KISS and Rush don't have all that much in common, musically or aesthetically, but that didn't stop the two bands from touring together extensively in the '70s. Rush's singer-bassist Geddy Lee has recalled the "terrific rapport" the two groups had — as well as acknowledging that Gene Simmons's behaviour around women was "so effin' uncool."
In the memoir My Effin' Life, which Lee released back in November, the musician recounted the time Rush spent on the road as KISS's opener. Lee wrote warmly of guitarist Ace Frehley, who "had an outrageous, maniacal laugh ... that he loved to use and we loved to trigger." Simmons, meanwhile, usually stayed away from their backstage hangs.
To make Frehley laugh, guitarist Alex Lifeson would put a bag on his head. One day, Lee wrote, two drunk women stumbled into the room and snatched the bag off Lifeson's head. Lee then kicked the women out of the room, causing Simmons to turn on Lee.
"After escorting them out into the hallway, Gene followed, grabbed me and pushed me against the wall, demanding to know why I'd given them the boot," Lee wrote. "'Hey man,' I said, 'they were bumming everyone out!' He said, 'Yeah, but...' and he angrily shared with me a few words that could only be described as a lesson in female anatomy. I'll leave it at that. So effin' uncool."
KISS played their final show back in December, and they have announced plans to be replaced by touring holograms. Lee, meanwhile, hosted the TV series Are Bass Players Human Too?