KISS rocker Gene Simmons has apologised to David Lee Roth over comments he made that implied that the Van Halen frontman was past his prime.
ICYMI, the drama kicked off in a recent interview with Rolling Stone, where Simmons confirmed Roth would “not” be returning as an opening act for KISS’ farewell tour while throwing in some disparaging comments.
“But it bears noting that during Dave’s heyday, nobody did what he did. He was the ultimate frontman. Not Plant, not Rod Stewart, nobody. He took being a frontman way beyond anything,” Simmons said at the time.
“And then, I don’t know what happened to him… something,” he continued.
“And you get modern-day Dave. I prefer to remember Elvis Presley in his prime. Sneering lips, back in Memphis, you know, doing all that. I don’t want to think of bloated naked Elvis on the bathroom floor.”
In response, David took to Instagram to share an image of a young boy wearing sunglasses and extending the middle finger, with the caption: “Roth to Simmons”.
Now, Simmons is backtracking on his earlier remarks while blaming “diarrhea of the mouth” for his rude comments.
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“I am so sorry and ashamed, actually, that I hurt David’s feelings,” Simmons told US Weekly.
“I’m the guy, actually, that saw Van Halen at a club [in the 1970s], signed them to my production company, flew them to New York, produced their first 24-track 15-song demo and championed the band. … And in the course of an interview… You hear me talking — I just sort of stream of consciousness… I don’t mean to hurt people’s feelings, and every once in a while, diarrhea of the mouth comes out.”
As for the Elvis comparison, Simmons continued, “I read that quote, and somehow the way they put it together… I think I said something like, ‘Nobody touched David in his prime — not Robert Plant, not Jagger, not anybody… He was the king.’
“And then somehow there was a segue to Elvis bloated on the ground and fat and naked and I don’t wanna see that. I wasn’t talking about David, but that doesn’t matter.
He continued, “What matters is I hurt David’s feelings, and that’s more important than the intent. So I sincerely apologise for that. I didn’t mean to hurt his feelings.
“It reminds me of the guy that gets out of a truck and says, ‘Hey, I’m sorry, buddy. I didn’t mean to run you over.’ Well, what the fuck’s the difference? You’ve been run over.”
For more on this topic, head over to the Classic Rock Observer.
Check out Gene Simmons’ apology to David Lee Roth:
