Gene Simmons Regrets Not Helping KISS Bandmates With Substance Issues

In the 1970s and '80s, KISS was one of the biggest rock bands in the world taking over music and selling out stadiums across the globe. Behind the scenes, however, the band faced a number of problems, including members leaving the group and dealing with substance abuse issues. 

When looking back on some of those hard times, KISS frontman Gene Simmons wishes he'd done more to help. In particular, guitarist Ace Frehley and drummer Peter Criss were taking the rock star lifestyle to the extreme with alcohol and drug abuse while on the road. Simmons believes he could've spoken truthfully to his bandmates at the time. 

"I'm sad in retrospect. You know, hindsight's 20/20," Simmons said in a new interview with Backstage Pass. "I'm sad that I wasn't more hard on Ace and Peter, the two original guys who played guitar and drums in the band. Ace and Peter have as much credit for the beginning of the band as [co-founder] Paul [Stanley] and I do. There's no question it was that chemistry. And they both had unique voices, unique personalities and all that. And they should have been here with us 50 or 55 years later and enjoying the fruits of their labor. But sadly, they're not."

However, Simmons didn't make excuses for Frehley and Criss' actions. 

"They were in and out of the band three different times. They were let go three different times because of the same old thing," he stated plainly. "It's not even unique. Go to almost every band and you'll find people ingesting stuff more than the bum on the street corner, except they're richer and they can afford to ingest more. It's sad."

KISS played their final show in December 2023. Though the band might not be playing together anymore, the iconic faces and music will live on through a variety of planned ventures coming soon.