Gene Simmons , bassist and vocalist of Kiss , harshly criticized young people who wear rock band t-shirts without knowing who the members are, and wear them only for the look.
During an interview on The Zak Kuhn Show ( via 89 FM Nick as an example , who tried to win over a woman wearing a Rolling Stones . When asked, she couldn't name the band members, didn't know any of their songs, and even went so far as to say that Mick Jagger was a serial killer.
“This reflects what I always say: rock is dead. The legacy of the great bands doesn't reach the new generations. Many only wear the t-shirts because they like the look, but they have no idea what they represent,” said Simmons.
In the same interview, the bassist also gave his opinion on the loss of interest that rock has experienced in the last 40 years, especially when compared to the Beatles , Elvis , and the Stones themselves. Simmons also asked the interviewer which band could be considered the new Fab Four, and the answer was Nirvana .
“Stop. We’re blind. I’m a huge fan [of Nirvana]. But if you walked down the street and asked a 20-year-old, ‘Who’s the bassist for Nirvana?’, they wouldn’t know who you were talking about. Or, ‘Can you sing a Nirvana song?’ They wouldn’t know either. But the Beatles, everyone knows the Beatles. If you hate rock, you know about them.”
"The masses have no idea who's in Phish, one of my favorite bands, or in Pearl Jam. They haven't the slightest idea, unless they're a fan," he concludes.
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