The Smashing Pumpkins’ enigmatic frontman, Billy Corgan, is welcoming fans to join him on his new podcast, The Magnificent Others, by talking with a man who truly needs no introduction. You wanted the best, and Billy is here to give you the best… Listen to Corgan’s chat with KISS bassist and business mogul, Gene Simmons, on his premiere episode.
LISTEN NOW: The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan | Gene Simmons
Kicking off his brand new podcast, The Smashing Pumpkins’ Billy Corgan sits down with the one and only Gene Simmons, probing beyond the makeup and monster riffs that made KISS a household name, discussing Gene's NYC upbringing, the band’s forays into disco, their final shows, and much more.
During their chat, Billy wondered how Gene sees the vision of KISS carrying on aesthetically following their sale of the group’s music and intellectual property last year. “The numbers are not accurate,” Simmons says coyly.
“There was an idea, perhaps an ideal when Paul [Stanley] and I started the band, that it had less to do with ‘Let’s get rich and get famous,’ but ‘Let’s put together the band we never saw on stage.’ That was the idea. Of course, in the beginning I would imagine lots of bands, perhaps most bands, say ‘I’ve got this creative thing, I’m writing songs and it’s fun’ and everything else… There was a different sense that we had, either better or for worse, rightfully or wrongfully.”
“We would go see bands that we loved,” he adds, “The Lovin' Spoonful, Sly and the Family Stone… the live experience just wasn’t enough. It sounded better on record and often you were disappointed by what you saw live because they were trapped at the microphone, and once your eyes settled on what you saw on stage, you started talking to your friends.”
“The idea of the band -- it’s not better or worse than anybody else’s idea -- wasn’t because I’ve got this inner artiste,” Gene admits. “I don’t care about that. There’s a distinctly different mantra, shall we say, between the classical and purist visions of music and art, and perhaps the way I think of it.”
Billy points out, “Well, your version is the dominant version now.”
“Now it is,” Gene agrees. “When we first started it was about ‘Who’s got good taste?’ And I only gave a s*** about ‘What tastes good?’ There’s a profound difference.” Remembering the “sell out” comments they received when the band first started doing licensing and merchandising, Simmons says, “You’re talking from people who never learned to read or write music, didn’t understand music theory, they were self-taught. By the way, that’s very impressive that people have this urge to be creative and everything, but never went through the process of school… just decided to bumble their way through it and created this amazing, popular artform whether it’s Rap or Rock, or anything else. It’s miraculous and not everybody can do that. But I don’t suffer fools lightly, or whatever that phrase meant. Which is, all my life I’ve heard hippies, well-intentioned though they may be, ‘I just want enough money to get by.’ I said, ‘I’ll make a deal with you: Any dollar you make that you don’t think you need, please give me.’ Because that’s gonna make me happier. I will never have enough money, power, or anything else, because that’s what life is about.”
Now with KISS in its posthumous form, Corgan asked if was important to Simmons that the band remains just as significant as they were when together. “No,” Gene answered quickly. “Significance is not important… The only thing that matters is -- I’m clear and so is Paul, we’ve had the same vision though we don’t agree on many things -- If we can make you forget about for two or three hours… whatever it is that causes angst… that’s magic. That uplifting feeling, that’s the only thing I care about.”
Follow along with The Magnificent Others with Billy Corgan as Billy engages in profound conversations with extraordinary individuals who have reached the pinnacle of success in their respective fields. In each episode, Billy delves into the stories and insights of high achievers, exploring the multifaceted journey that leads to greatness.
Listen to the full episode with Gene Simmons -- now streaming -- plus, follow along with KISS Radio, The Smashing Pumpkins Radio, and more on the free Audacy app.