KISS icons Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley recently spoke with Guitar World about the band's ongoing End Of The Road tour. An excerpt from the interview is available below.

GW: It’s no secret that fans are hoping to see the original KISS lineup, with Ace and Peter, reunite somehow, somewhere, on this tour.

Simmons: "Well, let me address that. You know, in life, mother nature is nonjudgmental. Whether you’re a baby and have never experienced life or whether you’re old and grey and have gone through the trials and tribulations, both of you, when you put your hand into the fire, get burned equally. So life doesn’t give you three chances. You get one chance. But Ace and Peter have gotten three chances. They were in and out of the band — fired — three times. For drugs, alcohol, bad behavior, being unprofessional… all the clichés are clichés. Even suicide is overrated. It’s been done many times. So the only reason Ace and Peter were let go the first time, and then the second time and then the third time, is that they weren’t carrying their load. You can’t be in a car with two flat tires. It’s not going to go anywhere. It’s your responsibility to change the fucking tires so that the whole car doesn’t stop. It’s nothing personal. Because remember — being in a band is a gift. You hardly work. Physically, anyway. So the short answer to your question is we’d love to have Ace and Peter join us here and there. And if they don’t, it’s not going to be because of us. But they’re never going to be in KISS again."

GW: That’s pretty definitive.

Simmons: "Three times is the charm. 'I promise I’ll pull out' doesn’t work. It’s the boy who cried wolf : 'Oh, I’ve been straight for a million years.' Terrific! Have a good life! Would we welcome Ace or Peter to jump up onstage for a song or two? Of course. Could we depend on either Ace or Peter to do a full set night after night? Not on your fucking life."

Read the complete interview here.

Find the End Of The Road tour itinerary here, and see pro-shot footage from the tour below: