Metal Anarchy

During a recent appearance on the “Steve-O’s Wild Ride!” podcast, KISS frontman Paul Stanley further discussed the group’s decision to continue as avatars. According to him, the upcoming show will be like “Cirque Du Soleil meets ‘Star Wars’ and a KISS concert.”

Stanley said the following:

“What we’ll be doing with these amazing avatars will take us to another place, another level.

Now, those images [that were previewed at the end of KISS’s final gig at] the Garden were really — I had mixed feelings about showing those because they’re so early on, they look nothing like that. I mean, the avatars are identical. I mean, they look like us. And I think the idea was really just to show people that we’re going to move on and continue, but it won’t be like that.

And what we’re putting together with George Lucas and Pophouse, this amazing company out of Sweden, is an immersive experience that you’ll come to, and there’ll be heat and fire and wind and things flying around.

The idea of us making a recreation of a concert, I mean, how long can you look and go, ‘Wow, that looks just like an amplifier’? That’s not what we’re doing. I would say it’s Cirque Du Soleil meets ‘Star Wars’ and a KISS concert. So it’s gonna be amazing.”

He also opened up about selling the band’s catalog, likeness and brand name to Pophouse:

“They want us involved, which is smart. And also it’s a way to ensure, I hate to say purity, but a focus.

Look, we got it this far. And, they had no intentions of just taking it and them riding off into the sunset. This is a collaboration, and [it’s] never been done before. I mean, bands sell publishing, songwriters sell their song rights. I dare say that there’s not a band I can think of where anybody wants to buy the band’s likeness and the logos and everything that goes with it.

You have to imagine that for us to create something and nurture it through the good and the bad for 50 years and then give it to a [someone else], it’s like leaving home. Yeah, it’s leaving home. But I’m still who I was. If I was the Starchild before, I’m Starchild now. That doesn’t change. I’m who I’ve been. And it’s such a unique situation that I don’t think anybody else can ever fathom the magnitude, because people have a hard time giving up their publishing; that’s like their babies. Well, we gave up our babies and the house and the block.”

Stanley then added the following after Steve-O said the deal with Pophouse will help KISS’ legacy move forward in the way the band wants it to:

“Exactly. And to keep it going, as you said, continuously. Bands — I don’t wanna say shelf life, but bands only have a certain amount of lifespan. Certain bands certainly live on through their music. What are we listening to inside? [Led] Zeppelin or The Beatles. But KISS is so unique, to keep it at the level we want it to be and for the personas to live on, this was a great way to do it. I had no thoughts of selling publishing — that didn’t appeal to me — but this is kind of like finding, I don’t wanna say foster parents, but we researched and did our due diligence and our homework and spent a lot of time with Pophouse also, and they’re great people and totally understand what we are and what we’re doing and what we wanna be.”

[via Blabbermouth]