In a recent interview with Adam Carolla, Gene Simmons questioned the belief that rock bands should always retain their original members.
He explained, “There’s not misconception but you guys, you’re all dreaming and you’re not qualified to make these rules, ‘Oh, you got to have the original members and all that stuff.’ It’s actually not true.”
Simmons went on, “In point of fact when Brian came in, AC/DC exploded, got five times bigger than they were. By the way, likewise, even though I prefer [David Lee] Roth by far in Van Halen because of the sleaze and the personality in his look, they got twice as big with [Sammy] Hagar. They just did. They started doing balladry stuff.”
When the host mentioned liking Hagar and describing him as a good guy, Simmons responded, “I’m not talking about what people like, just how big you get. Like Genesis started off with Peter Gabriel. He left. They didn’t like him and the drummer came on board, Phil Collins. They’re playing stadiums when the drummer came up on top. So there are lots of examples, including the Beatles.”
John 5 also expressed his belief that it is better to continue touring with a new member than to stop the band entirely after losing someone. During an interview with Jeremy White earlier this year, the guitarist voiced his concerns about the decline of rock bands, saying, “It’s very strange, because all these bands, they’re slowly going away. And it’s totally scary to me, because we have good rock ‘n’ roll.”
He continued, “But we need more good rock ‘n’ roll. We need more bands to come out there. We need more bands to say, you know, ‘Look at me!’ I can’t wait to see new rocks. We need them because they’re going away.”
John 5 then added, “I’m speaking as a fan. I would love to see AC/DC one more time. I would love to see… I mean, incredible. Just take The Rolling Stones. What if, when Brian [Jones] died, what if The Stones were like, ‘That’s it. No more Rolling Stones.’ We’d have a few records. Unbelievable, huh?”
Simmons will be hitting the road with his solo band, the Gene Simmons Band, for a spring 2025 tour. The tour will kick off on April 28 in Tallahassee, include a stop in Red Bank, New Jersey, on May 5, and conclude on May 24 in Houston.
