Gene Simmons says the rock business is dead


I saw an interview last week on Axis T.V. The interviewer was Dan Rather and he was talking to Gene Simmons of Kiss. Gene said the "Rock business is in the coffin and the nails are in"

Do you think the rock business is dead? Or is Gene just being his dramatic self?
taters
Well, from his era, where Kiss had lunchboxes, action figures,comic books, and coffins, and anything else they could exploit, yes. Gene would sell his mother to turn a dime. From.a purely marketing/merchandizing angle, Kiss were very innovative. Shame their music wasn't .Still like their debut LP.
Very true, Phasecorrect. And since the days of Kiss's large merchandising sales and mega record sales are over, Rock is dead, as far as Gene is concerned. A case of ego and tunnelvision.
He may be right, he may be wrong. How do you prove it? It's just an opinion. Who cares what Gene Simmons says?
To be fair, Kiss was a live spectacle. It took a dbl live Lp (albeit doctored) to break them, but they really pioneered for better or worse what we now as a modern stadium show, minus the LCD/led screens. Their use of pyrotechnics, lights, and volume made for thrilling theatre youngsters in the late 70s. Although one could argue Cooper did it first and much better.
I think Bowie was the first with the big stage show, although
there might be some overlap. Before that, major artists would
just come out on the Filmore East stage in T-shirts and play the
most incredible (rock) music the world has ever heard. Funny -
Hendrix, Sly, Joplin, Cream, Tull, Creedence didn't seem to need
fireworks, guys running around in gorilla suits, makeup or
explosions to hold an audience's attention. I wonder why. Well,
Joplin and Hendrix didn't wear T-shirts, but the point is the
same. In fact, they dressed rather alike, now that I think of
it. The San Francisco thing, I think.