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Kiss<\/a><\/strong> bassist and co-founder Gene Simmons<\/strong> has revealed that Eddie Van Halen<\/strong> once considered joining Kiss<\/strong> during a turbulent moment in Van Halen<\/a><\/strong>‘s history \u2014 and that Simmons<\/strong> personally convinced the guitar legend not to do it.<\/p>\n As one of the earliest champions of Van Halen<\/strong>, Simmons<\/strong> played a crucial role in the band’s rise. He famously discovered the group after stumbling into a performance at Los Angeles’ Starwood club in 1976, an experience he later said left him “incredulous.” Simmons<\/strong> went on to produce the band’s legendary Zero<\/em> demo, which included early versions of songs that would later become classics such as “Runnin’ With the Devil” and “House of Pain.”<\/p>\n Despite his enthusiasm, Simmons<\/strong> ultimately stepped away from managing or producing Van Halen<\/strong> after encountering resistance from Paul<\/strong> Stanley<\/strong>, manager Bill Aucoin<\/strong>, and existing Kiss<\/strong> commitments. Though according to Simmons<\/strong>, the paths of Kiss<\/strong> and Van Halen<\/strong> nearly crossed again in 1982, when Kiss<\/strong> were recording Creatures of the Night<\/em> following the departure of guitarist Ace Frehley<\/strong>.<\/p>\n