Paul Stanley shed light on his 50-year-friendship with Gene Simmons. During a fans Q&A while on board the latest Kiss Kruise, Stanley spoke frankly, with Blabbermouth transcribing portions of the chat, in which he said of his creative partner, “We're very different, but we certainly share a pride in what we do, a work ethic. Maybe because our parents came from Europe where I think that that's important stuff, is that pride in the work you do and to work hard for your money. Other than that, I think one of the things that took me a long time to learn — and I think Gene, by the way… I mean, he's family to me; he's a brother. I remember there were things about him that used to drive me crazy. Then I realized that that's not his issue; that's my issue.”
Stanley went on to say, “When people do things and it bothers you, you need to figure out why it bothers you, not expect them to change. It's not about them. And things that used to bother me about Gene, I just had to kind of figure out, 'Wait a minute. That's my issue that bothers me. And why does it bother me?' Because he can only be the best he that he can be; he's never gonna be me, and I'm never gonna be him. So it's just a matter of putting a lot of that stuff aside. We're not gonna change anybody else, so we need to figure out why it bothers us.”
When we last caught up to Paul Stanley, he admitted to us that it's taken a lot of work to keep the pair moving forward and on the same page: “Oh, sure. That over the years that's been an ongoing t heme in our relationship. But time is the ultimate judge, and there have been times where I've been very angry and resentful — and I'm not saying momentarily — I’m saying for long periods of time. But, again, over time, everything falls in place and you get a better perspective — hopefully. If you don’t expect from someone what’s not possible, then you won’t be disappointed.”
Kiss will next perform on November 30th in Japan at the Tokyo Dome.
