Gene Simmons blames himself for KISS’ lack of platinum albums since ’80s

Gene Simmons blames himself for KISS’ lack of platinum albums since ’80s

Say what you will about KISS‘ founding member and bassist Gene Simmons and despite having previously declared that “rock is dead”, the man is not apparently only blaming himself and his KISS bandmates for the group’s lack of platinum success since the 1980s.

In an interview with the Guardian two days ago, Simmons was asked why KISS haven’t had a platinum album since the 1980s to which he replied: “It is what it is; the people speak. That’s the beginning and end of it. I will say that I think, in hindsight, we never spent enough time in the studio. We’ve always been more of a live band. Personally, I don’t have the patience to be in the studio. I admire bands like Pink Floyd and the Beatles who’d spend enormous amounts of time honing their craft, but I don’t have that DNA in my system. Some bands are more about being live. You want to get in there, bang it out and go out and play.”

Of note, Wikipedia indicates that KISS‘ last album to reach platinum sales was Hot In The Shade which was released on October 17, 1989 and certified platinum in Canada.