KISS members broke their silence on the band's alleged "satanic name."
From Wicked Lester, the band changed its name to KISS and promoted under it in the past decades. Speaking about the KISS name history, the rockers sat down for an interview on SiriusXM's Howard Stern Show and debunked the long-time rumor surrounding the group.
Reports cited fans' assumptions, saying that KISS is an acronym for "Knights in Satan's Service." But according to Paul Stanley, using KISS proved that they are "smart, but not that smart."
"To me, KISS was a word that transcended the English language. You could go almost anywhere in the world and say the word KISS and people would go, 'Oh, I've heard of them,'" the vocalist said. "It's like calling a band water. And a kiss of death, a kiss of passion - it just seemed to incorporate all the elements of what we were doing."
It resonated with what Peter Criss said in an interview with Rolling Stone. Since he revealed he had been part of a band called Lips, Paul Stanley came up with the name Kiss.
Initially, Criss disapproved of it because it sounded too feminine. But he soon agreed to it.
Meanwhile, Gene Simmons revealed they almost had a naughty alternative band name - F**k.
The host asked them if that name was truly considered, Simmons confirmed it but said it was not serious. If they proceeded with the name, they reportedly talked about releasing the first record under the name "It" and the second as "You."
The band members then quipped that it would have been a great play of words as F**k would have fit with "It" and "You."
Stanley, Simmons, Peter Criss, and Ace Frehley established the band in New York City in 1973. The band rose to fame because of its music, but it became more notable due to the band members' black-and-white face paint.
KISS' Final Tour Explored
KISS' history was explained amid the band's "End of the Road" tour. The band will mark its last show in its hometown at Madison Square Garden on Dec. 2.
The band announced the tour in September 2018. However, just like any other band, its shows got halted due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Throughout its active years, KISS did a record-breaking stint by selling more than 100 million records. It also outshined bands in the US by having 30 Gold albums.
The group currently has 14 platinum albums - three of which were certified multi-platinum.
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