KISS’ Paul Stanley has a message for his former bandmates: he and Gene Simmons won in life.
During an episode of ‘The Allison Hagendorf Show,’ Stanley talked about his close relationship with Simmons. He said he believes that the reason their bond lasted over 50 years is because they always put the band first. Paul said they used to fight sometimes as family members do, but now they have nothing to argue about:
“Look, I’m not always a picnic to be around, and he’s had to put up with me at times, but the thing that’s always been our priority is KISS. And I think that over the years with whatever issues we’ve had with each other, that was never something that was going to be ultimately compromised. And, look, family members fight, but they’re family. And Gene and I have never been closer than we are now, ’cause… I’ve said it before, it’s, like we have nothing to bicker about. We won.”
Paul says they still text each other almost every day even after KISS’s farewell tour ended last December. He sees Gene’s wife like a sister-in-law, and Gene’s kids are like his own.
His Favorite Thing About Gene: Honesty
Paul shared that one of his favorite things about Gene is his ability to admit when he’s wrong. He thinks this honesty strengthened their relationship. Paul realized over time that the things that bothered him about Gene were his own issues, not Gene’s fault. He learned to accept Gene for who he was, and this helped them get along better:
“I don’t know that he’s like that with everybody else, but we have a relationship that’s so close that I think both of us will say, ‘I screwed up,’ or certainly I’ve told him something that went against what his line of thinking was, and he goes, ‘You’re right.’ So, that takes a big person.”
KISS’s farewell tour began in January 2019 and ended nearly five years later in New York City. Looking back, Paul and Gene are proud of what they’ve accomplished.
You can watch the full interview below.