Paul Stanley Says KISS Could Continue Without Him

Paul Stanley says that he could see KISS continuing on as a band with new members after he and his fellow cofounder Gene Simmons retire from music.

Stanley had made similar comments in the past and during a Q&A for Paste Magazine late last month he was asked if he thought that the band could still continue without him and Simmons.

He responding, "I think that longevity necessitates change, and for something that's viable to continue, it can mean all kinds of changes in personnel. Certainly the perfect example would be a sports team or an army. When you have a common cause in something you believe in, if somebody falls by the wayside or leaves, they're replaced.

"I'm well aware of my own mortality, and as much as I might like to go on forever, I won't," he continued. "And even at this point, there are no 67-year-old basketball players, football players, but you're looking at a guy here who's basically doing the same thing and has all the scars and stitches and screws and what have you to prove it. At some point, that has to stop.

"I think that KISS has served a huge purpose and brings incredible joy to people on the 'End Of The Road' tour. The shows are packed, and not only with the early followers of the band, but people who have heard the legend of what this band does live. And it's something that's more than music. It really is a preaching of self-empowerment and the idea that anything that you're willing to work hard for, you can probably attain. And the idea of celebrating life. Things that may seem simplistic or overtly simplistic, but actually have a timeless depth to them. So when bands continue, ultimately the people in 'em need to change or have to, because of circumstances.

"So that's a long explanation for me feeling that I would have an enormous amount of pride in knowing that we can continue the band once I'm not there anymore," Stanley added. "That would be the ultimate test of its credibility and the role, I think, that it serves.

"I didn't invent the wheel. I am the product of all the people who I looked up to, all the musicians who I respected, and it was kind of like a stew, and then I added my own ingredients to it. But there are other people who are out there who wouldn't necessarily imitate me any more than I imitated my heroes. But there are people out there, I'm sure, who are well equipped to pick up the flag and run with it."

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