Tommy Thayer On The ‘Dark Secrets’ Between Gene Simmons And Paul Stanley

KISS lead guitarist Tommy Thayer recently joined an interview with 60 Minutes Australia and reflected on the band’s success and longevity. The guitarist also talked about the ‘dark secrets’ between Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.

KISS was one of the bands that inspired Tommy Thayer to pick up a guitar in the early 1970s. As a band fan, the guitarist also performed KISS covers in his career beginnings. He had a KISS tribute band named Cold Gin, which attracted the attention of KISS members. After they were invited to play at Paul Stanley’s birthday, Gene Simmons offered Thayer to be his assistant.

Thayer also helped the band’s preparations for the tours and concerts. When Ace Frehley left KISS in 2002, the first choice of the group to fill his position was Tommy Thayer. After his successful onstage performance in Jamaica, he officially became the band’s new lead guitarist. He has been performing with KISS since then. As a result of his long-term acquaintance with the group members, Thayer is undoubtedly very familiar with the inner dynamics of KISS.

During a recent interview, Tommy Thayer was asked whether he could give any information on the ‘deep dark secrets’ between Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons. The guitarist stated that they are both very similar and different but didn’t go into details. Then, he went on to talk about the success and longevity of the band. He thinks the key point is the chemistry between the personalities, which he finds very important. According to Thayer, the band wouldn’t still be good if it wasn’t for the balance among their distinct characters.

When asked about the dark secrets between Simmons and Stanley, Thayer replied:

“This is a tough one. Well, they’re so different in so many ways, but they’re also uniquely similar in certain ways. I can’t really get into it, but I will just say one thing. There is only so much air in the room, and sometimes it takes a personality like Eric or me to kind of be there and do what we do. So I think somehow the thing that really works with KISS these days is the chemistry between the personalities.

There is just no doubt about it. A lot of people don’t realize that that’s important to see the success and the longevity of a band. You see so many bands break up; they hate each other. You see that all the time. This seems to work very well because of the personalities. I think that’s why the band is so good today.”

You can watch the rest of the interview below.