One styles himself as the God of Thunder. The other is fond of thundering. But when Gene Simmons met Ian Paisley in the House of Commons the result was hushed civility. The Kiss frontman received a tour of Westminster from the Democratic Unionist party (DUP) MP on Wednesday and ended up marvelling at British parliamentary democracy. “It was actually quite an amazing day. The history and the hallowed halls of democracy, it was very inspiring,” he said. Simmons said it was fascinating to watch Labour’s Angela Rayner joust with Oliver Dowden in deputy prime minister’s questions. “What I just saw in there was controlled chaos. It was the clash of wills but respectful – the right honourable so and so, it was fascinating,” he told PA Media. “I think Americans can take a big lesson in civility in how to make democracy actually work and still respect the other side.”
It was an unexpected endorsement of an often rowdy chamber from a 73-year-old rocker best known for demonic makeup and stage shows with fireworks and explosions. The former schoolteacher said he had taught the history of Guy Fawkes to his pupils but not previously visited Westminster. “Touching a piece of granite that’s over 1,000 years old is insane.” He formed an incongruous pairing with Paisley, the outspoken MP for North Antrim known for championing Brexit and Northern Ireland’s place in the UK, who is the son of the late Ian Paisley Sr.
Simmons, who is in Britain for Kiss’s End of the Road tour, said Paisley had helped facilitate the band’s private plane to land in the UK. “One of our crew happened I guess to know him or they discussed something, and I guess he was a big fan,” he told the BBC. “The MP called and asked for a favour and all of a sudden our private jet was the only one that was allowed to land near London, and so it was, we landed.” Paisley said it was an honour to give the musician a tour: “He’s got a genuine interest both in the history and the theology behind all this stuff.” The MP said Simmons, whose stage name is the Demon, would perform a private concert to raise funds for the DUP, which has an evangelical base. “That’s a lie,” Paisley added.