The manager for KISS says the band can continue without any founding members. Doc McGhee's comments come not long after KISS frontman Paul Stanley reiterated his belief the KISS can persist after he and bassist Gene Simmons retire.
McGhee argued that KISS is an entertainment franchise just like the superheroes owned by D.C. and Marvel.
"As long as these kids walk out there and they have that makeup and they have that attitude and they have a great f***ing visual show..." McGhee argued during a recent interview with The Unwritable Rant.
"This isn't Dark Side of the Moon," he continued. "People didn't come [to the show] with their f***ing headphones on to f***ing have this musical experience. They came here to have fun, to see s**t blown up, people flying around. It's f***ing Cirque Du Soleil. If you put nothing on stage but talent, they're going to f***ing die. That's what KISS is — KISS is a way of life."
While Stanley and Simmons have publicly wondered about their longevity as live performers in recent years, Stanley told Billboard in February that KISS might never end. He argued that if the band could successfully continue without original guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss, it could continue with an entirely new lineup as well.
"We've built something that's so iconic, and I think it transcends any of the members," Stanley said at the time. "So I can certainly see me not being there, seriously. There was a time where people said it had to be the four of us, and those people are already 50 percent wrong. So I'm betting [another absence] could be overcome, too."
So McGhee has a salient point, especially with the superhero argument. KISS has felt little blowback by continuing without Frehley and Criss, any some would argue the band has never been more successful as a touring act than now with guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer in tow.
Furthermore, KISS has never positioned itself as some sophisticated artistic collective; Simmons himself has made it abundantly clear over the years that he's in this for the money — and because being in KISS is the most-fun way to make money.
McGhee adds that the numbers don't lie: "I can sit there and tell you that there’s 4.9 million people every month that listen to Kiss around the world. And I can show you where. I can show you what songs. I can show you the demographics. I can show you everything, because the analytics are there. It's taking the gut out of it."
Listen to the full interview below.
Photo: Getty Images