KISS frontman Paul Stanley has once again said that he believes KISS could carry on without him and Gene Simmons.
More than two years ago, KISS launched their “End Of The Road” tour, which is now scheduled to wrap up sometime in 2022. The current lineup of the band features original members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons along with guitarist Tommy Thayer and drummer Eric Singer.
When Stanley was asked by Germany’s Radio Bob! whether he believes a KISS 2.0 version of the band could continue once he and Simmons have officially retired, Paul replied (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I think that recasting KISS or KISS 2.0 is not what we have ever talked about. Can KISS continue and can it evolve without us in it? Well, yeah, because it’s already 50 percent there. In other words, there was a time where people said, ‘Well, it can only be the original four.’ [And then] it was, ‘Well, it can only be the original three.’ Well, things move on and circumstances change.
“Could I see KISS evolving with different personnel? Yeah,” he reiterated. “As big a fan as I am of what I do — and I think I’m damn good — there’s other people around who could pick up the torch and bring something to the philosophy and to the live show and to the music. It would be KISS. It wouldn’t be KISS 2.0. If it were to happen, yeah, it would be really just a continuation of the philosophy that we’ve always had, and that’s that KISS is bigger than any member.”
Stanley previously spoke about how he would go about finding someone to replace him in KISS, saying: “Honestly, I think all the KISS tribute bands are great, but none of them have a good ‘Paul.’ So I’d like to see somebody who incorporates what I’ve done with a lot of the things that inspired me. And it’s not a matter of a puppet being me; it’s somebody who comes in and contributes and adds something new to it while still following the template that’s been set.”