PAUL STANLEY On KISS' Longevity: 'We're Like Herpes; Once We Got You, We're Staying With You'

Metal Hammer has posted video footage of KISS' Download Festival press conference, which was held earlier today (Friday, June 13) at Donington Park, Leicestershire, UK. Watch the eight-minute clip below.

Asked how it feels to be playing Donington again after 10 years, KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley replied, "You know, it's actually like a tradition. This is our third time playing Donington, and no matter what you call it, no matter who takes it over and what they name it, the one thing that remains constant is KISS. So we're back. We're celebrating 35 years. We'll be playing most of 'Kiss Alive!' and a whole lot of other stuff. Trends come, fashion comes, all this stuff happens we don't go away. We're like the virus that We're like herpes, I guess. Once we got you, we're staying with you."

On the topic of whether KISS plans to ever record new material, bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons stated, "This is something that's been asked everywhere we go. In all seriousness, it's unfortunate, the record industry is dead, it's six feet underground, and unfortunately, the fans have done this they've decided to download and file-share, there's no record industry around, and we're gonna wait until everybody settles down and becomes civilized and as soon as the record industry pops its head, we'll record new material." Stanley added, "The truth is we have no plans to record. The reason we don't record is because any classic band that hits the road, the last thing you really wanna hear is their new songs. Everybody says, 'Go out and do a new album,' but if you put on a live DVD of any classic band, turn off the sound and I'll tell you when they're playing a new song it's when everybody sits down. So everybody says, 'Go do a new album,' but who goes to see the STONES to hear a new song? Who goes to see MCCARTNEY, THE WHO; who goes to see any of the classic bands to hear new songs? If you're playing a new song, that means you can't play a classic song. So, really, what's the point?"

Asked if there is any truth to reports that there is going to a TV show to find new members of KISS, Stanley replied, "That kind of got blown a bit out of proportion. There is a always a chance Because we're KISS, we define ourselves by all the rules we bring we're not like other bands. Is there a chance of doing a 'KISS II,' so speak? Sure. But it's not gonna take the place of KISS if we were to do it. We're in the midst of our most successful, biggest tour of Europe ever this is the most successful tour we've ever done, bar any of the past 35 years. So we have no plans to stop. What we do outside of being a touring band, it's up for grabs. We don't live within the boundaries of other bands. They wish they could be KISS; we don't wish we could be them."