KISS icon Gene Simmons opened up about the band’s early years in a post shared on X. He reflected on the bond he shared with original members Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley and Peter Criss before fame changed things.
The message focused on the camaraderie that existed among the four musicians in the band’s formative days, before success brought money and other distractions.
“In the beginning, before the fame, before the money, before the chicks, we were a real band,” Gene Simmons said. “We loved each other. We depended on each other. I miss those days.”
The post drew a range of reactions from fans. One commenter wrote, “Gene at heart you’re a big softie! Long Live KISS,” while another pushed back, saying, “Cry me a river Gene! You treated Ace & Peter like shit! You treated Eric Carr even worse!”
The comments highlight the ongoing debate among fans over Simmons’ relationship with his former bandmates throughout KISS’ history.
The roots of that early bond trace back further than most fans realize. KISS didn’t come together overnight. It grew out of the ashes of another band entirely.
Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley first crossed paths in a group called Wicked Lester, a project that ultimately fell apart in the early 1970s. Rather than give up on music, the two decided to start fresh and build something new from the ground up.
That decision led them to recruit Peter Criss first, after he answered an ad they placed looking for a drummer. Ace Frehley joined shortly after, completing the classic lineup that would go on to define KISS’ sound and image for decades.
By 1973, the four musicians had officially formed KISS in New York City. This brought together Simmons and Stanley’s songwriting chemistry with Criss and Frehley’s musicianship. It was this original foursome, born out of Wicked Lester’s failure, that Simmons appears to be reminiscing about in his recent post.
Simmons has spoken about those formative years before. He once recalled the transition from Wicked Lester to KISS and the uncertainty that came with starting over. “As Paul and I were transitioning from Wicked Lester to Kiss, Peter [Criss, drums] was…” he said, describing the early scramble to build the band from scratch in New York’s outer boroughs.
