Gene Simmons (whose artistry consisted of makeup, platform shoes, a freakishky long tongue, and one actual hit song) sounds like a cranky old man who doesn’t like the music his kids listen to. My own father would point out that 1958-1983 featured almost no music from the supremely talented big band acts that he preferred.
On Gene Simmons challenge to name musical anythings from the last 25 years: my son would say Green Day, My Chemical Romance, No Doubt, and Smashing Pumpkins as some rock bands ... if you’re going to count Diana Ross from the earlier era then you have to count Beyonce from today (as a female diva who ditched the her original group when they were no longer of any use to her) ... if you’re going to count Madonna, then you have to count Lady Gaga (as ex-Catholic provocateur, with daddy issues and ever changing wardrobe) ... if you’re going to count MTV-created Michael Jackson, then you need to count Katy Perry (whose videos are have similar production quality, with self-deprecating humor instead of misplaced grandiosity) ... and then there a couple dozen hip-hop artists (most of whom I don’t care for although it’s hard to deny that someone like Dr. Dre is very talented, no matter what you think of the hip-hop lifestyle).
I love many of the same bands that Gene Simmons did because I grew up in that era. But it was an era with a limited number of media outlets and expensive recording technology, so the same hundred or so guitar-oriented rock bands would be on everyone’s list.
Today my son and his friends can record and mix an album in our basement and share it with a few hundred of their friends over youtube. I’m pretty sure they’re not as good as The Beatles, but I’m not at all sure he and his friends aren’t making better music than Gene Simmons did.
Thanks for your post and view
I agree 100%. Gene Simmons has a lot of nerve, since he has made his money on massive promotion and market saturation that created and polluted the modern era. (And I was a big KISS fan in grade school. LOL) All the big names have been corporate creations since the 70s.
There’s a lot of indie bands and small groups or individuals making some amazing music, but they won’t make the money or see the distribution that that big names did. The industry has changed, and Apple, Google and Sony can make millions without marketing the small artists. The big acts will remain marketing constructs, with the occasional breakout by an exceptional artist.