Common traits associated with autism include extreme creativity, deep focus and attention to detail. These characteristics could well be the reason KISS manager Doc McGhee has said that he often picks to work with artists who are “pretty much autistic”.
McGhee revealed the bold claim in an appearance on The French Connection podcast.
“Artists, the ones I pick anyway, the ones I end up with, are pretty much autistic in a certain sense – not derogatory,” he began.
“What autism is, it’s not being able to focus on the centre, on what everybody else focuses on. So, Prince is not focused on fucking what everybody is doing.”
McGee has also famously worked with some of the world’s biggest rock success stories such as Skid Row, Motley Crue and Bon Jovi. He’s also suggested that some of these musicians may be on the spectrum too.
“All these people – Motley, Bon Jovi, Guns N’ Roses, none of them were [focussed on what everybody is doing] – because they focused on the right stuff, so it takes somebody that’s maybe autistic, like myself maybe, to kind of go fishing in deep water, and find these fucking people.”
When asked if he’s ‘autistic’ in his management style, McGhee also revealed he thinks he is. His description of his ‘autistic’ qualities, however, did err slightly away from nailing exactly how these qualities translated to his management.
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“I think so – because I believe that nothing good comes from the middle, I think it’s just the middle. People beat you down into the fucking middle, man, that’s what they do,” he began.
“I’ll tell you a Skid Row story. Skid Row had ’18 and Life,’ big fucking hit. The record company, everybody else wanted them to go more ’18 and Life’ – ‘Do another ’18 and Life,’ don’t do this.’
“My brother Scott came to me and said, ‘They’re going to do ‘Slave to the Grind.” And they did – because that was them,” McGhee continued.
“So, they had to go against it and go in the fucking deeper water and not go to the middle because everybody will beat you into the fucking middle, that’s what happens – because ‘you have to have a hit.’
“The reason why you had the hit was A) It was a pretty good song, and what you say, you were sexy, you had good material, and you worked hard.”
No members of KISS have shared if they are on the spectrum, however, John Elder Robison, who designed guitars for the rock band spoke about his diagnosis of Asperger’s syndrome in his biography, Look Me in the Eye.
“Many people have said that “Look Me in the Eye” and “Be Different” changed how they see autism. I hope “Raising Cubby” will do the same, especially for parents,” Robison shared in an interview with Star Tribune.
“With the reading public, I hope to start a dialogue and increase the acceptance of people who are different in our society. Kids who act different are not generally villains. In fact, it’s the different people who often drive our world forward.”
For more on this topic visit the Rock Observer.
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