He's made more money with his bass than I'll ever make with mine.
I'm surprised Carol Kaye doesn't claim she played jaco's lines.
I'm surprised Carol Kaye doesn't claim she played jaco's lines.
Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Opinion on Gene Simmons
- Thread starter twdavis13
- Start date
Yes. though I like a few of their early songs I used to listen to in Jr. High back in the 70's...they are living proof of "all fluff and no stuff" and their motto is "you can make money selling anything"... and they did.
Gene is my hero... but for a different reason
+1
And hopefully you have heard Craig Gass' dead on Simmons impression on Howard Stern. Some really funny stuff. He laid bare Simmons huge ego and unlimited appetite for shameless self promotion.
In my opinion, Gene Simmons is pretty decent as a bassist, he's very talented in his solo experimentations when he was live with Kiss, and he had some nice basslines. But I think he's a bit of an idiot, but not a jerk, in real life. I read a quote he said about the Grunge movement where he stated it was "Just a bunch of long-haired guys dressed as lumberjacks saying the world is a depressing and horrible place to live in, while we're in a prospering era." Those weren't his exact words, but that's pretty close to what he said. But from watching Family Jewels and Cribs: Gods of Rock and Interviews with him, I don't think he's a jerk, just a little xenophobic and arrogant. Talented guy though, I'm gonna bash him based on talent. 
I never got the KISS thing at all - not one bit.
I'm kinda surprised at Alvaro. I wanna shake him...Dude! Wake up! They blow!
GS is a good player for that kinda stuff I guess.
I don't know about all this talk of GS being a bastid, but in the interviews I've seen, he comes across like a smart guy, unlike many [most] that make a living doing similar stuff.
I'm kinda surprised at Alvaro. I wanna shake him...Dude! Wake up! They blow!
GS is a good player for that kinda stuff I guess.
I don't know about all this talk of GS being a bastid, but in the interviews I've seen, he comes across like a smart guy, unlike many [most] that make a living doing similar stuff.
I wasn't talking about his business acumen. I was talking about the music from the band as a whole.
bassman314
I seem to be a verb, an evolutionary process...
Right. Gene Simmons is 100% professional and conducts himself as a professional always. Axl Rose is a big baby who makes thousands of people wait for him to hit the stage when he feels like it, and he takes 15 years to make an OK album that most of us could have done in 4 months.
I don't want to read the whole thread so I'm guessing someone has made the same or similar points but here's my take on Gene Simmons:
He's a good enough bassplayer for what KISS does. While their music doesn't really allow for chops heavy bassplaying, a guy like say, Pino Palladino would be able to create better lines within the confines of their songs. That said, his lines are a lot more interesting than AC/DC, Van Halen or any number of today's "Power Pop" stuff which all seem to be root notes following the chord changes.
So I think he's fine in terms of his playing. The big issue for me is that he has a mindset/approach to music that just doesn't click for me. First, as seen by his comments about modern bands (Nirvana, Radiohead for example) or genres like jazz, Gene thinks music should just be about dumb fun with no real emotional attachment other than hedonism. That's fine, I think it's good to have albums like that around. It's why I love AC/DC.
But music also seems for him to be not about art or creating something at all, just a commercial enterprise designed for the widest audience possible. And that's fine by me. Current mainstream pop and hip-hop acts have the same approach. And some people would rather see a mindless blockbuster with non-stop product placement than a well thought out and executed indie film.
But it's not for me. I don't like their songs at all, and they don't reach me on any level. But I don't begrudge anybody who digs them. They put on an entertaining show.
He's a good enough bassplayer for what KISS does. While their music doesn't really allow for chops heavy bassplaying, a guy like say, Pino Palladino would be able to create better lines within the confines of their songs. That said, his lines are a lot more interesting than AC/DC, Van Halen or any number of today's "Power Pop" stuff which all seem to be root notes following the chord changes.
So I think he's fine in terms of his playing. The big issue for me is that he has a mindset/approach to music that just doesn't click for me. First, as seen by his comments about modern bands (Nirvana, Radiohead for example) or genres like jazz, Gene thinks music should just be about dumb fun with no real emotional attachment other than hedonism. That's fine, I think it's good to have albums like that around. It's why I love AC/DC.
But music also seems for him to be not about art or creating something at all, just a commercial enterprise designed for the widest audience possible. And that's fine by me. Current mainstream pop and hip-hop acts have the same approach. And some people would rather see a mindless blockbuster with non-stop product placement than a well thought out and executed indie film.
But it's not for me. I don't like their songs at all, and they don't reach me on any level. But I don't begrudge anybody who digs them. They put on an entertaining show.
If you measure him by his showmanship as a hard rock performer, he is as close to the pinnacle as I think you can get.
If you measure him by raw technical skill relative to the most technically accomplished bassists, he falls hella short.
For what Kiss were as a band, I think the former is the only measure that matters.
He's an awesome performer.
If you measure him by raw technical skill relative to the most technically accomplished bassists, he falls hella short.
For what Kiss were as a band, I think the former is the only measure that matters.
He's an awesome performer.
In the context of old-school KISS, Gene wrote and played lines that fit absolutely perfectly, and those songs would not have been those songs without those lines.
Is he a virtuouso that could hold his own against the likes of Wooten, Hamm, Bailey, et al? Of course not. And if he was, KISS never would have been KISS.
These threads always annoy me, because so many people are blindsided by the comic theatricality of the band, that they write the band off as a circus act, without actually opening their ears. It especially irks me when some of these people are huge Macca fans, yet stroke their pud bashing Gene. The similarities between Macca's and Gene's old-school lines are frightening!
Is he a virtuouso that could hold his own against the likes of Wooten, Hamm, Bailey, et al? Of course not. And if he was, KISS never would have been KISS.
These threads always annoy me, because so many people are blindsided by the comic theatricality of the band, that they write the band off as a circus act, without actually opening their ears. It especially irks me when some of these people are huge Macca fans, yet stroke their pud bashing Gene. The similarities between Macca's and Gene's old-school lines are frightening!
Gene is smart as Hell. He knew what he was doing every second........ Paul Stanley same deal. Gene is just more visual.
Kiss is legendary.
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day..........!!!!!!!!!!
Get out............. WOW............ Rock classic...........
Kiss is legendary.
I wanna rock and roll all night and party every day..........!!!!!!!!!!
Get out............. WOW............ Rock classic...........
Gene would probably be the first to admit that the Beatles had a profound impact on him.
My Mother told me that if I didn't have anything nice to say, then don't say anything at all...
so I vote with no comment
so I vote with no comment
Big KISS fan here.
Yeah, their music is goofy and juvenile. But hey, why so serious? He's obviously not trying to be like Geddy Lee or Steve Harris in the virtousity department. He does what he does well. Yeah, he's crass and vulgar, but so long as I enjoy listening to his stuff, that's all that matters.
Yeah, their music is goofy and juvenile. But hey, why so serious? He's obviously not trying to be like Geddy Lee or Steve Harris in the virtousity department. He does what he does well. Yeah, he's crass and vulgar, but so long as I enjoy listening to his stuff, that's all that matters.
