Kiss and Make Up

The Official Biography Of Gene Simmons And Kiss

Every once in a while I would see a band that I knew was going to be big. Van Halen was one of them. I saw them in a club, the Starwood, in 1977. I went with Bebe Buell, a model who was friendly with a number of rock stars. (She's perhaps better known today as the mother of actress Liv Tyler.) Bebe and I were going to see a band called the Boyz, and opening was a new band called Van Halen. Within two songs I knew they were going to be huge. Strangely, they did only okay at the club. People liked them, but it wasn't a maniacal response. But I knew. I went backstage, went over to them, and introduced myself. I went right into business mode. I wanted to know their plans. They had a potential backer who was a yogurt manufacturer. I said, "Please do me a favor---don't do that. I'll fly you to New York, I'll produce your demo." I signed them to a contract.