KISS frontman Paul Stanley has discussed the idea of reuniting with the band’s original lineup, calling it “impossible”.

During an interview on SiriusXM‘s Jim & Sam Show, Stanley was asked why fans are obsessed with the idea of the original quartet playing together again.

“Well, the original four are the original four,” he said. “We were the ones who started this and created the template that we still stand by today. I think where people go wrong is when they think that things can remain timeless and that time doesn’t take its toll.

“You may want mom and dad to be back together, but it didn’t work out. And we had amazing moments and amazing times, and we did some phenomenal things together which, look, tie me to them forever. But that’s not the fairy tale; it doesn’t end there.”

He added: “I’ve said before: we couldn’t have been here without Ace [Frehley, guitarist] and Peter [Criss, drummer], and we couldn’t be here today with Ace and Peter,” he continued.

“I think people yearn for something that is – I was gonna say ‘impractical.’ I would say impossible,” Stanley said.

“It’s great to look back on, but it’s not that different than if you break up with somebody and years later you go, ‘Wow. Why did that happen? Let me go back.’ You go back and it’s not the same anymore. And you quickly realise, as we did, why it didn’t work out the first time. That’s why it didn’t work out the second time.”

KISS’ current lineup consists of original members Stanley and bassist Gene Simmons alongside guitarist Tommy Thayer (who joined in 2002) and drummer Eric Singer (since 1991).

In a recent interview, KISS’ Gene Simmons spoke out about some of his former bandmates, saying that “they continue to make really bad choices”.

“God love ’em, both Ace and Peter, in the beginning of the band, were just the best thing that ever happened to us,” Simmons said on Talking Wax With Adika Live! “But they made such horrible choices in their life.

“And they continue to do that – they continue to make really bad choices, not just in terms of their health and what you ingest, but career choices.”