IF Kiss STARTED TODAY? ‘WE’D BE F—ED,’ SAYS PAUL STANLEY 

If Kiss Started Today? ‘We’d Be F—ed,’ Says Paul Stanley

Kiss founder Paul Stanley, echoing his bandmate Gene Simmons‘ much-discussed “rock is dead” declaration, says the group wouldn’t stand a chance if it tried to start its career today.

“We’d be f—ed, in plain English,” he explained during a extensive two-hour video interview with Joe Rogan. ”Because the music industry as it exists today isn’t even an industry, it’s just shambles. And now artists are in a position to have to take what the public, so to speak, is willing to give them.”

A good portion of their conversation concerned the changes brought about by digital technology, with Stanley taking strong exception to file sharing becoming an accepted evil of the music business: “File sharing is just a fancy way of saying stealing. You can’t share what you don’t own. It’s like me saying, ‘transportation borrowing,’ and I steal your car.”

While he’s quick to agree that the resulting loss of legal physical or digital sales revenue won’t particularly affect his bottom line, Stanley scoffs at the notion that artists should concede this battle and instead simply expect to make up the difference with ticket and merchandise sales — “Who are you to decide where I get my money?” He also expresses concern for younger bands, which he says “don’t have a chance in hell of ever getting that pot of gold.”

Stanley also pondered how hard it would be for Kiss to try and maintain their secret identities — as the makeup-wearing group did throughout their ’70s heydey — in a world where everybody has a camera phone. “Now, you have paparazzi, [who] are a breed at this point, whereas back then, you could literally have somebody take your photo, and we would have guys run over and pull the film. You can’t do that now. It was uncharted territory.”

But that doesn’t mean he’s planning on hiding behind a team of bodyguards, a path some of his peers have chosen. “That stuff is so pathetic, and it’s born out of a bunch of spineless artists who need to be propped up by people around them to make them feel important. If you just went about your business, no one would give a s—.”

Filed Under: Kiss, Paul Stanley Category: News

15 Facts You Need to Know About Pink Floyd’s New Album ‘The Endless River’

Sammy Hagar Lines Up Hurricane Benefit Special, ‘Simpsons’ Appearance

Foo Fighters Team Up With Cheap Trick’s Rick Nielsen Again

Judge Rules Against Led Zeppelin In First Round Of ‘Stairway To Heaven’ Lawsuit

45 Years Ago: Free Release Their Eponymous Second Album

Sebastian Bach Was Considered For Velvet Revolver Frontman Spot

It appears that you already have an account created within our VIP network of sites on . To keep your points and personal information safe, we need to verify that it\'s really you. To activate your account, please confirm your password. When you have confirmed your password, you will be able to log in through Facebook on both sites.

*Please note that your points, prizes and activities will not be shared between programs within our VIP network.

It appears that you already have an account on this site associated with . To connect your existing account with your Facebook account, just click on the account activation button below. You will maintain your existing profile and VIP program points. After you do this, you will be able to always log in to http://ultimateclassicrock.com using your Facebook account.

Please fill out the information below to help us provide you a better experience.

Register on Ultimate Classic Rock quickly by logging in with your Facebook account. It\'s just as secure, and no password to remember!