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Gene Simmons has said in the past that rock is dead, and he's standing by those comments. In a new interview with "Metal Hammer," he reiterated his past sentiments.
"I stand by my words: rock is dead,” Simmons said. "The people that killed it are fans. Fans killed the thing they loved by downloading and file sharing for free. How do you expect somebody who loves the guitar to come into this creative process? You’ve got to invent yourself. And so rock is dead."
He then explained about how from 1958 until 1988 you had artists like Elvis Presley, The Beatles, Jimi Hendrix, the Rolling Stones, the Beach Boys, Madonna, Prince, Bowie, Metallica and Iron Maiden. "But from 1988 until today, who is the new Beatles? BTS? There's no denying BTS are world famous. But am I going to form a garage band to do those songs? No. I think they're well-crafted and professional, but One Direction and NSYNC and all the boy bands don’t change the world. It just makes little girls hearts flutter and then they're gone. That doesn't have gravitas. Influential bands, that make somebody want to pick up a guitar, learn how to play songs and be in a band don't exist, because you can't make a living.”
Source: Metal Hammer