Gene Simmons Quotes

The Small Faces are thought to be a one-hit wonder in America because we only had 'Itchycoo Park.' Then the Faces just had 'Stay with Me.' So both bands could be considered one-hit wonders in America, even though we had several huge hits in England.

Brits are cool at the moment. We've taken over the world, what with 'Game of Thrones', 'Downton Abbey', One Direction... to be British is to be fashionable.

The Beatles kind of pervade everything. They're always kind of part of everyone's lives.

The whole British music scene of the mid-sixties had a pretty profound effect on me.

Four guys from England took us all by the hand.

I learned music listening to Elvis' records. His measurable effect on culture and music was even greater in England than in the States.

It's interesting that music in this country... we sort of sold something to America with The Beatles and they sold something back. And we've never been afraid to embrace American style rock 'n' roll and make it our own over here.

After Chuck Berry died, it seemed web sites popped up like mushrooms to show where he'd taken the guitar introduction to 'Johnny B. Goode' from to prove that his music was nothing new, that it was only ignorance, or vanity, that led his listeners to think that not only was the music different - they might be, too.

Factory Records would not have existed and my life would not have been what it was without Joy Division.

Over the years, Joy Division has become a huge part of music culture.

I remember when I discovered The Beatles with music and The Beatles peaked before I was born and when I discovered them I felt really special.

If it hadn't been for record people like Ralph Peer, the Chess brothers, and Alan Lomax, then life would've been unbelievably dull, and I would've been sacking groceries somewhere and probably, at this point, running a little 7-Eleven down by the airport.

In British music, you have indie, rock... Grime is now one of those pillars. It's a foundation of British music.

I grew up listening to so many different things, and having a dad that also sang, music was innately born into me. Going through high school and college, I'd go see anyone who came to town, it didn't matter the genre.

The music I grew up listening to had a message.

Nineties hip-hop in particular really shaped what became the common pop cultural language that we all speak.

I'm always honored to see my music and New Orleans Bounce make its way into mainstream culture.

My mom's an art teacher, so I always had music in the house. She always had records, and I was mesmerized by the mechanics of how a turntable works.

Rock & roll has kept us alive for all these years. But we just love country music. It's in our blood.

The Beatles were a huge influence on me to write really good melodies.

Lonnie Donegan and the folk movement were responsible for a lot of the spread of the blues in England. The group Them with Van Morrison was a big influence on me, too, as were The Stones; The Yardbirds, John Mayall, and the other British blues pioneers.

My aunt made stuff; my mom was creative, so I was surrounded by that. When I moved to England, it was '75, and everything was happening. My whole teenage life is England, glam rock and David Bowie and Sex Pistols and Iggy Pop, all that stuff.

It's a bit of a bold statement, but the Prodigy should be seen as an important cultural band.

I think that essentially, since music was invented, it's basically reached out and touched every single kind of conceivable generation.

I came to London during what was called the second British invasion. The music was from Britain, the fashion was from Britain, everything was from Britain, so I knew I had to be in Britain.