As the ‘End of the World Tour’ nears its conclusion, KISS’ Gene Simmons has been keeping fans up to date with fresh interviews. In a recent interview with Daily Distraction’s Chris Killian, he discussed the band’s influence, concentrating on Dimebag Darrell in particular. The discussion began when the bassist was asked if the late Pantera guitarist was buried in a KISS casket, to which he replied: “That is correct. Ace [Frehley] was tattooed on Dimebag’s breast.
Onstage, he was tragically killed by a maniac who shot him in the head. Dime’s family contacted me. And I had a few different sorts of KISS caskets. And I did send one from my collection, and he was buried in a KISS casket, huh.” He then discussed how KISS had a significant impact on the rock music industry, citing a story from Tom Morello: “Kirk Hammett grew up listening to KISS records, and that’s Metallica.
” Dime was a member of Pantera. But it covers a wide range… You know, when you’re 13 or whatever, and you’re a guy in the middle of nowhere… Tom Morello gave our acceptance speech or introduced us to the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame, and his story about growing up in the center of America and not having enough things to inspire or get him thinking about alternative possibilities was quite inspiring. And he started talking about KISS and how having those recordings was about more than just learning how to play guitar and perform on stage, but also opening up the ideas of imagination and the visual sense of things.”
Simmons also acknowledged his appreciation for the band’s influence on younger generations, saying: “And I’ve met all kinds of people, not just rockers and the like, but people from all walks of life who say, ‘This was important to me when I was a kid.'” And this is the most important… It’s not so much because they’re famous as it is that they have a good piece in my heart. But nothing — and I mean nothing — can compete with a five-year-old who lives, breathes, and eats KISS. When you see a five-year-old kid in KISS makeup sitting on his father’s shoulders, who is wearing his own makeup, next to his father, who is 50 or 60 years old, and they’re all rocking out at the show, and when the kid eventually [flashes the ‘devil’s horns’ hand motion], it doesn’t get much better.
” In a separate interview with The Sun in May, KISS bassist Gene Simmons acknowledged his band’s effect once more. At the time, he compared KISS to other bands such as U2 and Radiohead in order to assess the band’s place in pop culture. His words were as follows: “I love U2 and Radiohead, but our imagery outshines them all.” For better or worse, we’ve become a part of pop culture. People may dislike us, but when Halloween rolls around, you’ll see all of the Kiss costumes at parties.
At carnivals in Brazil, there are massive Kiss floats — but no one is dressed like Thom Yorke!” KISS’ farewell tour is coming to an end, with the band going to Europe in June. The tour, which began in 2019, will conclude in New York in December 2023.