Gene Simmons has never been shy in letting his legendary tongue do the talking,and the Gene genie relished the opportunity ahead of Kiss’s induction into The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame to lay into rockers such as Axl Rose and others who the white-faced clown considers “dysfunctional.”
In an interview with Time , Gene Simmons cuts loose with all the wild and egotistical abandon of a man who has been wearing platform heels and make-up for the best part of his life with classic Simmons lines such as: “Not everyone liked Jesus, either.”
Warming to his effortless messiah-complex, Simmons also praises the Catholic work effort which he and his Kiss songwriting partner in crime, Paul Stanley, thrived upon , which has granted Kiss and Simmons such longevity. A longevity Kiss and Simmons probably wouldn’t have enjoyed if original guitarist Ace Frehley, and drummer Peter Criss had been in the driving seat.
When Gene is asked the secret to Kiss’s long-term success, Simmons doesn’t simply reply ‘god-given talent and star quality’, but snaps: “There’s no substitute for hard work. You can sugar coat it however you want.”
Simmons then adds, helpfully, like he’s back in the School of Rock: “But not everyone has the same DNA – not everyone is designed to run marathons, most people don’t finish the race. Many people in rock bands are very dysfunctional – they don’t have their heads screwed on right. They don’t understand that, but for the grace of God, you’d be asking the next person in line, ‘Would you like some fries with that?’”
Simmons also boasts about his and Paul Stanley’s survival instincts whilst having a sly dig at Criss and Frehley’s addictive personalities.
Simmons barks: “We all know that a bullet isn’t good for you – you don’t have to be shot to know that. Drugs and alcohol are not even unique, they are such a cliche. You’re going to ruin your life for the same old, same old?”
Gene also seizes the opportunity to dismiss the Hall of Fame award , and with trademark Simmons contempt: “It means nothing to me. It’s a political organization made up of ten guys. Whatever these guys like they self-validate.”
Singing the praise of Kiss, Simmons waxes lyrical, saying: “We’re the black sheep, we are anti-fashion. Look at us, we wear more make-up and high heels than your mommy ever did. We take care of business, we do our job, there’s no Axl Rose disease.”
In perhaps what is a more reflective moment on the nature of Kiss, Gene Simmons adds: “In the days when guys on stage look like pizza delivery boys, we are making complete spectacles of ourselves.”
