Casual fans who know Paul Stanley primarily as the star-eyed co-star of the fire-breathing, wire-flying rock titans KISS, may be surprised to hear his 15-star ensemble, Soul Station, whose debut album Now and then contains covers of nine R&B classics as well as five retro-soul originals. While such material may not seem comfortable in the hard rocker’s zone, he explains to Yahoo Entertainment: ‘It’s very much my comfort zone. Stanley actually grew up on Motown and Philly R&B (some of the earliest concerts he attended were Otis Redding and Solomon Burke), and decades later he still finds solace in this music – especially in Now and then‘s main single, the OOH child of the Five Stairsteps, a sonic balm during difficult times.
“When I first heard the song, it was just faith: to sing to someone that one day we’ll get it right, and we’ll make it the way it should be, and we’ll walk in the rays of a beautiful sun. … And I noticed that when I play it for other people, they say, ‘Wow, that’s a song that really applies now.’ And I have to agree, ”Stanley explains.
Many songs from the 60s and 70s still resonate with Stanley, and he occasionally takes the protest spirit to his social media, especially when the famous masked KISS man wears the importance of wearing masks around the spread of COVID. 19 to prevent. And he occasionally catches flakes of trolls for this outspokenness.
‘It’s a shame some people are vehemently against it [wearing masks], mainly because it has been politicized. There are so many strange setbacks, ”complains Stanley. ‘And when someone says,’ Well, the experts first said do not wear a mask, and dan they said wearing a mask ‘… It’s a work in progress. We learn about this virus. Will the information change? Of course, that’s going to change. But what I can see is unequivocally shown that masks are a great deterrent. And depending on what masks you wear, you protect the people around you or protect yourself. … I would like to think that I do my part to disseminate the information I have. And when some people get angry about it, it’s something they should think about, because it’s nothing to get angry about. ”
Stanley’s longtime KISS bandmate, Gene Simmons, has also become outspoken when it comes to his own position on pro-masking – and recently told Yahoo Entertainment that it is “so asinine” that masking has become a political issue among the country’s ‘lemmings’ and to blame for it. “The lack of leadership, which starts at the top” for the pandemic. (“I do not care about you. I care I. I’m not worried you’m going to catch anything. All the masks protect me. And you also get it much better than having nothing. So even if you do not believe it, you should at least use it as a courtesy to everyone around you, ‘he said in his typical Simmons manner.’ As for the insults that think musicians like KISS should just ‘keep quiet and sing’ and not share such opinions, Stanley has a few candid words.
‘Times have changed because there wash a time when I thought entertainers should just be fun, ‘Stanley admits. ‘But the fact is that I honestly consider myself a citizen. And I think my voice is at least as important as anyone else’s. And not being able to express my opinion does not actually look American! It’s not surprising to me at the moment that the people who say ‘keep quiet’ are the people who disagree, you know? If I were on your side, you would go, ‘Yes, keep talking! ‘It’s no surprise that the people who want people like me not to express an opinion are the people on the other side of the fence. And this is a pity. It’s sad because I do not want to politicize anything again. I’m trying to help. I’m trying to make people aware that we might be able to end this pandemic sooner and with a little less fatality. It’s not a matter of who you vote for, or conspiracies, or anything like that. I just want to help. ”
As for other Soul Station tracks that Stanley recorded because of their relevance in 2021, he says: ‘I tended to go for songs that really weren’t a muscle-bending masculinity. I like the idea that someone should sing softly, whether it’s Smokey [Robinson], or Russell Thompkins in Stylistics, or Eddie Kendricks. I think there is a place for a masculinity that does not rely on testosterone in an open sense. So I tended to like songs like ‘Just My Imagination’ or ‘Ooh, Baby, Baby’ or ‘You Are Everything’. I did not want an album of screamers, honestly. What I wanted to capture on the album was that the band was a steamroller, but we were wrapped in velvet. ‘
The same listeners who were not previously aware of Stanley’s obsession with classical soul music may also be surprised at his willingness to show his softer side. After all, KISS is legendary hyper-masculine, with their comic book superhero image, pyro explosions, platform boots with dragon faces and, of course, Simmons’ blood-spitting and demonic tongue-in-cheek. ‘Well, I think the yin and yang have always been Gen and I and our appearance on stage. I think the word comes up sometimes [to describe me] is ‘flamboyant’, ”laughed Stanley. ‘I feel very comfortable in who I am, my sexual orientation and everything that goes with it, so I do not think it contradicts. … When I bulge my muscles out there, it does not make you strong anymore. It gets a little old at some point. So I think I’ve always shown a real consolation on stage with just a freedom.
“Our audience is so diversified,” Stanley continues, in line with the sentiment that permeates his Soul Station project. “We are proud of everyone who comes to see us. And the most important thing I think conveys and translates into life is to be comfortable with who you are and to be proud of who you are. Whether it’s gay pride or black pride, whatever it is, you have every right to be proud of who you are. And we are all welcome. We are not here to judge. There is nothing to judge. ”
Check out Paul Stanley’s extensive Yahoo Entertainment interview below for a conversation about Soul Station, the pre-KISS band Wicked Lester from the early ’70s, and how Stanley with his famous stage skating:
Read more on Yahoo Entertainment:
· Gene Simmons recalls the production of early Van Halen demos – and why he tore up their contract: ‘They owe me nothing’
· KISS visits ‘Phantom of the Park’ 40 years later – ‘Wow, that was weird’
· #NoMakeupSunday: When KISS exposed their faces on MTV
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