Melvins’ Buzz Osborne has left all his picks on the table, and if you think otherwise, ‘lighten up;’ it’s his favorites from the one and only KISS. Besides naming the record he most likes from the band’s impressive repertoire, Osborne also shared his honest thoughts about what KISS has brought to the rock scene and the criticism they have to face.
During a conversation with Magnet Magazine, Osborne first picked his favorite live album before sharing the one he vibed with the most. He explained, “‘Alive!’ is the best live album, definitely. The best record they did overall was ‘Destroyer,’ but I like the broodiness of ‘Hotter Than Hell.’”
Besides naming ‘Destroyer’ as the best album KISS has ever released, the band can do nothing wrong in Osborne’s eyes. He continued, “They can do whatever they want. It’s KISS. They’re fun. They had good songs. There’s really no more to it than that.”
The frontman gets irritated when people criticize every little thing about artists making their art. He added, “People go, ‘Oh, it’s not serious!’ Music isn’t serious! It’s art, which is extra in your life after you’re done doing the things that make it possible for you to make a living. It takes you out of your everyday existence and puts you into something else, which is what art is supposed to do. That’s all it’s supposed to do. People want to tack on social commentary and political stuff like that, but I don’t see it that way.”
Osborne then reflected on the criticism that most artists, but in this case, KISS, have to deal with when producing art. He added, “Although, nothing has moved me artistically more than music. So with KISS, let them do what they want. It doesn’t matter to me. When people say it’s not serious, you know what? You need to lighten up.”
So, taking Osborne’s words and implementing how we view art could be a nice change for both parties. Knowing that if fans don’t like it by chance, the feedback will be more considered rather than disregarding the body of work as soon as it hits the shelves.
