Gene Simmons once again takes some shots at his former KISS bandmate Peter Criss in a new interview, claiming that the drummer had nothing to do with writing their hit “Beth.”
Simmons told the Professor of Rock that Criss hummed him a melody for the song during a limo ride in Michigan. Simmons suggested Criss show the song — which he was calling “Beck” — to KISS producer Bob Ezrin.
Simmons said, “But before then, I suggested in the car, ‘Why don’t you change it to “Beth”? Because when you say ‘Beck,’ that hard syllable stops the melody. … And ‘Beth’ is a much more romantic idea.”
Simmons then goes on to dismiss Criss as a writer of the song — even though he’d just described what Criss had done for the song!
“It’s time for the truth: Peter does not write songs. He doesn’t play a musical instrument. Drums are not a musical instrument, by definition. They’re called a percussive instrument. Really important, sometimes extremely important in a band. It was for us.”
Simmons goes on to further diminish Criss’s contributions. “The person who wrote ‘Beth’ and ‘Baby Driver’ and one or two more is a guy named Stan Penridge. Stan Penridge was with Peter in a group called Chelsea. They had a record out actually. I think it was on MCA. So, Peter did not write ‘Beth.’ Peter did not write ‘Baby Driver.’ Stan Penridge wrote that.”
As for how the writing credits appear on “Beth,” Simmons said “Through politics and hint, hint, nudge, nudge — and I wasn’t there when the conversation went down — Stan Penridge apparently agreed that Peter’s name would go in the songwriting credit. It appears first. Peter Criss, Bob Ezrin, Stan Penridge, or the other way around. But Peter’s first. Peter had nothing to do with that song. He sang it.”
