Yep, Gene Simmons Still Believes ‘Rock is Dead’
Gene Simmons declared to GQ back in 2014 that “Rock is dead.” Over a decade later, he still stands by his incendiary statement.
Simmons discussed at length why he still believes “Rock is dead” in an appearance on The Zak Kuhn Show. The bulk of Simmons’s argument has to do with the fact that many of the biggest names in rock today aren’t household names like they were in the 1950s through the 1990s and that their music isn’t what’s defining pop culture today.
“My point is if you randomly walk down the street and you ask the first young person you meet, a 20-year-old, and you say, ‘Name me anybody in Pearl Jam,’ good luck with that,” said Simmons. “‘Name me or tell me a song. Hum a song.’ They [can’t].”
Interestingly, Rolling Stone co-founder Jann Wenner agrees with Simmons. In September 2022, he took part in an interview with The New York Times to promote his new memoir Like A Rolling Stone. The feature kicks off with a bold intro: “Rock may be dead, but Jann Wenner is still rolling.” Later in the piece, Wenner is quoted saying of rock music, “I’m sorry to see it go. It’s not coming back. It’ll end up like jazz.”
On top of that, Wenner had some choice words about the Rolling Stones referring to the band in his book as an “oldies review.” He told NYT about seeing the Stones live, “Since I have to use a cane to get around, going to see them at a coliseum, it’s just like, why? It’s an interesting show, but I’ve seen it 20 times.”
(Wenner would tell columnist Maureen Dowd if the Stones played at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn near his home in Montauk, he would attend.) Wenner added, “Now they’re older and Keith has certainly slowed down. Mick is still a miracle, but he’s so old looking. I don’t mind, but they look like people out of ‘Lord of the Rings’ or something.”
New KISS Documentary
In other Simmons-related news: The members of KISS are working on a five-part documentary about their “End of the Road” farewell tour.
While many details about the documentary haven’t been confirmed, Paul Stanley shared on X (formerly Twitter) in October, “My beautiful wife Erin being interviewed today for a five-part documentary on our final tour. I’m blessed.”
On top of the new KISS documentary, there’s also the matter of the KISS Avatars, which were revealed after their final farewell show on December 2, 2023.
Simmons told fans during a December 2023 meet-and-greet event, “There’s so much being planned, even beyond my comprehension. But they’re spending, oh, about 200 million [dollars] to take it to the next level.”
Whether or not part of that $200 million has already been used on the avatars or if it’s an additional $200 million being invested was not made clear. Regardless, it’s clear few expenses have been spared on the new era of KISS.
