KISS bassist Gene Simmons has reflected on meeting Angus Young and seeing AC/DC live for the first time back in the 1970s.
In an interview on Triple M (via Ultimate Guitar), Simmons explained how the band ended up as a support act for KISS in 1977 and 1978.
He began: “I saw them playing this really small club in L.A. – I happened to be there.”
“And all I remember is being close to the stage ’cause I love that, I wanna feel it, I wanna feel the chest kind of cave in when the bass and the kick drum hits it.”
“I don’t wanna be at a safe distance. If it’s too loud, you’re too old.”
He continued: “So I’m in the front. And even after the blackouts between songs, there’s Angus just running around on stage – not posing, just kind of feeling it, like somebody in a trance or something.”
“I said, ‘That guy is rock ‘n’ roll. That guy is real.’ So after the show, I went backstage. And [he [Angus] went, ‘Oh, Gene Simmons.’ I’m doing a bad Aussie accent. ‘Oh, Gene Simmons. Yeah. Alright.'”
Love Classic Rock?
Get the latest Classic Rock news, features, updates and giveaways straight to your inbox Learn more
“And I go, ‘You’re the guy. What’s your name?’ ‘Angus.’ And then he smiled. And I’ll never forget it, he didn’t have front teeth. I guess at that point they couldn’t afford it.”
“So I said, ‘Let me take you a few blocks away. I wanna sit down and talk with you.’ So, he did. I’ll never forget it – we went to a place called Mel’s Diner, which is in some parts of the world really famous.”
Simmons continued on to explain that all the restaurant staff gathered around their table because he was “kind of a big deal,” although they didn’t yet know Young.
“At that point, they had yet to know who Angus and the boys were, but it was just Angus and myself.”
“‘What would you like, Mr. Simmons?’ All that kind of stuff. I said, ‘Ask my friend first.’ I’ll never forget it, Angus asked for a frankfurter – instead of a hot dog – and beets. And they looked at each other, and I said, ‘Get the man what he wants.'”
He continued: “So, they did. They brought it back. And I’ll never forget, Angus picked up the hot dog without the bun and started biting into it on the sides of his mouth because the two front teeth were missing.”
“And I said to him – I can still remember most of the conversation – ‘You guys are great. I’m gonna make some calls. You’re going out on tour with us.”
Meanwhile, Simmons previously told SiriusXM (via Blabbermouth) back in 2019 that AC/DC was the best opening band KISS ever had.
“A band that shares the same philosophy — no matter what any other band is doing, to thine own self be true… I’ve said it before but it’s more true now than ever,” he said.
“A lot of people look the same and act the same and do the same thing. Every once in a while, you see a band like AC/DC. Nobody’s like them. We’d like to think we’re unique in that way too.”
You can read more about this topic over at the Classic Rock Observer.
Check out Gene Simmons discussing meeting Angus Young on Triple M:
