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TL;DR:

  • Kiss’ Gene Simmons asked a journalist to say which modern bands are like The Beatles.
  • The journalist named Pearl Jam and Radiohead.
  • Simmons responded to that claim.
The Beatles' Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, and John Lennon on a fence
The Beatles’ Paul McCartney, Ringo Starr, George Harrison, and John Lennon | Michael Ochs Archives / Stringer

During an interview, Kiss’ Gene Simmons discussed some of the biggest music icons from the 1950s through the 1980s. In addition, he said there would never be another band like The Beatles. Subsequently, he was dismissive when a journalist said a pair of 1990s bands were comparable to the Fab Four.

A journalist initially declined Kiss’ Gene Simmons’ request to name The Beatles of the modern day

During a 2017 interview with Rolling Stone, Simmons was asked which kind of music moved him. “My favorite kinds of tunes are the new pop tunes,” he said. “I don’t know much of them, I mean Tame Impala is OK, but because there’s no such thing as the record industry anymore, because generations of fans have trained themselves to download and file-share and stream for free, the new guys of the world will never get a chance. 

“So there will not be another Beatles,” he said. “You can play the game, 1958 until 1988 is thirty years, Elvis [Presley], The Beatles, Rolling Stones, Madonna, Prince, [Michael] Jackson, U2, AC/DC, maybe Kiss, and from 1988 until today, give me the new Beatles.”

The interviewer ignored the question and asked Simmons if he thought rock was dead. “I’m going to ask you again, from 1988 until today, who’s the new Beatles?” Simmons replied.

Kiss’ Gene Simmons called the interviewer ‘delusional’

The interviewer mentioned Pearl Jam and Radiohead. “Hold on, hold on hold on hold on,” Simmons responded. “You’re talking to a big fan. If [Radiohead’s] Thom Yorke walked down the street in Pasadena, what would happen?”

The interviewer said people would be excited to see Yorke. “I think you’re delusional,” Simmons opined. Simmons noted Dave Grohl of the Foo Fighters was able to walk down the street without causing a scene.

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How Pearl Jam and Radiohead performed on the charts compared to The Beatles

The journalist compared Pearl Jam and Radiohead to The Beatles. Two of Pearl Jam’s singles reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100: “Last Kiss” and “I Got Id”/”Long Road.” Meanwhile, none of Radiohead’s singles reached the top 10 of the Billboard Hot 100. The band’s biggest single is “Creep,” which reached No. 34 and stayed on the chart for a total of 20 weeks.

Neither of these bands were nearly as successful on the Billboard Hot 100 as The Beatles. The Fab Four released 34 songs that reached the top 10 of the chart. 20 of those songs reached No. 1.

Pearl Jam and Radiohead are legendary rock bands but Simmons said they’re no Beatles.

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