In a Q&A session posted today on Gene Simmons’ website, the Kiss bassist and recent Idol guest/Lambert duet partner had an already-controversial responseto a fan who posted the following query: "Can you hook Adam Lambert upwith someone to get him started on the way to be another rock god likeyou?"
His reply: "Respectfully, I don’t think Adam is a rock singer. Hesounds much more convincing singing ballads, and Broadway shows. Hisvoice doesn’t seem to have a ‘rock quality.’ But, I’m sure he’s goingto do just fine."
Readers, with your responses to our post about Lambert perhaps fronting Queen still pouring in, we have to ask, do you agree with Simmons?
We eagerly await your comments, whether they be the Glambert army’simmediate dismissal of Simmons as a washed-up rocker with a cameltongue, Kiss fans’ disdain for a guy whose stage makeup stops atguyliner and perhaps a little lip gloss, and the rest of you who wishthat all things ‘Idol’-related would just fall into a giant dragon’smouth and die already. Ready? Go!
More from EW’s Music Mix:
Is Chris Brown going country? And will Carrie Underwood join him?
Kris Allen’s win — biggest ‘Idol’ upset ever, or not so much?
‘Twilight’ star Jackson Rathbone to play a murderous Norwegian black-metaller
Beyonce’s new video for "Ego" — "Single Ladies" part deux?
Not a rocker? WTF? I think Gene is off HIS rocker…
http://tvdonewright.com/2009/05/21/american-idol-scores-ratings-low-a-sign-of-things-to-come/
Well – you can’t argue there. He’s right.
(and this is coming from an Adam fan)
He just sounds like he’s SCREECHING and WAILING most of the time anyways, so rock is definitely not his forte.
Wow…that’s really interesting coming from Gene Simmons whose biggest talent is how to wear white makeup. I’ve NEVER been a Kiss fan, ever. To me, they’ve had marginal talent, it was all about theatrics. It looked like Adam was having a fantastic time with them on Wednesday night, I hope he did. Adam could make a killer rock record, but I hope he just makes the kind of record he wants to, whatever he decides to do.
I don’t watch IDOL don’t care for it myself… but I am kinda gettin sick of EW headlines that are false to get attention … Gene did NOT say what your headline boasts.
After his A$$holiness was on Celebrity Apprentice, I have no respect what Gene Simmons has to say!
hmmm is simmons jealous???lol
adam held his own against him that night,and he is right,adam is great at ballads,I love them. but he can sing any genre.
Whole Lotta Love?
Cryin’(esp the studio version)?
Oh poor Gene. Their number together the other night was the highlight. Now he’s a spoiler. I wholeheartedly disagree.
Danielle – if you’ve never been a KISS fan then how would you know what Gene’s biggest talent is? Gene has a great rock ‘growl’ and Ace Frehley is on h3ll of guitar player.
Gene is a smart and shrewd business man and has had 30 plus years of the going ons of the business – I agree Adam may not have a typical ‘rock’ voice. Maybe it depends on what a person’s def. of rock is.
This is exactly why Adam would do well fronting Queen – they are all classically trained artists who have a theatrical quality to them. Adam and Queen would be perfect together.
As for Gene Simmons, he didn’t say that Adam couldn’t perform – rather, he said that Adam’s voice is more suited for ballands and broadway. Adam’s “rock” voice is a screech and a wail. But, like Simmons stated, Adam will do just fine – he is a great performer.
Please. I don’t listen to anything Gene Simmons has to say after watching his show on A&E. He is SO full of himself!
TO JACK: Yes, he did say that Adam is not a rock singer….maybe not “you’re not a rocker” as the title says…but the same thing!
I actually thought Adam sounded better than Gene in the performance. When watching I turned to my husband and said, wow, Adam has a leg up on the old rocker! Kiss is so over the top anyway. Adam really can do anything vocally he chooses and pull it off, whether it be Broadway, headlining Queen, or a stand alone singer. He has it all and doesn’t even need the makeup to hide behind!
@ Danielle. Um…you do realize that lots of rock singers screech and wail, right? You may not like that style of singing but it is still rock.
For once, I agree with Gene… Glambert’s voice, as rangy as it is, is kind of thin in the low and middle register. That’s why he shouldn’t sing for Queen–the timbre of his voice is crap compared to Freddie’s.
He could be a rock singer in the Freddie Mercury, Meat Loaf or Sebastian Bach mold. He could be a theatrical rock singer but I think Gene is right in that he is more suited for broadway.