If only the world functioned this way… some ppl at the end of the day will always be either elitist or contrarian wanting to stand out from the “sheep” in any type of community revolving around hobbies/interests, especially musicians lmao. I see it happening with discussions/opinions about coffee, colognes, and guns (just mentioning a few of my other interests). But at the end of the day who fcking cares, just do what you wanna do.
It takes skill to play fast due to the amount of practice is requires It takes skill to play with feel because it requires a deep understanding of melody It takes skill to play simple because it requires restraint Can we be done now?"
Playing “with feel” doesn’t automatically mean slow. “Emotion” isn’t just David Gilmour playing 1 note per bar. Jesus man. Gilmour is great at what he does but the range of human emotions is wide and varied. Vai plays with emotion. Johnny Marr plays with emotion. Guthrie Govan plays with emotion. Neil Young plays with emotion. There is no contradiction.
Simmons also said that the Smiths could've easily replaced Johnny Marr with just another guitarist. Even though Johnny Marr co-wrote all their songs, his style of playing made their sound so unique. (nobody sounded like him). He also managed the band and all of this happened while he was in his early 20s. So yeah, Gene, I guess Kiss would have been fine if they just brought in another bass player. Not just outdated, clueless too.
KIZZ interview: Can you play bass? Not really. Will you wear makeup? Sure, why not. Do you have a ridiculously long tongue? Yes, it's reptilian and Freakshow worthy. Welcome to KIZZ Gene.
I didn't know Gene had said this. It sounds like he has a long history ot trash talking to get into the spotlight. Johnny Marr has a unique style. I really like his playing. He wrote a lot of memorable guitar hooks. IIRC he wrote "this charming man" right before a show b/c they didnt have enough material... awesome guitar hook. Takes a genius to come up with that on the spot. Totally disagree that he could be easily replaced as a guitarist.
@@Transistor12, no, literally. Johnny Marr was influential for the "indie, jingle jangle" sound. He was one of the first to really do it like that. even after the smiths he's still the coolest there is.
@@NmpK24 I mean... KISS had another guitar player in Ace's makeup for 25 years... I didn't like that, but they did and were succesful that way, ig they had another bass player they would've been probable fine lol
@@CraigFlowersMusicive had the opportunity to see them live, for free ~(the show wasnt free, a friend of mine had an extra ticket)~. I didnt. Fok this band.
I have no filters on my ears. I like 90% of it. From Ofra Harnoy to Linkin Park, Dawes to Ren, Puscifer to Band-Maid and everyting in between But yeah...most of my friends will only listen to the stuff we rocked to as kids in the 60/70's I appreciate less of that stuff now than I did back then, but I still enjoy a lot of it. Right now I'm obsessed with the new hard sound of The warning.
It needs to be whatever serves the song Gene. If a musician has a wide variety of tools in their toolbox (Including playing fast and using techniques such as slapping) for adding texture, depth, and color to a propel a song to the next level (As well as knowing when not to play) that is what creates memorable music moments.
I think the deal is not that playing fast isn't good, it's that it's not the sole arbiter of quality. It's rejecting the idea that the only way you can be good is if you play fast.
That idea never existed. Stop trying to reverse the blame. It is you and your side going around shitting on fast players for no reason. You are not “defending yourself” from fast players attacking you. Every fast guitar video has a bunch of guys saying “no melody! Sounds like exercises!” No slow players have a bunch of comments saying “no skill!” You’re what we call a cry-bully.
But honestly, I don't think anybody says "Playing fast = not good". They say "Playing fast does not mean good". Edit: With "good" here I am talking about the sound of the actual music. Not the capability of the guitarist. Of course, if you can play fast well, you are good. But that doesn't necessarily mean the music itself sounds "good".
I agree. I feel some people hate on simple parts because they aren’t fast. Fast is fun but if you reign it in and get to that Goldilocks zone than that’s cool
Which is also a silly thing to say. Playing fast licks cleanly is difficult and requires a ton of practice. It literally can’t be done without skill. Doesn’t mean you have to like it, or that whatever was played goes well with the song etc etc. I mostly play pentatonic blues rock stuff bc that’s what I like and what I know. It’s also much less difficult from a technical perspective than styles with lots of shred. Anyone pretending otherwise is lying to themselves. Again, doesn’t make it better or worse, but the reality is if you put the hours in to be able to shred cleanly, pentatonic blues style stuff is going to be easy for you. Someone, like me, who’s been playing SRV stuff my whole life could not do the same trying to move up to the opposite side of the spectrum.
Says the guy who DOESNT have a globally-recognized catalog of music... and a performance character. Gene is no Jaco... but the dude is a success... which is more than 99% of the ppl who whine about his ability. I'm no Gene fanboy... I've never sat down to learn a Gene bassline because I felt like i could wing it just as well if I was ever called upon to play any Kiss music... but lets get real here. Shit... i can play faster than a machine gun, but that doesn't mean ppl want to hear that for 2 hours. Gene is not totally wrong here. Most ppl are attracted to speedy playing in their younger years, and when they grow up, they realize there's a lot more to it than that.
@@elnyoutube123 Geddy Lee of Rush is fast and sounds fabulous. Motown Bassist played stuff that sounds better than today's plastic fantastic. Yes Fast bassist do sound better than good. They amaze and not just entertain.
Looks around for the Gilmour fans ... I frankly get tired of the people who insist that fast, technical players have no "feeling". Those people seem to root their entire concept of playing guitar with "feeling" in "blues-based". Like, it has to evoke the "feelings" evoked by blues playing. They don't recognize that "thrilled", "excited", and "exhilarated" are also "feelings".
I hate seeing Kiss brought into these conversations, I really respect Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley (I’m a guitar player tho). I can’t stand Gene at all.
What true musician can’t appreciate it all?? Depends on my mood and I definitely lean more into the more melodic phrasing but I dig it all. It’s okay not to like a particular style. It’s also okay to keep that to yourself and stop trying to rain on other’s parades.
The give away in this geriatric debate is that those who can't play fast complain about people who do play fast, but those who can play fast don't complain about those who don't. Sounds like there's some insecurity going on about their own musicianship and the time they devoted to the craft perhaps?
they don't complain but there's enough petty posturing from annoying shred bros to go around, sounds like somebody's upset that playing at a high tempo doesn't impress everyone as easily as they might have expected
Talking about something Gene Simmons said is the lowest hanging fruit. He was out of his mind 20 years ago, and lately it's fully pickled. Saw him on that dancing show and he talked like someone with dementia.
Listen to the first 6 Kiss studio discs and you'll see that Gene's playing is coming from an R&B influence. He actually has some good walking basslines. Nothing overly technical but a lot of them are memorable. Strutter, Love Gun, Nothing to Lose, Room Service and C'mon and Love Me come to mind immediately.
Gene is pretty much a cartoon character at this point. Kinda like the Ronald MacDonald of Kiss Inc. The idea of music not played for fame and profit is alien to him…
I certainly wouldn't say Paul did most of the bass. He did record bass for 11-13 songs. However, in total, there are around 49-56 KISS songs (it depends on who you ask) where Gene did not play bass on the record. 14 were Ace Frehley, 12 or 13 were Bruce Kulick, 5 were Jean Beauvoir, 2 were Eric Carr, at least 1 was Jimmy Haslip (he says he thinks he did 5, but he can only verify one), 1 was Tommy Thayer, 1 was Tom Harper, 1 was Bob Ezrin, and 1 was Mike Porcaro.
I admire and respect every single musician that can play better than me. Music is inspiration. Being a virtuoso is an inspiration. Just because I can't execute guitar like Matteo Mancuso doesn't mean I don't admire and respect him for the hard work it took to achieve his level of play. The last thing I wanna be is a baby boomer yelling at clouds.
Imagine saying playing guitar and getting EXTREMELY GOOD at it is not playing with feeling. WHEN we all play with that passion from when we first started. Some just take it to a whole other level. It’s all about where music draws us. Some like slower guitar solos with bends in them. Others love being extremely technical. The passion for it brought them there. Under it all the glam and the shred is a little child rocking out at the end of the day.
Kiss was a big influence on 80's rock. I grew up in Arlington and went to one of the Abbott parties (Pantera) and talked with Darrell. That dude LOVED Kiss and they had a huge influence on his music. While Gene's opinions differ from others, that's the variety that has kept rock alive.
Those first first 5-6 albums KISS released had some really creative bass lines. It was like Paul McCartney and Geezer Butler combined styles. I'm a huge KISS fan, but definitely DO NOT like all of their music. I wouldn't have started playing music had it not been for them & The Beatles. I truly don't get some of the shit he spews but I also love the simplicity of what he does as well as what Flea does. Everyone has their own style & delivery of the goods. I'm just happy to hear real musicians, good, bad, wonky, funky, flubby...it doesn't matter! I'm just happy to see real musicians playing real stuff from their heart.
My thoughts on Gene Simmons: great showman, ok front man, creepy around women. I think you're right about him being insecure about his own playing, Carol Kay wasn't shy about teaching him stuff.
Flea's line from Soul to squeeze is a masterpiece as well as a master class in melodic bass 🤘 The way he builds intensity from beginning to finale is just🤌
If someone criticizes a guitar or bass part because they can't sing it, maybe they need to work on their singing. I will acknowledge that some lines and solos are borderline impossible to sing, but I think one of the perks of musical instruments in general is that they allow us to express musical ideas we literally can't vocalize. You can't hum every note of an Em7 simultaneously, but playing every note of an Em7 simultaneously on guitar is easy.
This sounds like the same interview they drag out every few years like he just said it, and when it is a recent interview the answers don't change. Gene isn't saying anything a lot of other musicians haven't said. Decades ago Little Richard was asked about certain genres of music and musicians that did it and he said, "It's fine, but can you hum it?" In the studio, they always switched up to whomever had the best vibe when tracking instruments. Sometimes Paul played bass and Gene played rhythm. Paul and Gene have also written and produced for a lot of major artists. And let's not forget Gene was the one that got Van Halen in the studio for the 1st time to lay down their demo record. Ace is a seriously underrated player. Eddie Kramer (Hendrix, Zep, Stones, Clapton, Santana) and Bob Ezrin (Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Pink Flyod, Phish) know a thing or twp dozen things about music and have said that Ace was the heart and soul of KISS and was often held back. I think Ace is finally getting his due, with famous players who are famous for their playting talent and not just as part of a famous band, are saying how much Ace was responsible for them not just picking up guitar but influential in their playing. I'm a fan, not a fanboy. There are definitely songs they have I can't listen to, and there are many other places I get a bit squinty-eyed about what they were thinking on some issues, music or otherwise.
Why is it controversial that Gene Simmons expressed his opinion? He likes what he likes just like everyone else likes what they like. KISS is also more than gimmicks, costumes and showing off. Really listen to some of the music, ignore the lyrics but listen to the music. There is a lot of very well composed songs in their catalog and some pretty cool base lines as well. While not being the most technically proficient players they did create some pretty cool music.
We went from Page & Clapton to EVH in about 8 years. After that the guitar world went absolutely nuts within 10 years we had Malmsteen, Gilbert, Steve, Satch and even a record company that specialized in music that was more fretboard gymnastics than soulful guitar lines. Now twenty-five years post shred we have this new wave of incredible wave of players who do things that are amazing, yet the songs are geared towards musicians' ears than the normal person. That is why we have such the big spread between Taylor Swift and Justing Bieber and not even sure what the name of the band is with the kid who wears sweaters with the neck tattoo. We don't have many bands who can provide a musicality and pop sensibilities it's either one or the other.
If you appreciate good music and good musicianship then you know fast, raw power, playing can be amazing and slow melodic playing can be as well. And both can suck out loud. Good is good and bad is bad. The people who say they love music but then say they only like country or rap or metal really don't love music. They just love the music they love but they don't realize it. And some folks almost seem compelled to, depending on their idea of what they think others want to hear, bash certain genres and styles. The old say, haters gonna' hate, comes to mind.
Anyone who thinks "fast is not good" should listen to Weather Report - A Remark You Made (1977). The whole 7 minute track has a slow tempo and is heavenly from start to finish, but towards the end Joe Zawinul starts shredding on the synthesizer over the slow groove and it's so psychedelic and beautiful. The fast note runs ad so much color. Name a jazz musician that means anything? I just did. Look, I like some Kiss songs, but I disagree with your take, Gene.
As a hige KISS fan, I believe Gene does exactly what Tyler says at the end: he says something controversial and that moves peoples minds a little, and it's on purpose Getting that aside, it's a shame that Tyler is not that into KISS and shares that known opinion of them being a "marketing machine" Many people ignore the best of their music because of their fame and their image, when they have a lot of amazing musical moments and amazing stuff in more obscure songs that could be more appreciated If you have this vision of KISS and you're reading this, explore their discography, you will be surprised... the 1978 solo albums, the unplugged, the different genres they explored troughout the years, damn thay went from 70's rock, to disco, to classic metal, to glam, to 90's rock, to grunge, there's so many stuff much people is missing from them
I've seen Poco, Al, and John with Steve Morse back in the day...... Never forget that incredible performance when all four jammed together. Insane magic that night. Kiss is all show and in this day in age I think it would be a good Vegas act as it was back then.
I'm actually a bigger fan of Flea as an actor. Seriously, the guy was in Back the the Future 2 & 3, as well as The Big Libowski (among others). Those are classics.
I cant remember anything jaco and flea plays. is the worst arguement ever, I can remember multiple flea basslinebnote for note and jaco plays some of the most memorable stuff ever and I dont even play bass. I play metal guitar
KISS was the Rock and Roll that saved popular music from disco. Perhaps you’re not old enough to be familiar with the middle 1970’s. That said, Gene’s relevance was short lived and long ago. His opinion is irrelevant, never was worth much.
@dewardroy6531 Kiss was the rock and roll that saved the world from disco? I think you’ll find that that was punk, new wave and heavy metal. I don’t remember any other rock bands actually jumping on the disco bandwagon and writing I Was Made For Loving You… (P.S. It’s hard to tell on YT, so if you were being sarcastic, ignore this comment!)
@@lidbass kiss makes pretty mediocre music compared to a lot of other bands. But damn are their music catchy, which results in great popularity. I spent my childhood singing I was made for loving you. But when i grew up i realized they are pretty boring
I think the last time I listened to Kiss was 1987, Gene just needs to stay in his lane. Side note, the interview Rick Beato did with Al di Meola is worth watching and John McLaughlin is so underrated.
Tyler, learn some KISS tunes and tell us you don't have a blast playing them. Play "Parasite","Firehouse", "Cold Gin", or "War Machine", just for a few. Hard? No. But they make one feel like a rock star, especially new players. Oh, and the solo for "Strutter" , especially that big haunted bend... Chef's kiss You should check out those walking bass lines Gene put in those songs. Paul might have played some of them in the studio but the songs would have a whole different feel if Gene hadn't been a huge Beatles fan and, instead, gone with the basic bass lines so many rock bands were doing back then.
I love hearing a musician push the boundaries of their instrument any instrument any style take music to new places and I also love simplicity just say something when you play make me feel what you feel
I strongly believe there are "favorites" and no one is "best". How can there be? What are the parameters of best? Is the ability to come up with a great melody worth more than how you pick or shred? And what value in picking apart others music? Luckily there is lots of variety so we all get something. As for media shredders? My favorite artist says it's really impressive...for 50 seconds. But what's your band like? What have you written?
I believe that good is a relative term when it comes to music. EVH said " If it sounds good, it is good." I bet Les Claypool would drive ol' Gene bonkers.
I was a fan of Kiss for their first album. I also saw their 1977 tour kick-off. Then I lost interest. But Gene does have a point. Melody isn't just the notes you play, but also includes the space between the notes. Players who leave no space between notes I don't have much interest in. This is why I always gravitate to players like Jimmy Page, Mark Knopfler, Mick Ronson, Billy Gibbons, or even Luther Allison. Those guys understand not only the space, but that the the guitar isn't an extension of just their voice, but of their soul. Why do you think the superfast players like Yngwie, SRV, et al. always seemed to slow down as they got older? It's not for technical reasons...
Gene’s crazy quotes are mostly to push his band in the music business. He ain’t there trying to be a top notch musician. For him it’s all about the over all show, that’s what matters to him. If people don’t know your band and music, you can’t be a legend in the biz.
The thing about Gene Simmons is: he's a jerk. He has admitted that he knows he's a jerk (though he used a harsher word than jerk), and he controls/limits it when he has to, at least enough that he can still get along with people at least enough to be able to continue to do his job. So, take what he says with a grain of salt. He once admitted he pulled a jerk move on Celebrity Apprentice on purpose to get fired, because if he stayed on the show too long the next Kiss tour would start while he would be still filming for Apprentice. So, as you do, you shouldn't take him too seriously. He's only as big or small of a jerk as he feels he needs to be in any given moment to serve doing his job.
I grew up on Kiss, but as i got older, I realized that as a band, Kiss are entertainers more then musicians. Don't get me wrong, individually each are excellent musicians, I still love what Ace and Bruce brought to the band. But they made "memorable" music, not great music.
I remember watching a documentary on Rush. They mentioned touring with Kiss. Kiss invited Rush to their room for the usual sex, drugs, and alcohol with tons of women, but Rush was like "nah we need to practice for tomorrow's gig." I wonder if Gene took that, and well Geddy being 100x better bassist personal lol.
Man, this is going to be like drop kicking a hornets nest. Lol...... gotta appreciate you are not afraid of saying what you are saying. The band KISS has done a lot of revenue over the DECADES (plural) to just write him or the band as a fad. It's a lot easier to collect views over record sales. I had to literally go buy the record if I wanted to get sales pre-internet. The ad revenue you aquire via making videos is probably compatible. It's not about money to me as a musician. It's about what inspired me to be the rock star. Love your channel.
i still don't like mindless shredding, but if you do it like guthrie govan for example, a little bit here, a little bit there, it can be magical, especially if you are able to outline interesting sounding scales in these fast bits.
You know in the 70's when I was growing up and KISS was popular I always thought of KISS as guys that needed to dress up and put on make up because their songs were so elementary with too much simplicity. I have friends that were die hard KISS fans but for me, following a bunch of guys in make up just seemed gay to me back in the day. I know times and attitudes are different now but back then a guy in make up and dressed in Halloween Drag was as gay as playing with the first Gen G.I. Joe dolls. Girls played with dolls, not guys. But that was my teenaged opinion of Kiss back then.
Remember this about Gene Simmons and his acumen in the music business. He basically was the first to discover Van Halen, and he failed to get them a record deal. The most revolutionary rock guitarist since Hendrix, second in importance only to Hendrix in all of rock guitar history, and music biz genius Gene Simmons couldn't get anyone in the business interested.
After all those years in the Kiss machine working the industry and always having in mind the commercial prospects for their every creative thought, I'm not sure Gene can actually differentiate between personal artistic value and public commercial viability anymore. It's like to him only the simplest and most basic music can have value because the most people can latch onto it? Like aiming for the lowest common denominator is the only path to "good music" to his industry-rewired brain? Pretty sad attitude to have.
Y’know what’s odd about Gene Simmons saying that he doesn’t like fast playing? He claims to have discovered the rock band Eddie Van Halen. Did Gene forget about “Eruption”, “Spanish Fly” and even “Hot for Teacher”?
No, Gene just stated that fast doesn't equal good. And in all his arrogance he's right. EVH's style wasn't just fast, it was unique and refreshing. And that's what Gene heard. After all, at some point EVH was even asked to join KISS. Luckily he didn't do it, otherwise we would have missed lots of great VH music.
My aunt, who teaches paino/keyboards once told me "you can play it fast, or you can play it right. Correct first, speed later. Eventually the 2 become 1."
It’s a personal preference. Play fast if you like. I don’t particularly like speed just for the sake of speed. It should be musical. It should add to the overall song. Shredding just to prove that you can is not musical it’s just showing off. If you’re think about the do your remember any solos that are part of a song that are just fast. Hendrix didn’t play fast. S.R.V. didn’t play fast. David Gilmour didn’t play fast. These players played with feel and emotion. They moved you. Jeff Beck and Steve Vai could play fast when they wanted to but knew when not to. It’s what is best for the song.
ok I was going to go town over... oh you said... well then let me just point out... oh just now said it... Did you think about... Oh ok... never mind. I'm pretty much in the same camp as you, bro edit: I do remember at the age of 12 and looking at the album and saying "YES" then listening and thinking the sound doesn't fit the image and pretty not pay attention to them after that. Reading the book always make the movie a let down
When young everyone thought the guy who did the card tricks and pulled rabbit out of his hat was so cool. Then we all learned how easy it was to do and we didn't even have to wear the silly suit to do it. Now he's not so cool to us no more.
"-I play by feel...". "-Those are too many notes...". "-That solo is too complex...". "- it doesn't fit my style...". All these are just excuses from those who didn't do their homework practicing.You've chosen for yourself remaining mediocre. Stay safe in your root-fifth little shape if you want, but there's a world of colour out there.
Gene comes from the old-school, Paul McCartney, Walking bass style of Bass Guitar. A style I like. However, the earlier Kiss songs had most of the McCartney Bass influence. 80's Kiss had some terrible or overly simple bass on the tracks which does lend me to wonder who was actually playing the Bass in the studio. I like Gene but sometimes his 'Grumpy old man' does come out... Anyway, Get Off My Lawn!
With guitar, if you really want to play fast, and you invest the time and effort (and money, because you probably will want a professional teacher to give you valid feedback on technique so that you've not hosed yourself with basic errors, or get RSI from your practice routine; they may also help prevent you getting stuck in a rut with that practice), then you'll play fast eventually. But there's a time and a place for everything, and your wedding band gig - which might well pay pretty well - is probably not the place for 32nd notes at 250bpm. Or it might be, I've been to a couple of weird-ass weddings.
Saw kiss at the Hollywood sportatorium on the dynasty tour, I was like 7 or 8. Blew my little prepubescent mind. It was a spectacle. Heard yngwie malmsteen with Alcatraz and it was, kiss who?
I love old school KISS, check out Hard Luck Woman, if you don't already know it. But yeah, Gene's entitled to his thoughts, and we're entitled to disagree. :)
It feels like you're doing the same thing as Gene Simmons here. Being intentionally uncharitable to get a line that is just correct enough to be controversial and technically right at the same time.
Gene Simmons is just a professional rage baiter, he lives by the philosophy that any publicity is good publicity. Never been a Kiss fan myself either, always felt like more of a brand than a band to me.
Gene Simmons was one of the first big names to come out in favor of BabyMetal and Kami Bands Bassist Boh is one of the best technical bass players ever... just check out Rondo if Nightmares live with the Mischief of the Metal Gods Intro... this bass playing will blow you away.
He's a polar opposite/parallel to Yngvie Malmsteen. Malmsteen has (had?) a tendency to look down on other guitarists as cattle who just copy everyone else. Gene did his own thing and looks down on anyone who has more skill than an endless plunking of 16th notes. Malmsteen is an evolutionary point in guitar while Gene is the Australopithecus who fears fire. KISS has been hugely successful, but other musicians got involved and piloted that machine to great heights while Gene flew coach. Malmsteen did it all his way and wasn't letting anyone tell him no.
As a KISS fan, he only brought theater to their music. His bass solos are only him randomly playing notes while he made his mouth bleed. The band would've been so much better with a better player.
Think you might be missing the point here. I don't think Gene is throwing shade or trying to beat you over the head with his opinion. Look at Joey Ramone. Joey always admitted that Jeff Beck could play circles around him. The point, as I see it, is that Gene is saying your better off playing Rock and Roll High School to millions of people vs. Becks Bolero to small group of very appreciative fans. At least, that is Gene's theory on how to get famous and wealthy. Perhaps some don't want that.
Gene bass lines you can hum: 100 000 years Detroit rock city Love gun Rock and roll all nite Sure know something There's quite a few, so he's not clueless about it. It's the people who hate him right away and can't pay him credit for saying it
“I don’t like show-offs in music” - man who made lots of money in a band known for their shows and makeup - man who made a show based on his personal life as a musician
Although Ace Frehley is my favourite member of Kiss I still consider Paul Stanley the brains and leader of the band as he has always been the main songwriter, and where is Gene is cool i consider Peter Criss to be above him as Gene was the weakest link of Kiss but his costume seem to get the most fans and he is decent at bass but nothing great but passable, but I think you are 100% right that he just wants to stay relevant in todays topics by saying whatever will focus some attention back to him as there is no such thing as bad publicity
The opening line in this video was great. I've practiced 10s of thousands of hours to do what I can do, then I meet guys who barely put any time in and can't play all that well basically tell me i suck because I play better than them haha, or that's what I take away from it. Whenever i play fast i have no feelings, that is just ridiculous. At least i don't just jab any ol note and hope for the best like most of these clowns who talk like that do.
I'm kinda sick of this discussion. Play whatever you like and don't be an arse to anyone who plays something different.
Amen.
If only the world functioned this way… some ppl at the end of the day will always be either elitist or contrarian wanting to stand out from the “sheep” in any type of community revolving around hobbies/interests, especially musicians lmao. I see it happening with discussions/opinions about coffee, colognes, and guns (just mentioning a few of my other interests). But at the end of the day who fcking cares, just do what you wanna do.
Right on, man!
@KomboAndy I just turned 43 a little over 2 weeks ago. I can agree with this sentiment.
But music is win needs to make more videos that get clicks to make more money…duh
FECK ARSE
It takes skill to play fast due to the amount of practice is requires
It takes skill to play with feel because it requires a deep understanding of melody
It takes skill to play simple because it requires restraint
Can we be done now?"
agreed
Perfect.
Yes
Playing “with feel” doesn’t automatically mean slow. “Emotion” isn’t just David Gilmour playing 1 note per bar. Jesus man. Gilmour is great at what he does but the range of human emotions is wide and varied. Vai plays with emotion. Johnny Marr plays with emotion. Guthrie Govan plays with emotion. Neil Young plays with emotion. There is no contradiction.
Restraint isn't a skill, its merely a method
Simmons also said that the Smiths could've easily replaced Johnny Marr with just another guitarist. Even though Johnny Marr co-wrote all their songs, his style of playing made their sound so unique. (nobody sounded like him). He also managed the band and all of this happened while he was in his early 20s. So yeah, Gene, I guess Kiss would have been fine if they just brought in another bass player. Not just outdated, clueless too.
KIZZ interview: Can you play bass? Not really. Will you wear makeup? Sure, why not. Do you have a ridiculously long tongue? Yes, it's reptilian and Freakshow worthy. Welcome to KIZZ Gene.
I didn't know Gene had said this. It sounds like he has a long history ot trash talking to get into the spotlight. Johnny Marr has a unique style. I really like his playing. He wrote a lot of memorable guitar hooks. IIRC he wrote "this charming man" right before a show b/c they didnt have enough material... awesome guitar hook. Takes a genius to come up with that on the spot. Totally disagree that he could be easily replaced as a guitarist.
@@Transistor12, no, literally. Johnny Marr was influential for the "indie, jingle jangle" sound. He was one of the first to really do it like that. even after the smiths he's still the coolest there is.
@@NmpK24 I mean... KISS had another guitar player in Ace's makeup for 25 years... I didn't like that, but they did and were succesful that way, ig they had another bass player they would've been probable fine lol
I laughed when Yngwie Malmsteen said " More is more " 🤣🤣🤣
The logic in his perspective is great😊
Yangwie is free to talk up fast playing, he earned it.
I think at some point he made it even more clear. He said something like "If less is more, imagine how much more more is."
I hated Kiss and especially Gene, before it was cool.
"hated" so . . . you like them now?
@@YanYeiDei I noticed that too...
@@YanYeiDei Is there another way to phrase it? Key word: before. Have hated? Whatever, kiss blows chunks ok?
@@CraigFlowersMusicive had the opportunity to see them live, for free ~(the show wasnt free, a friend of mine had an extra ticket)~. I didnt. Fok this band.
Yeah. Me too. It was cool and I still thought they sucked.
I have no filters on my ears. I like 90% of it. From Ofra Harnoy to Linkin Park, Dawes to Ren, Puscifer to Band-Maid and everyting in between But yeah...most of my friends will only listen to the stuff we rocked to as kids in the 60/70's
I appreciate less of that stuff now than I did back then, but I still enjoy a lot of it. Right now I'm obsessed with the new hard sound of The warning.
Bro give KGLW a go if you don't know this band already - warning: when you start listening to em there's no come back ;)
Peace ✌️
Band-maid mention is so unexpected 😂
@@arnomeyer2953 Yeah I like them. They're like the antithesis of TWRP/NSP
@@TaiAnh132Hahaha lmao fr my guy 😂
@@FixNewsPleaseso true lol
It needs to be whatever serves the song Gene. If a musician has a wide variety of tools in their toolbox (Including playing fast and using techniques such as slapping) for adding texture, depth, and color to a propel a song to the next level (As well as knowing when not to play) that is what creates memorable music moments.
Exactly this!!
I think the deal is not that playing fast isn't good, it's that it's not the sole arbiter of quality. It's rejecting the idea that the only way you can be good is if you play fast.
I've always felt the way to be good is to be able to play fast ... and then don't.
no single measure of guitar playing or music in general is the sole arbiter of quality
That idea never existed. Stop trying to reverse the blame. It is you and your side going around shitting on fast players for no reason. You are not “defending yourself” from fast players attacking you. Every fast guitar video has a bunch of guys saying “no melody! Sounds like exercises!” No slow players have a bunch of comments saying “no skill!” You’re what we call a cry-bully.
Nobody (besides maybe Malmsteen) has ever said playing fast is the only measure of quality
But honestly, I don't think anybody says "Playing fast = not good". They say "Playing fast does not mean good".
Edit: With "good" here I am talking about the sound of the actual music. Not the capability of the guitarist. Of course, if you can play fast well, you are good. But that doesn't necessarily mean the music itself sounds "good".
I agree. I feel some people hate on simple parts because they aren’t fast.
Fast is fun but if you reign it in and get to that Goldilocks zone than that’s cool
But at the same time they're also dicks about bands like Polyphia. As if no one actually likes that band. I've seen them live twice. They rule 🤘
I agree that playing fast dosent mean your good
Which is also a silly thing to say. Playing fast licks cleanly is difficult and requires a ton of practice. It literally can’t be done without skill. Doesn’t mean you have to like it, or that whatever was played goes well with the song etc etc. I mostly play pentatonic blues rock stuff bc that’s what I like and what I know. It’s also much less difficult from a technical perspective than styles with lots of shred. Anyone pretending otherwise is lying to themselves. Again, doesn’t make it better or worse, but the reality is if you put the hours in to be able to shred cleanly, pentatonic blues style stuff is going to be easy for you. Someone, like me, who’s been playing SRV stuff my whole life could not do the same trying to move up to the opposite side of the spectrum.
“iT hAs nO sOuL”🤡
"wWashed up, mediocre bass player criticizes better bass players than himself"
More news at 11:00...
I could not agree more
Says the guy who DOESNT have a globally-recognized catalog of music... and a performance character. Gene is no Jaco... but the dude is a success... which is more than 99% of the ppl who whine about his ability. I'm no Gene fanboy... I've never sat down to learn a Gene bassline because I felt like i could wing it just as well if I was ever called upon to play any Kiss music... but lets get real here. Shit... i can play faster than a machine gun, but that doesn't mean ppl want to hear that for 2 hours. Gene is not totally wrong here. Most ppl are attracted to speedy playing in their younger years, and when they grow up, they realize there's a lot more to it than that.
Yes but does the "better" guy actually sound good?
@@elnyoutube123 Geddy Lee of Rush is fast and sounds fabulous. Motown Bassist played stuff that sounds better than today's plastic fantastic. Yes Fast bassist do sound better than good. They amaze and not just entertain.
@@Enigma8750 I think we have a different definition of "fast". Those guys don't sound fast to me 😂
Gene is just still traumatized from having to endure Vinnie Vincent's 30 minute guitar solos
Looks around for the Gilmour fans ...
I frankly get tired of the people who insist that fast, technical players have no "feeling". Those people seem to root their entire concept of playing guitar with "feeling" in "blues-based". Like, it has to evoke the "feelings" evoked by blues playing. They don't recognize that "thrilled", "excited", and "exhilarated" are also "feelings".
I hate seeing Kiss brought into these conversations, I really respect Paul Stanley and Ace Frehley (I’m a guitar player tho). I can’t stand Gene at all.
I get you. But the Bruce Kulick years had a few sparks of brilliance too.
0:47 Is literally the best reference I have heard mentioned in a long time 😂Sting knows how to dive off ladders!
What true musician can’t appreciate it all?? Depends on my mood and I definitely lean more into the more melodic phrasing but I dig it all.
It’s okay not to like a particular style. It’s also okay to keep that to yourself and stop trying to rain on other’s parades.
The give away in this geriatric debate is that those who can't play fast complain about people who do play fast, but those who can play fast don't complain about those who don't. Sounds like there's some insecurity going on about their own musicianship and the time they devoted to the craft perhaps?
Those that play fast have nobody to argue to except maybe the bartender that is paid to be there.
they don't complain but there's enough petty posturing from annoying shred bros to go around, sounds like somebody's upset that playing at a high tempo doesn't impress everyone as easily as they might have expected
If you're going to play fast, make it sound different, or musical. So much of it sounds exactly the same, and very forced.
Talking about something Gene Simmons said is the lowest hanging fruit. He was out of his mind 20 years ago, and lately it's fully pickled. Saw him on that dancing show and he talked like someone with dementia.
😂🤣🤣😂....valid point!
Gene Simmons is an insult to one with dementia!
Listen to the first 6 Kiss studio discs and you'll see that Gene's playing is coming from an R&B influence. He actually has some good walking basslines. Nothing overly technical but a lot of them are memorable. Strutter, Love Gun, Nothing to Lose, Room Service and C'mon and Love Me come to mind immediately.
Now do a livestream of you humming bass lines and us trying to guess what song it is from.
Gene is pretty much a cartoon character at this point. Kinda like the Ronald MacDonald of Kiss Inc. The idea of music not played for fame and profit is alien to him…
He’s always been a prick. Even in the 70s.
I certainly wouldn't say Paul did most of the bass. He did record bass for 11-13 songs. However, in total, there are around 49-56 KISS songs (it depends on who you ask) where Gene did not play bass on the record. 14 were Ace Frehley, 12 or 13 were Bruce Kulick, 5 were Jean Beauvoir, 2 were Eric Carr, at least 1 was Jimmy Haslip (he says he thinks he did 5, but he can only verify one), 1 was Tommy Thayer, 1 was Tom Harper, 1 was Bob Ezrin, and 1 was Mike Porcaro.
I admire and respect every single musician that can play better than me. Music is inspiration. Being a virtuoso is an inspiration. Just because I can't execute guitar like Matteo Mancuso doesn't mean I don't admire and respect him for the hard work it took to achieve his level of play. The last thing I wanna be is a baby boomer yelling at clouds.
Amen to that my friend!!
Didn't Gene also say he cares more about the money?
Imagine saying playing guitar and getting EXTREMELY GOOD at it is not playing with feeling. WHEN we all play with that passion from when we first started. Some just take it to a whole other level.
It’s all about where music draws us. Some like slower guitar solos with bends in them. Others love being extremely technical. The passion for it brought them there. Under it all the glam and the shred is a little child rocking out at the end of the day.
Kiss was a big influence on 80's rock. I grew up in Arlington and went to one of the Abbott parties (Pantera) and talked with Darrell. That dude LOVED Kiss and they had a huge influence on his music. While Gene's opinions differ from others, that's the variety that has kept rock alive.
Those first first 5-6 albums KISS released had some really creative bass lines. It was like Paul McCartney and Geezer Butler combined styles.
I'm a huge KISS fan, but definitely DO NOT like all of their music. I wouldn't have started playing music had it not been for them & The Beatles.
I truly don't get some of the shit he spews but I also love the simplicity of what he does as well as what Flea does.
Everyone has their own style & delivery of the goods. I'm just happy to hear real musicians, good, bad, wonky, funky, flubby...it doesn't matter! I'm just happy to see real musicians playing real stuff from their heart.
Honestly, I don't think anybody cares what Gene Simmons has to say.
I think Steve Vai said it well. "No one's noise is better than anyone else's noise." Or something to that effect.
My thoughts on Gene Simmons: great showman, ok front man, creepy around women. I think you're right about him being insecure about his own playing, Carol Kay wasn't shy about teaching him stuff.
more importantly is davie504 aware that gene simmons does NOT like slap bass?
Flea's line from Soul to squeeze is a masterpiece as well as a master class in melodic bass 🤘
The way he builds intensity from beginning to finale is just🤌
I'd like to see Gene do ANYTHING even remotely as complex yet melodic.. of course in his head 😂
Strutter has some memorable bass lines. I kind of like his disco octaves and rolling melodies. His words on the other hand, not so much
Listen to sure know something from Kiss MTV Unplugged. Nice bass line.
If someone criticizes a guitar or bass part because they can't sing it, maybe they need to work on their singing. I will acknowledge that some lines and solos are borderline impossible to sing, but I think one of the perks of musical instruments in general is that they allow us to express musical ideas we literally can't vocalize. You can't hum every note of an Em7 simultaneously, but playing every note of an Em7 simultaneously on guitar is easy.
This sounds like the same interview they drag out every few years like he just said it, and when it is a recent interview the answers don't change. Gene isn't saying anything a lot of other musicians haven't said. Decades ago Little Richard was asked about certain genres of music and musicians that did it and he said, "It's fine, but can you hum it?"
In the studio, they always switched up to whomever had the best vibe when tracking instruments. Sometimes Paul played bass and Gene played rhythm. Paul and Gene have also written and produced for a lot of major artists. And let's not forget Gene was the one that got Van Halen in the studio for the 1st time to lay down their demo record.
Ace is a seriously underrated player. Eddie Kramer (Hendrix, Zep, Stones, Clapton, Santana) and Bob Ezrin (Aerosmith, Deep Purple, Pink Flyod, Phish) know a thing or twp dozen things about music and have said that Ace was the heart and soul of KISS and was often held back. I think Ace is finally getting his due, with famous players who are famous for their playting talent and not just as part of a famous band, are saying how much Ace was responsible for them not just picking up guitar but influential in their playing.
I'm a fan, not a fanboy. There are definitely songs they have I can't listen to, and there are many other places I get a bit squinty-eyed about what they were thinking on some issues, music or otherwise.
I agree. I love Ace's solo on Love Gun. The way it slowly builds and those bends. He has great feel and emotion in his playing.
Why is it controversial that Gene Simmons expressed his opinion? He likes what he likes just like everyone else likes what they like. KISS is also more than gimmicks, costumes and showing off. Really listen to some of the music, ignore the lyrics but listen to the music. There is a lot of very well composed songs in their catalog and some pretty cool base lines as well. While not being the most technically proficient players they did create some pretty cool music.
I love that video of Gene sitting down with Carol Kay and getting schooled on how to count to 4!!!
Yeah music is not a sport. I like shredding just as much as a good slow power ballad. You can play with feel at any speed.
“I really hate all those things that I can’t do” 😂
We went from Page & Clapton to EVH in about 8 years. After that the guitar world went absolutely nuts within 10 years we had Malmsteen, Gilbert, Steve, Satch and even a record company that specialized in music that was more fretboard gymnastics than soulful guitar lines. Now twenty-five years post shred we have this new wave of incredible wave of players who do things that are amazing, yet the songs are geared towards musicians' ears than the normal person. That is why we have such the big spread between Taylor Swift and Justing Bieber and not even sure what the name of the band is with the kid who wears sweaters with the neck tattoo. We don't have many bands who can provide a musicality and pop sensibilities it's either one or the other.
If you appreciate good music and good musicianship then you know fast, raw power, playing can be amazing and slow melodic playing can be as well. And both can suck out loud. Good is good and bad is bad. The people who say they love music but then say they only like country or rap or metal really don't love music. They just love the music they love but they don't realize it. And some folks almost seem compelled to, depending on their idea of what they think others want to hear, bash certain genres and styles. The old say, haters gonna' hate, comes to mind.
Anyone who thinks "fast is not good" should listen to Weather Report - A Remark You Made (1977). The whole 7 minute track has a slow tempo and is heavenly from start to finish, but towards the end Joe Zawinul starts shredding on the synthesizer over the slow groove and it's so psychedelic and beautiful. The fast note runs ad so much color.
Name a jazz musician that means anything? I just did. Look, I like some Kiss songs, but I disagree with your take, Gene.
As a hige KISS fan, I believe Gene does exactly what Tyler says at the end: he says something controversial and that moves peoples minds a little, and it's on purpose
Getting that aside, it's a shame that Tyler is not that into KISS and shares that known opinion of them being a "marketing machine"
Many people ignore the best of their music because of their fame and their image, when they have a lot of amazing musical moments and amazing stuff in more obscure songs that could be more appreciated
If you have this vision of KISS and you're reading this, explore their discography, you will be surprised... the 1978 solo albums, the unplugged, the different genres they explored troughout the years, damn thay went from 70's rock, to disco, to classic metal, to glam, to 90's rock, to grunge, there's so many stuff much people is missing from them
So right. Ask any successful rock musician about his influences and KISS comes up every time. There's so much more to music than virtuosity alone.
I've seen Poco, Al, and John with Steve Morse back in the day...... Never forget that incredible performance when all four jammed together. Insane magic that night. Kiss is all show and in this day in age I think it would be a good Vegas act as it was back then.
Name a jazz player that means something? Ron Carter, Marcus Miller, Paul Chambers, Charles Mingus, Christian McBride, and I can keep going.
I'm actually a bigger fan of Flea as an actor. Seriously, the guy was in Back the the Future 2 & 3, as well as The Big Libowski (among others). Those are classics.
Gene has become the old man that yells at the sky. Besides, KISS sucks.
💯
I cant remember anything jaco and flea plays. is the worst arguement ever, I can remember multiple flea basslinebnote for note and jaco plays some of the most memorable stuff ever and I dont even play bass. I play metal guitar
KISS was the Rock and Roll that saved popular music from disco. Perhaps you’re not old enough to be familiar with the middle 1970’s. That said, Gene’s relevance was short lived and long ago. His opinion is irrelevant, never was worth much.
@dewardroy6531 Kiss was the rock and roll that saved the world from disco? I think you’ll find that that was punk, new wave and heavy metal. I don’t remember any other rock bands actually jumping on the disco bandwagon and writing I Was Made For Loving You…
(P.S. It’s hard to tell on YT, so if you were being sarcastic, ignore this comment!)
@@lidbass kiss makes pretty mediocre music compared to a lot of other bands. But damn are their music catchy, which results in great popularity. I spent my childhood singing I was made for loving you. But when i grew up i realized they are pretty boring
I think the last time I listened to Kiss was 1987, Gene just needs to stay in his lane. Side note, the interview Rick Beato did with Al di Meola is worth watching and John McLaughlin is so underrated.
Tyler, learn some KISS tunes and tell us you don't have a blast playing them. Play "Parasite","Firehouse", "Cold Gin", or "War Machine", just for a few. Hard? No. But they make one feel like a rock star, especially new players. Oh, and the solo for "Strutter" , especially that big haunted bend... Chef's kiss
You should check out those walking bass lines Gene put in those songs. Paul might have played some of them in the studio but the songs would have a whole different feel if Gene hadn't been a huge Beatles fan and, instead, gone with the basic bass lines so many rock bands were doing back then.
Kiss is just one of the reasons I believe Commercial music has little to do with Music and A Lot more to do with image.
i love kiss, i love the demon persona, i love the influence they have on muisc, i love the members, but i do not like Gene
Same, he is a douche
I love hearing a musician push the boundaries of their instrument any instrument any style take music to new places and I also love simplicity just say something when you play make me feel what you feel
I strongly believe there are "favorites" and no one is "best". How can there be? What are the parameters of best? Is the ability to come up with a great melody worth more than how you pick or shred? And what value in picking apart others music? Luckily there is lots of variety so we all get something. As for media shredders? My favorite artist says it's really impressive...for 50 seconds. But what's your band like? What have you written?
I believe that good is a relative term when it comes to music. EVH said " If it sounds good, it is good." I bet Les Claypool would drive ol' Gene bonkers.
I was a fan of Kiss for their first album. I also saw their 1977 tour kick-off. Then I lost interest. But Gene does have a point. Melody isn't just the notes you play, but also includes the space between the notes. Players who leave no space between notes I don't have much interest in. This is why I always gravitate to players like Jimmy Page, Mark Knopfler, Mick Ronson, Billy Gibbons, or even Luther Allison. Those guys understand not only the space, but that the the guitar isn't an extension of just their voice, but of their soul. Why do you think the superfast players like Yngwie, SRV, et al. always seemed to slow down as they got older? It's not for technical reasons...
Gene’s crazy quotes are mostly to push his band in the music business. He ain’t there trying to be a top notch musician. For him it’s all about the over all show, that’s what matters to him. If people don’t know your band and music, you can’t be a legend in the biz.
Another irony here is he was all over promoting Van Halen when they were coming up.
Gene produced their first album. Eddie wrote the Christine Sixteen solo, and made Ace learn it.
Shawn lane is the only person you need to defeat this argument
I was 8 in 1978 and wanted to be Perter Criss. It wasn’t long after, I realized Peter Criss wanted to be Barry Manilow…
The thing about Gene Simmons is: he's a jerk. He has admitted that he knows he's a jerk (though he used a harsher word than jerk), and he controls/limits it when he has to, at least enough that he can still get along with people at least enough to be able to continue to do his job. So, take what he says with a grain of salt. He once admitted he pulled a jerk move on Celebrity Apprentice on purpose to get fired, because if he stayed on the show too long the next Kiss tour would start while he would be still filming for Apprentice. So, as you do, you shouldn't take him too seriously. He's only as big or small of a jerk as he feels he needs to be in any given moment to serve doing his job.
I grew up on Kiss, but as i got older, I realized that as a band, Kiss are entertainers more then musicians. Don't get me wrong, individually each are excellent musicians, I still love what Ace and Bruce brought to the band. But they made "memorable" music, not great music.
The only memorable thing Gene has ever done on bass is that one lick in Detroit Rock City.
I remember watching a documentary on Rush. They mentioned touring with Kiss. Kiss invited Rush to their room for the usual sex, drugs, and alcohol with tons of women, but Rush was like "nah we need to practice for tomorrow's gig."
I wonder if Gene took that, and well Geddy being 100x better bassist personal lol.
Man, this is going to be like drop kicking a hornets nest. Lol...... gotta appreciate you are not afraid of saying what you are saying. The band KISS has done a lot of revenue over the DECADES (plural) to just write him or the band as a fad. It's a lot easier to collect views over record sales. I had to literally go buy the record if I wanted to get sales pre-internet. The ad revenue you aquire via making videos is probably compatible. It's not about money to me as a musician. It's about what inspired me to be the rock star. Love your channel.
i still don't like mindless shredding, but if you do it like guthrie govan for example, a little bit here, a little bit there, it can be magical, especially if you are able to outline interesting sounding scales in these fast bits.
You know in the 70's when I was growing up and KISS was popular I always thought of KISS as guys that needed to dress up and put on make up because their songs were so elementary with too much simplicity. I have friends that were die hard KISS fans but for me, following a bunch of guys in make up just seemed gay to me back in the day. I know times and attitudes are different now but back then a guy in make up and dressed in Halloween Drag was as gay as playing with the first Gen G.I. Joe dolls. Girls played with dolls, not guys. But that was my teenaged opinion of Kiss back then.
Remember this about Gene Simmons and his acumen in the music business. He basically was the first to discover Van Halen, and he failed to get them a record deal. The most revolutionary rock guitarist since Hendrix, second in importance only to Hendrix in all of rock guitar history, and music biz genius Gene Simmons couldn't get anyone in the business interested.
After all those years in the Kiss machine working the industry and always having in mind the commercial prospects for their every creative thought, I'm not sure Gene can actually differentiate between personal artistic value and public commercial viability anymore. It's like to him only the simplest and most basic music can have value because the most people can latch onto it? Like aiming for the lowest common denominator is the only path to "good music" to his industry-rewired brain? Pretty sad attitude to have.
Y’know what’s odd about Gene Simmons saying that he doesn’t like fast playing? He claims to have discovered the rock band Eddie Van Halen. Did Gene forget about “Eruption”, “Spanish Fly” and even “Hot for Teacher”?
No, Gene just stated that fast doesn't equal good. And in all his arrogance he's right. EVH's style wasn't just fast, it was unique and refreshing. And that's what Gene heard. After all, at some point EVH was even asked to join KISS. Luckily he didn't do it, otherwise we would have missed lots of great VH music.
My aunt, who teaches paino/keyboards once told me "you can play it fast, or you can play it right. Correct first, speed later. Eventually the 2 become 1."
Gene Simmons is the only guy who looks at the "publicity" The Nuge's sound bites earn him and thinks "I gotta get in on that."
It’s a personal preference. Play fast if you like. I don’t particularly like speed just for the sake of speed. It should be musical. It should add to the overall song. Shredding just to prove that you can is not musical it’s just showing off. If you’re think about the do your remember any solos that are part of a song that are just fast. Hendrix didn’t play fast. S.R.V. didn’t play fast. David Gilmour didn’t play fast. These players played with feel and emotion. They moved you. Jeff Beck and Steve Vai could play fast when they wanted to but knew when not to. It’s what is best for the song.
ok I was going to go town over... oh you said... well then let me just point out... oh just now said it... Did you think about... Oh ok... never mind. I'm pretty much in the same camp as you, bro edit: I do remember at the age of 12 and looking at the album and saying "YES" then listening and thinking the sound doesn't fit the image and pretty not pay attention to them after that. Reading the book always make the movie a let down
When young everyone thought the guy who did the card tricks and pulled rabbit out of his hat was so cool. Then we all learned how easy it was to do and we didn't even have to wear the silly suit to do it. Now he's not so cool to us no more.
"-I play by feel...". "-Those are too many notes...". "-That solo is too complex...". "- it doesn't fit my style...". All these are just excuses from those who didn't do their homework practicing.You've chosen for yourself remaining mediocre. Stay safe in your root-fifth little shape if you want, but there's a world of colour out there.
Gene comes from the old-school, Paul McCartney, Walking bass style of Bass Guitar.
A style I like. However, the earlier Kiss songs had most of the McCartney Bass influence.
80's Kiss had some terrible or overly simple bass on the tracks which does lend me to wonder who was actually playing the Bass in the studio.
I like Gene but sometimes his 'Grumpy old man' does come out... Anyway, Get Off My Lawn!
With guitar, if you really want to play fast, and you invest the time and effort (and money, because you probably will want a professional teacher to give you valid feedback on technique so that you've not hosed yourself with basic errors, or get RSI from your practice routine; they may also help prevent you getting stuck in a rut with that practice), then you'll play fast eventually.
But there's a time and a place for everything, and your wedding band gig - which might well pay pretty well - is probably not the place for 32nd notes at 250bpm. Or it might be, I've been to a couple of weird-ass weddings.
Five Guys is the best. Bacon Double with the works and cajun fries.
Saw kiss at the Hollywood sportatorium on the dynasty tour, I was like 7 or 8. Blew my little prepubescent mind. It was a spectacle. Heard yngwie malmsteen with Alcatraz and it was, kiss who?
Harrison always played within the song. Liked that. In the jazz side Wes Montgomery and Pat Metheny favorites.
I love old school KISS, check out Hard Luck Woman, if you don't already know it. But yeah, Gene's entitled to his thoughts, and we're entitled to disagree. :)
It feels like you're doing the same thing as Gene Simmons here. Being intentionally uncharitable to get a line that is just correct enough to be controversial and technically right at the same time.
Gene Simmons is just a professional rage baiter, he lives by the philosophy that any publicity is good publicity. Never been a Kiss fan myself either, always felt like more of a brand than a band to me.
Playing fast doesn’t really require much. Play in tempo and feel, now that’s a money maker.
Gene Simmons was one of the first big names to come out in favor of BabyMetal and Kami Bands Bassist Boh is one of the best technical bass players ever... just check out Rondo if Nightmares live with the Mischief of the Metal Gods Intro... this bass playing will blow you away.
He's a polar opposite/parallel to Yngvie Malmsteen. Malmsteen has (had?) a tendency to look down on other guitarists as cattle who just copy everyone else. Gene did his own thing and looks down on anyone who has more skill than an endless plunking of 16th notes. Malmsteen is an evolutionary point in guitar while Gene is the Australopithecus who fears fire. KISS has been hugely successful, but other musicians got involved and piloted that machine to great heights while Gene flew coach. Malmsteen did it all his way and wasn't letting anyone tell him no.
As a KISS fan, he only brought theater to their music. His bass solos are only him randomly playing notes while he made his mouth bleed. The band would've been so much better with a better player.
What does he know about music? He's a marketing strategist.
My thoughts? Gene Simmons mastered trolling for comments before the internet existed, and he's still in top form, apparently.
7:19 The first thought I had, after reading his comment about John, was that Gene obviously has never heard Friday Night in San Francisco
Think you might be missing the point here. I don't think Gene is throwing shade or trying to beat you over the head with his opinion. Look at Joey Ramone. Joey always admitted that Jeff Beck could play circles around him. The point, as I see it, is that Gene is saying your better off playing Rock and Roll High School to millions of people vs. Becks Bolero to small group of very appreciative fans. At least, that is Gene's theory on how to get famous and wealthy. Perhaps some don't want that.
so , whats you're point ?
Gene bass lines you can hum:
100 000 years
Detroit rock city
Love gun
Rock and roll all nite
Sure know something
There's quite a few, so he's not clueless about it. It's the people who hate him right away and can't pay him credit for saying it
If you ask me about a memorable bass line, the first thing that comes to mind is "brr brr deng!"
“I don’t like show-offs in music”
- man who made lots of money in a band known for their shows and makeup
- man who made a show based on his personal life as a musician
You just dont mess with Flea. You just don't.
Although Ace Frehley is my favourite member of Kiss I still consider Paul Stanley the brains and leader of the band as he has always been the main songwriter, and where is Gene is cool i consider Peter Criss to be above him as Gene was the weakest link of Kiss but his costume seem to get the most fans and he is decent at bass but nothing great but passable, but I think you are 100% right that he just wants to stay relevant in todays topics by saying whatever will focus some attention back to him as there is no such thing as bad publicity
The opening line in this video was great. I've practiced 10s of thousands of hours to do what I can do, then I meet guys who barely put any time in and can't play all that well basically tell me i suck because I play better than them haha, or that's what I take away from it. Whenever i play fast i have no feelings, that is just ridiculous. At least i don't just jab any ol note and hope for the best like most of these clowns who talk like that do.
Ha - you served up your own backhanded compliment: "I know Kiss was influential to guitar players I respect [not anybody in Kiss]".
Either you like something, or you don't. It's all perception, and has no bearing on other's opinions.