Kiss’ Gene Simmons has never hidden his love for money. In a 2017 interview with CNBC, he flat out said money buys happiness and called it the fuel of life, saying without it, you’re going nowhere.
But his longtime bandmate Paul Stanley doesn’t exactly see it the same way. In fact, he says chasing cash was never what drove him to make music in the first place.
Talking on The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan, Stanley looked back on what really inspired him to pick up a guitar and it had nothing to do with getting rich.
He said they learned from their mistakes over the years and no one needs to pass a hat around for them their rent is well paid. But he pushed back on the idea of being money-hungry, saying he and the band always did it for the joy it brought them.
“We learned through mistakes and nobody has to take up a collection for us,” Stanley said (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar). “Our rent is well paid. But you know, the idea of being like, money hungry, or anything like [that], it’s not the case. I’ve always done this, and we’ve always done this, ultimately, truly because of the joy it gives us.”
Stanley also shared how lucky he felt to grow up seeing some of the greatest acts live Jimi Hendrix playing for a few thousand people, Led Zeppelin, The Who with Buddy Guy opening in ‘69, Humble Pie, Derek and the Dominoes. That’s what he fell in love with, and it’s what made him want to get on stage.
He said he never got into music thinking he’d become a millionaire. Back then, a millionaire seemed like the Monopoly man , almost unreal. For him, it was always about being the guy on stage, being like Steve Marriott, and preaching rock and roll to a crowd.
“I was so fortunate. I grew up in an era that took us into the next era, but I grew up seeing Jimi Hendrix play for a couple of thousand people, Led Zeppelin, The Who, with Buddy Guy opening in ’69, Humble Pie, Derek and the Dominoes, all these bands. That’s what I love, and that’s what I wanted to be.”
“I never started doing this with the intention, ‘I’m going to be a millionaire,'” Stanley continued. “Back then, a millionaire was like, the Monopoly man. Y’know, ‘Whoa! That’s incredible.’ But it was never about that. It was about — I want to be that guy, I want to be up there. Yeah, I want to be Steve Marriott. I want to preach. I want to be up there preaching rock and roll.”
