KISS Wanted American Idol Like TV Show To Find New Lineup

08-16-2022

Photo by antiMusic's Rob Grabowski

KISS co-founder Gene Simmons shared in a new interview that the band had discussed with Survivor producer Mark Burnett the idea of creating a television competition show like American Idol to find a new lineup of members to carry on the group after the current members retired.

Simmons made the comments during an appearance on the Let There Be Talk podcast to discuss the group's ongoing The End of the Road Farewell Tour and Gene assured host Dean Delray that the final KISS show would be the last one to feature the current members.

He explained, "KISS, the touring band, will stop. But the touring band, KISS will continue in other ways. I have no problems with four deserving 20-year-olds sticking the makeup back on and hiding their identity.

"Mark Burnett and I shopped KISS: The Next Generation, which was going to be a competition show to find out who's worthy to wear the crown kind of thing."

But he also shared, "we did not sell it. Timing is everything." Simmons then explained that he did a full season of a show for Burnett for CBS that was never aired, and he also said that he was offered 'Shark Tank' by Burnett.

Gene expanded on the idea of the group living on after he, Paul Stanley, Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer retire, "So, KISS will continue in ways that even I haven't thought of. But I can conceive of, you know the Blue Man Group and Phantom of the Opera, tours around the world, with different personnel.

"There could and should be a KISS show, kind of a - yes, live onstage with effects and everything else - but also a semi-autobiographical thing about four knuckleheads off the streets of New York that ends with the last third as a full-blown celebration of [Delray suggested like a Broadway play] Full-on performance, not with us. Although, not a problem stepping in every once in a while." Check out the full interview below: