Anthrax guitarist Scott Ian has come out in support of the decision by KISS members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons to pull the plug on a live performance at the band’s upcoming induction into the 2014 Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.
KISS released a statement explaining their decision (read it here) after original guitarist Ace Frehley broke the news on Eddie Trunk’s radio show (details here) and original drummer Peter Criss released a statement of his own (here).
"Look, I've got Gene Simmons tattooed on my leg, so whatever Gene says is what goes,” Ian tells WMMS Cleveland’s Rover’s Morning Glory show while promoting his spoken-word tour, “Speaking Words.” "I'm a fan, just like everyone else, and would I wanna see, if I was going… I'm not going to the Hall Of Fame thing, so would I wanna see the four original dudes back in makeup one more time? Of course I would, as a fan. But bands don't do things dictated by what the audience wants. A band would last about a year if that's how you worked. You have to do things the way you wanna do them.”
"KISS has been around for 40 years and are bigger now than they were in 1977 because Gene and Paul make smart business decisions — that's why,” continued Ian. “So, as a fan, and if you love them, you have to abide by the decisions that Gene and Paul are making for their brand and their band. So, why people get so upset over these things, I really don't understand. Like, if they decided they were playing with [current KISS members] Tommy [Thayer] and Eric [Singer], so fine. That's what they're doing. This is their band. This has been the lineup for a long time now.”
"I get it — those two guys [Tommy and Eric] aren't the guys who are getting into the Hall Of Fame [with Paul and Gene], it's Ace and Peter… you know, I get it,” summed up the guitarist. “So I think they made the right decision now by saying, 'We're just not gonna play. You can't please everybody. We're just gonna shut it down and just not do it.' I get it. I understand."
On April 10, KISS will be inducted into the 2014 Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame at a ceremony in New York, along with Nirvana, Peter Gabriel, Hall and Oates, Cat Stevens and Linda Ronstadt.
See also:
KISS: Paul Stanley memoir recommended by Motley Crue bassist
KISS: Paul Stanley previews Face The Music memoir
KISS to play rare acoustic show without makeup
Original KISS manager’s partner speaks out on Rock Hall controversy
Search KISS at hennemusic
