive. Simmons approaches every idea, melody, lyric and structure with everything he has, and the complexity with which he shapes them shows the spirit of a true visionary.
Simmons has witnessed many significant movements in music, which means he knows how to bring people from all walks of life together, and he has experienced this himself. In his view, music is perhaps the most powerful tool for social and behavioral change. “There was a certain mindset in white America, but music – more than religion, more than politics – became the catalyst for change,” he once said.
This comment was, of course, made in the context of listening to music by black artists and how music is one of the few truly powerful art forms that can change minds and bring people together. For a long time, Simmons was inspired by Diana Ross and learned things he never could have experienced, but he also had a real appreciation for this music and how it permeated all genres.
Little Richard, for example, not only taught him the power of rock ‘n’ roll, but also showed him how the genre could grab you and then spit you out again. He proved that aggression and art could come together and promote fun, expression and belonging, rather than leading war movements and making people feel even more oppressed. “Listening to Little Richard was like a kick in the balls. He would grab pale, white kids like me and say, ‘This is where the party starts! Right here, right now!'” Simmons said. Music radar.
One thing Simmons also liked about hardcore musicians like Richard was that they showed America’s dominance in the music world. The Beatles, for example, also showed him the nature of the “big” industry, where popularity meant sky-high sales and hysteria loud enough to echo through the radio waves. The Beatles were “outsiders,” in his view, but they also had the power to seem “cool” and “reach for the stars.”
For many, Led Zeppelin was the band that embodied stadium rock that cuts to the core. In the eyes of all hard rock fans around the world, Led Zeppelin were and still are They hold the key to great rock’n’roll, screaming loudly and laying themselves bare for everyone to see and enjoy. Although similar descriptions often apply to Kiss, for Simmons it was all about Led Zeppelin.
In addition to his love of Jeff Beck, which was based on his passion for unfiltered, passionate music, Simmons fell in love with Led Zeppelin because, as he aptly put it, they “had more balls! Big, fucking huge balls! Steam hammer balls!” The moment Led Zeppelin took the stage, nothing could prepare the audience for the explosive experience they were about to experience. As Simmons summed it up, “Once they get going, nothing can stop them.”
For the Kiss musician, it was “Communication Breakdown,” with its floating guitar sounds and Robert Plant’s “plaintive” voice, that turned his head. “Even before the song starts, you have this machine gun riff. What the hell is that? Woah!” he exclaimed. And the best part, according to Simmons, was that the song was written at a time when the market was incredibly competitive and becoming more saturated by the day.
In his view, however, they shone through with effortless ease: “Don’t forget that this was happening at the same time as Miles Davis, Hendrix, the Beatles and the damn Bee Gees. Enough incredible music to make your head explode!”
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