Paul Stanley Admits KISS Refused Working With Van Halen To “pull the reins in” On Gene Simmons

They Wanted To “Hold Gene In Check”

In the upcoming Eddie Van Halen biography by Paul Brannigan titled “Unchained (U.S.) / Eruption (U.K.)”, KISS’ Paul Stanley revealed that he and manager Bill Aucoin refused to work with then-unsigned Van Halen in 1976. The reason? They wanted to protect KISS. In an excerpt via Classic Rock magazine, Stanley recalled the time he turned down the opportunity.

KISS members were in Los Angeles to tape a three-song performance for ABC Television’s The Paul Lynde Halloween Special. Stanley and Gene Simmons received an invitation from DJ and club impresario Rodney Bingenheimer to watch two unsigned local acts, The Boyz and Van Halen, at Starwood club.

“We didn’t want to take Van Halen on because we were trying to hold Gene in check,” Stanley admitted. “Gene is often more concerned – and this is just part of his personality – with Gene, and it wasn’t going to be to our benefit for him to run off and get involved with something else.”

“Were Van Halen undeniable? Absolutely. Were they fabulous? Yeah. Did they have what it took? Absolutely,” he continued. “But we had to take care of Kiss, and the way to protect Kiss at that time was to pull the reins in on Gene, it’s that simple.”

The book is currently available in Germany. It will be published on September 23 in the UK and December 14 in the US.