Outspoken Slipknot frontman, Corey Taylor, has offered some sage advice for costumed rockers KISS, over the legendary band’s recent saga involving their Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony. Taylor called KISS’ internal squabbling “petty” and “ridiculous” and said he believes they should “just set stuff aside and do one show for the fans.”
Earlier this year, a line-up dispute forced KISS to cancel their scheduled performance at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame where the legendary band will be inducted alongside Nirvana, Peter Gabriel and Cat Stevens. The dispute concerns whether the original members would play the show, or whether the current lineup would take the stage.
“On one hand, you’re stoked, being a KISS fan,” Taylor said of the induction during an interview with Radio.com. “But on the other hand it’s like, can you guys just put aside your petty issues and realise that without one another you wouldn’t have been able to do this?
“Can you just set stuff aside and do one show for the fans as the original lineup again? And then you never have to see each other again,” he added. Taylor said he thinks, the two KISS principals Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley should let bygones be bygones and perform with fellow KISS founders Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. Something they have said they won’t do.
“Without those two guys,” Taylor said, referring to Frehley and Criss, “the other two guys [Simmons and Stanley] wouldn’t be where they are! And that’s just me layin’ it straight! I might not ever get a kind word from anybody in that band anymore,” he added. “But I think it’s petty and I think it’s ridiculous! Figure it out! Show respect, because sometimes it’s not about you, it’s about the fans.”
Taylor said he does understand the fragility and ego involved in rock band relationships. “We’re just crazy people who can’t get along sometimes,” he explained. “I’ve definitely come to the table with my knife in my pocket a couple of times, you know how it is. It’s part of being human.
“Now, add fame and money and all that rock and roll craziness to it. We’re lucky we don’t eat each other in this industry,” he joked. But Taylor said his criticism comes from the fact that he is a fan of the band. “There was such mystique, and they were the perfect blend of rock and roll and Marvel comics,” he said of KISS.
“I think you’d be hard pressed to find someone who grew up during that time who is in a band who wasn’t a KISS fan. And if they say they weren’t a fan, they’re probably lying,” he added. presently, there will be no KISS performance when the group is inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame on April 10. Simmons has said KISS will “graciously accept the award.”
