In a new interview with The Adam Carolla Show, KISS bassist Gene Simmons recalled the one moment Jimmy Page complimented him. The Led Zeppelin rocker’s compliment included The Doors’ John Entwistle, saying Simmons could give him ‘a run for his money’:
“So, Page came to see us the first time when we played [London’s] Wembley — he came to see us some other times when we were there — and he came up to me after the show, my hand to God, and said, without doing an English accent, he says, ‘Mate, you can give Entwistle a run for his money.’ And I was just about ready to pass out.”
Though he doesn’t accept that it’s true, he was glad that Page thought of him that way:
“That’s not true, of course, but the fact that he would even say that. [That’s the] highest compliment. For me, forget about it. The only higher one might be [Paul] McCartney coming over and saying, ‘You’re doing a good job,’ because nobody played bass the way McCartney does, because you can hear a song and remember the bass parts that McCartney played.”
Simmons’ Opinion On Led Zeppelin
Gene Simmons often talks about how Led Zeppelin was a big inspiration. Just like Kiss with their style, Led Zeppelin went for it in music with no holding back. In Simmons’ words, they ‘had guts.’
He said earlier in an interview, praising the band:
“So, what did Led Zeppelin bring to the table? More balls! F*cking great big, huge balls! Steam hammer balls! Once they get rollin’, there’s nothing that can stop them. Even before the song [‘Communication Breakdown’] starts, you’ve got that machine gun riff. What the f*ck is that? Woah!”
He added:
“Then, bang, the song really kicks in. You’ve got Plant’s voice wailing over the top like some kind of demented witch. Don’t forget that this is happening at the same time as Miles Davis, Hendrix, the Beatles and the fucking Bee Gees. Enough incredible music to make your head explode!”
You can watch the recent interview below.