Regrets. Gene Simmons has had a few. One he often talks about is his missed opportunity getting a then-unknown Van Halen signed.
Here’s an excerpt from a recent article by Ultimate-Guitar’s Greg Prato:
Throughout the history of rock music, there have certainly been quite a few close calls and “What if?” scenarios. And high on the list would be when Gene Simmons spotted a still-unsigned Van Halen playing a Los Angeles club, took them under his wing, but failed to convince the other members in Kiss, nor their manager, Bill Aucoin, to take the group on.
During a recent interview with Really Famous with Kara Mayer Robinson, Simmons revisited his seemingly close call with signing Van Halen, revealing that he regrets not convincing his long-time Kiss partner to see the band’s greatness. Gene offered (transcribed by Ultimate Guitar):
“Paul [Stanley] knew stuff I didn’t know. I knew stuff he didn’t know. He should have taken my advice and signed Van Halen. I found that band.”
“I couldn’t convince Paul or the rest of the guys in the band or the management. They just said, ‘What are you talking about?’ I said, ‘In a year or two, this is going to be the biggest band.'”