Gene Simmons

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For other uses, see Gene Simmons (disambiguation).
Not to be confused with Jean Simmons.

Gene Simmons
Simmons in October 2012
Simmons in October 2012
Background information
Birth nameChaim Witz
Also known as
  • The Demon
  • the God of Thunder
  • Dr. Love
  • Reginald Van Helsing
Born (1949-08-25) August 25, 1949 (age 72)
Haifa, Israel
OriginNew York City, U.S.
Genres
  • Hard rock
  • heavy metal
Occupation(s)
  • Musician
  • singer
  • songwriter
  • record producer
  • actor
  • entrepreneur
  • television personality
Instruments
  • Bass
  • vocals
Years active1970–present
Associated acts
  • Kiss
  • Wicked Lester
Websitewww.genesimmons.com Edit this at Wikidata

Gene Simmons (born Chaim Witz[a] August 25, 1949), is an American musician, singer, and songwriter. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bassist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the rock band he co-founded with Paul Stanley, Ace Frehley, and Peter Criss in the early 1970s.

Life and career[]

Early life[]

Simmons was born as Chaim Witz on August 25, 1949, at Rambam Hospital in Haifa, Israel, to Jewish immigrants from Hungary. His mother, Florence Klein (née Flóra Kovács), was born in Jánd and survived internment in Nazi concentration camps.[1] She and her brother, Larry Klein, were the only members of the family to survive the Holocaust. His father, Ferenc "Feri" Yehiel Witz, was a carpenter. Simmons spent his early childhood in Tirat Carmel and was raised in a practicing Jewish household. He practiced playing his guitar for hours on end.[2] He has said that his family was "dirt poor," scraping by on rationed bread and milk.[3] At age seven, he began to pick wild fruit and sell it on roadsides together with a friend.[4]

At age eight, he immigrated to the United States with his mother and settled in New York City. His father remained in Israel, where he has another son and three daughters. In the United States, Simmons changed his name to Gene Klein, adopting his mother's maiden name. At age nine, he briefly attended a Jewish religious school, Yeshiva Torah Vodaas, before transferring to a public school.[5] He later attended Richmond College[6] and Sullivan County Community College, both in New York, and chose a stage name in tribute to the rockabilly singer Jumpin' Gene Simmons.[7] Before his musical career began, Klein worked a variety of jobs in the city. An "excellent typist", he served as an assistant to an editor of the fashion magazine Vogue, and also spent several months as a sixth grade instructor on the Upper West Side.[8]

The Beatles had a significant influence on Simmons. "There is no way I'd be doing what I do now if it wasn't for the Beatles. I was watching The Ed Sullivan Show and I saw them. Those skinny little boys, kind of androgynous, with long hair like girls. It blew me away that these four boys [from] the middle of nowhere could make that music."[9]

Kiss[]

Gene Simmons in his makeup, 2010

Simmons became involved with his first band, Lynx, then renamed the Missing Links, when he was a teenager. Eventually, he disbanded the band to form the Long Island Sounds, the name being a pun on Long Island Sound. While he played in these bands, he worked at odd jobs on the side to make more money, including trading used comic books. Simmons attended Sullivan County Community College in Loch Sheldrake, New York. He joined a new band, Bullfrog Bheer, and the band recorded a demo, "Leeta"; this was later included on the Kiss box set.

Simmons formed the rock band Wicked Lester in the early 1970s with Stanley Eisen (now known as Paul Stanley) and recorded one album, which was never released. Dissatisfied with Wicked Lester's sound and look, Simmons and Stanley attempted to fire their band members; they were met with resistance, and they quit Wicked Lester, walking away from their record deal with Epic Records. They decided to form the "ultimate rock band", and started looking for a drummer. Simmons and Stanley found an ad placed by Peter George John Criscuola (known as Peter Criss) who was playing clubs in Brooklyn at the time; they joined and started out as a trio.[citation needed]

During this time, Criss and Simmons also appeared on an unreleased album by Captain Sanity together with members from Criss' previous band Chelsea. Paul Frehley (better known as Ace Frehley) responded to an ad they put in The Village Voice for a lead guitar player, and soon joined them. Kiss released their self-titled debut album in February 1974. Stanley took on the role of lead performer on stage, while Simmons became the driving force behind what became an extensive Kiss merchandising franchise. The eye section of his "Demon" makeup with Kiss came from the wing design of comic book character Black Bolt.[10]

Simmons' 'The Demon' make-up

In 1983, when Kiss's fame was waning, the members took off their trademark make-up and enjoyed a resurgence in popularity that continued into the 1990s. At this time, Peter Criss, the original drummer, was voted out of the band, and a replacement was sought to fill his vacancy. The new drummer was Paul Charles Caravello, who went by the stage name of Eric Carr, and played for Kiss from 1980 until his death in 1991. The band hosted its own fan conventions in 1995, and fan feedback about the original Kiss members reunion influenced the highly successful 1996–1997 Alive Worldwide reunion tour. In 1998, the band released Psycho Circus. Since then, the original line-up has once again dissolved, with Tommy Thayer replacing Ace Frehley on lead guitar and Eric Singer (who performed with Kiss from 1991 through 1996) replacing Peter Criss on drums.

Playing style[]

Simmons plays bass, and lead vocals are split between Simmons and rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley in most Kiss songs. Some notable songs featuring Simmons singing lead include "Rock and Roll All Nite", "Deuce", "A World Without Heroes", "I Love It Loud", "Calling Dr. Love", "Unholy", "Spit" (second lead vocals), "Boomerang", "You Wanted the Best" (first lead vocals), and "Christine Sixteen", among others.

Stage makeup and persona[]

In addition to playing bass, Simmons is known for his long tongue, which he frequently sticks out while performing, and on stage is known for his demonic figure by spitting fire and vomiting stage blood.

During a 1999 interview with Rolling Stone, Simmons was asked about the source and significance of Kiss's stage makeup and personas:

I've always been a fan of Americana, and Americana has always been about imagery, often above content. I think there's nothing wrong with that. The world worships this culture. Most people only think about America in terms of rock & roll, movies and television. Kiss is very all-American, in the sense that our constituency has never had anything in common with critics ... because our power, our lifeblood, our very reason for existence is our fans. Without them, we'd be nothing.[11]

Personal life[]

Gene Simmons fire breathing

Simmons is a science fiction and comic book fan and published several science-fiction fanzines, among them Id, Cosmos (which eventually merged with Stilletto to become Cosmos-Stilletto and then Faun), Tinderbox, Sci-Fi Showcase, Mantis and Adventure. He also contributed to other fanzines, among them BeABohema and Sirruish.[12] By 1977, however, he would write in a letter of comment to Janus, "I haven't been active [in fandom] for about five years".[13]

Simmons lives in Los Angeles, California with his wife, Canadian former Playboy Playmate and actress Shannon Lee Tweed. Although they began dating in 1983, they did not marry until 28 years later. Simmons often joked that he and Tweed were "happily unmarried" for over 20 years. He also often paraphrased Groucho Marx, saying "Marriage is an institution, and I don't want to live in an institution". Simmons and Tweed wed on October 1, 2011 at the Beverly Hills Hotel.[14][15] They have two children: Nick (born January 22, 1989) and Sophie (born July 7, 1992). He formerly had live-in relationships with Cher and Diana Ross,[16] revealing that he fell in love with Ross while dating Cher.[17] Simmons can speak Hungarian, German, English, Hebrew, and some Japanese.[16] Simmons does not drink alcohol or use drugs.[18]

Homecoming visit to Israel[]

In March 2011, Simmons visited his birth country, Israel. He described the trip as a "life changing experience". He talked about how he still feels that he is an Israeli: "I'm Israeli. I'm a stranger in America. I'm an outsider".[19] While there, Simmons met his half-brother Kobi, and triplet half-sisters Drora, Sharon and Ogenia.[20] Simmons announced he has plans to take Kiss to Israel. He has said that he is an ardent supporter of Israel.[21] At a press conference in Israel, he spoke in both Hebrew and English.[22]

Political views[]

Simmons was a supporter of the foreign policy of the George W. Bush administration.[23] He supported the 2003 invasion of Iraq, writing on his website: "I'm ashamed to be surrounded by people calling themselves liberal who are, in my opinion, spitting on the graves of brave American soldiers who gave their life to fight a war that wasn't theirs... in a country they've never been to... simply to liberate the people therein".[24] In a follow-up, Simmons explained his position and wrote about his love and support for the United States: "I wasn't born here. But I have a love for this country and its people that knows no bounds. I will forever be grateful to America for going into World War II, when it had nothing to gain, in a country that was far away... and rescued my mother from the Nazi German concentration camps. She is alive and I am alive because of America. And, if you have a problem with America, you have a problem with me".[24]

During the 2006 Lebanon War between Israel and Lebanon, Simmons sent a televised message of support (in both English and Hebrew) to an Israeli soldier seriously wounded in fighting in Lebanon, calling him his "hero".[25]

In 2010, Simmons said he regretted voting for Barack Obama and criticized the 2009 health care reforms.[26] Following Obama's 2011 speech on the Middle East in which the President called on Israel and the Palestinians to negotiate a settlement "based on the 1967 lines with mutually agreed swaps",[27] Simmons told CNBC that Obama was gravely misguided. "If you have never been to the moon, you can't issue policy about the moon. For the president to be sitting in Washington D.C. and saying, 'Go back to your '67 borders in Israel' – how about you live there and try to defend an indefensible border – nine miles (14 km) wide?" Simmons also accused the United Nations of being "the most pathetic body on the face of the earth".[28]

During his visit to Israel in 2011, he stated that the artists refusing to perform in Israel for political reasons are "stupid".[29]

In an April 2012 interview, Simmons endorsed Republican Mitt Romney for President: "America should be in business and it should be run by a businessman."[30]

On November 6, 2015, he attended a Friends of the Israel Defense Forces gala in Beverly Hills, which raised more than $31 million.[31]

Philanthropy[]

Simmons is a known advocate for ChildFund International's work. He traveled to Zambia during his Gene Simmons Family Jewels show to visit several of his sponsored children, of whom he has more than 140.[32] Simmons said that the trip "[was] a stark reminder that life doesn't treat everyone the same".[33]

Simmons's family received the MEND Humanitarian Award for their philanthropic efforts and support for Mending Kids International at the organization's annual gala on November 9, 2013. The award was presented by Mel Gibson.[34] In his acceptance speech, Simmons spoke of his own difficult childhood in Israel in a bullet-riddled house. He recalled his mother's excitement when they received a CARE box one day.[35]

Simmons helped found "The Children Matter", which is a collaborative initiative with the charity MATTER that fights to get kids around the world access to health care.[36]

He is an advocate for public safety during the coronavirus pandemic, encouraging people to wear face masks and following social distance protocols.[37]

Other projects[]

In 1989, Simmons managed the recording side of Liza Minnelli's entry into mainstream pop.[38]

On August 15, 2013, Simmons, Paul Stanley and manager Doc McGhee became a part of the ownership group that created the LA Kiss Arena Football League team, which played their home games at the Honda Center in Anaheim, California. The team has since folded.

He has his own magazine, Gene Simmons Tongue Magazine, his own label, Simmons Records, and animated series, My Dad the Rock Star. Simmons Records has released albums by such bands as Kobra and the Lotus, , and House of Lords as well as Gene's own solo releases.[39]

Controversial public statements and image[]

Promiscuity[]

Simmons has boasted many times about having bedded thousands of women. In 2010, he claimed the tally stood at 5,000 and that he has a Polaroid picture of each liaison, including the hotel key where it took place.[40] A number of years prior, as a guest on TSN's Off The Record with Michael Landsberg, Simmons told fellow guest Thea Andrews he had slept with 4,500 women, to which Andrews replied she was not interested in being 4,501.[41] The show's other guest, Mark Tewksbury, offered himself to Simmons instead, to which Simmons declined.[41] Tewksbury would state in a 2012 interview with the National Post that Simmons shook his head at Tewksbury off-camera.[42]

He told Terry Gross: "If you want to welcome me with open arms, I'm afraid you're also going to have to welcome me with open legs", paraphrasing a lyric from the Who's 1981 song "You Better You Bet". Gross replied: "That's a really obnoxious thing to say". At the time, Simmons refused to grant permission to NPR to make the interview available online.[43] However, it appears in print in Gross' book All I Did Was Ask and unauthorized transcripts are available. NPR re-broadcast part of the interview in August 2007.[44] In a 2014 interview with The Huffington Post, Simmons noted he was upset over what he perceived as Gross's "holier-than-thou" attitude, which included mislabeling his band Kiss as "the Kiss".[45]

In 2019, Ace Frehley stated that Simmons had attempted to grope his wife, calling Simmons an "asshole and a sex addict".[46][47]

Islam comments in Australia[]

In 2004, during an interview in Melbourne, Australia, while talking about Islamic extremists, Simmons described Islam as a "vile culture", saying that Muslim women had to walk behind their husbands and were not allowed to be educated or to own houses. He said: "They want to come and live right where you live and they think that you're evil." Australia's Muslim of the Year Susan Carland argued that Simmons's stereotyping of Muslims was inaccurate.[48] Simmons later clarified his comments on his website, saying he had been talking specifically about Muslim extremists.[49]

Defamation lawsuit by former girlfriend[]

In 2005, Simmons was sued by a former girlfriend, Georgeann Walsh Ward, who said she had been "defamed" in the VH1 documentary When Kiss Ruled the World and portrayed as an "unchaste woman".[50] A settlement was reached in June 2006.[51]

Views on musical piracy[]

In 2007, Simmons openly spoke out against music piracy, and called for file-sharers to be sued.[52] A year later, he threatened further lawsuits, and to withhold new recordings, if file-sharing continued. In 2010, Anonymous staged a DDoS on his website, prompting Simmons to hit back with provocative comments once he was back online, at which point Anonymous staged a second DDoS, taking Simmons's site down again.[53]

In September 2014, Simmons said "The death of rock was not a natural death. Rock did not die of old age. It was murdered." Simmons blames file sharing and that no one values music "enough to pay you for it" for the decline of the rock music scene.[54]

Comments on suicide and depression[]

In August 2014, Simmons made comments in an interview with Songfacts.com that seemed to openly encourage people with depression to kill themselves. The comments drew criticism from Nikki Sixx of Mötley Crüe who had suffered from depression in the past.[55] Following his comments, both Triple M and Winnipeg radio station Power 97 stated that they were pulling all Kiss songs from their lineup in protest.[56] Simmons later clarified his comments and apologized for the incident.[57]

Fox and Friends incident[]

On November 16, 2017, Simmons made an appearance on Fox & Friends to promote a new book, but shortly afterward, he burst into a staff meeting uninvited, unbuttoning his shirt and telling jokes. The next day, on November 17, Fox News announced that Simmons was banned for life from their program.[58][59][60]

Film and television career[]

Simmons has been involved with such television projects as:

In 1985, Simmons appeared on the TV series Miami Vice in an episode titled "The Prodigal Son". The episode served as the season premiere of the show's second season.[62] Simmons appeared as a psychic working at the Mystic Journey Bookstore in Venice, California on the American hidden camera prank TV series I Get That a Lot.[63] He also guest-starred as himself in the 2014 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation episode Long Road Home.

Simmons performed in the 1984 Michael Crichton thriller Runaway starring Tom Selleck, Cynthia Rhodes and Kirstie Alley as well as the 1987 Gary Sherman action film Wanted: Dead or Alive starring Rutger Hauer.[64]

In March 2015, Simmons founded the film production company Erebus Pictures[65] and announced as the first project the Horror-thriller film Armed Response.[66]

Awards and recognition[]

On January 28, 2011, Simmons was in Dallas, Texas to host the Aces & Angels Salute to the Troops charity event. Simmons was presented the key to the city, and a street (Gene Simmons Boulevard) was named for him. Simmons and Tweed also visited the U.S. Army base at Fort Hood to support the troops as a part of the Aces & Angels event.[citation needed]

On June 15 of the same year, he was given the key to the city in Winnipeg, Manitoba. In 2012, Simmons was awarded the Golden God award by the Revolver magazine.[67]

In 2013, the Smithsonian National Museum of American History accepted an autographed Gene Simmons Axe bass into their collection from John Upshaw Downs, Jr. The Smithsonian wrote, in part: "The bass will now be cared for in our permanent collections... We are happy to include the Axe bass as it relates to the impact Mr. Simmons and his band Kiss have had on American culture, especially in the creation of a unique and iconic brand that has been embraced by fans worldwide ... The story of Mr. Simmons' American experience deserves to be preserved. An immigrant and son of a holocaust survivor, he used creative vision and entrepreneurial acumen to make a significant impact for our nation's popular culture, becoming an iconic figure in American music and entertainment."[68]

Simmons is an honorary board member of Little Kids Rock, a national nonprofit that works to restore and revitalize music education in disadvantaged U.S. public schools. A&E's Gene Simmons Family Jewels visited a Little Kids Rock classroom and featured the segment on the show. He also decorated a guitar for auction with his son Nick.[69]

On December 15, 2014, Simmons was awarded the Golden Medal by the Reial Circle Artístic de Barcelona (Royal Artistic Circle of Barcelona).[70]

Filmography[]

Year Film Role Bandmates Miscellaneous
1978 Kiss Meets the Phantom of the Park The Demon/Himself Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley TV movie
1984 Runaway Dr. Charles Luther
1986 Never Too Young to Die Carruthers / Velvet Von Ragner
1986 Trick or Treat Nuke (radio DJ)
1987 Wanted: Dead or Alive Malak Al Rahim
1988 The Decline of Western Civilization Part II: The Metal Years Himself Paul Stanley Documentary
1989 Red Surf Doc
1999 Detroit Rock City Himself Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley Simmons also produced
2001 Wish You Were Dead Vinny
2002 The New Guy Reverend
2008 Detroit Metal City Jack lll Dark Japanese movie
2009 Extract[71] Joe Adler
2010 Expecting Mary Taylor
2010 Rush: Beyond the Lighted Stage Himself Documentary
2013 Sample This: The Incredible Story of the Incredible Bongo Band Himself Documentary
2015 Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery The Demon Paul Stanley, Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer Voice only
2016 We Are X Himself Documentary
2016 Why Him? Himself Paul Stanley Cameo
2017 Armed Response Male Suspect
TBA Untitled Scooby-Doo! and Kiss: Rock and Roll Mystery Sequel[72] The Demon Paul Stanley, Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer[72] Voice only

Television appearances[]

Year Show Episode Role Bandmates Miscellaneous
1974 The Mike Douglas Show June 11, 1974 Himself Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley Kiss's first national television appearance, performed "Firehouse".
1976 The Paul Lynde Halloween Special October 29, 1976 Himself Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley Performed "Detroit Rock City," "King of the Night Time World," and "Beth"
1979 Tomorrow Himself Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley
1985 Miami Vice "Prodigal Son" Newton Blade
1986 The Hitchhiker "O.D.Feelin'" January 28, 1986 Mr. Big
1997 Action League Now! "Rock-A-Big-Baby" Toy version of himself Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley Performed "Rock and Roll All Nite"
1998 MADtv[73] October 31, 1998 (#406) Himself Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley. Halloween special; performed in five sketches
1998 Millennium "...Thirteen Years Later" October 30, 1998 Hector Leachman Paul Stanley, Peter Criss, Ace Frehley
2000 That 70's Show "Red sees Red" as The Devil
2001 Family Guy "A Very Special Family Guy Freakin' Christmas" Animated version of himself Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley
2001 Who Wants To Be a Millionaire? May 27, 2001 Himself Won $32,000 for a charity
2001 The Daily Show with Jon Stewart[74] June 12, 2001 Himself Almost licked Jon Stewart's face in response to Jon being unable to explain the difference between pleasure and joy to a man with a 'twelve-inch tongue'
2002 Family Guy "Road to Europe" Animated version of himself Peter Criss, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley Lois Griffin claims she dated Gene Simmons while they were in high school, and calls him by his birth name, Chaim Witz.
2002 The Tonight Show with Jay Leno September 6, 2002 Himself
2003 King of the Hill "Reborn to Be Wild" Jessie
2004 Third Watch "Higher Calling" Donald Mann
2004 Third Watch "Monsters" Donald Mann
2004 Third Watch "More Monsters" Donald Mann
2005 American Idol "Auditions: New Orleans" Himself- guest judge
2005 Family Guy "Don't Make Me Over" Animated version of himself/ Prisoner No. 3
2005 Mind of Mencia Episode #1.7 Himself
2006 The View August 1, 2006 Himself Promotional appearance for Gene Simmons Family Jewels
2007 SpongeBob SquarePants "20,000 Patties Under the Sea" Sea Monster
2007 Shrink Rap "Gene Simmons" Himself UK's More4 show
2008 Entertainment Tonight January 2, 2008 Himself
2008 Jimmy Kimmel Live! January 18, 2008 Himself
2008 Rachael Ray March 11, 2008 Himself
2008 Criss Angel Mindfreak "Mindfreaking with the Stars" Himself
2008 Ugly Betty "The Kids Are Alright" Himself
2008 Ugly Betty "A Thousand Words by Friday" Himself
2008 Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader? Episode #3.9 Himself Won $500,000 for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation charity
2008 The Celebrity Apprentice First three episodes Himself Won $20,000 for the Elizabeth Glaser Pediatric AIDS Foundation charity; Fired in the third episode
2008 Jingles[75] Celebrity judge Mark Burnett reality show
2009 Glenn Martin DDS Glenn Gary, Glenn Martin himself
2009 American Idol Season Finale Himself Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer, Paul Stanley Performed medley of 3 songs with contestant Adam Lambert
2009 The Fairly OddParents "Wishology – Part 1: The Big Beginning" Animated version of himself Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer, Paul Stanley
2009 The Fairly OddParents "Wishology – Part 3: The Final Ending" Animated version of himself Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer, Paul Stanley
2010 I Get That a Lot Episode 2 As Himself Simmons appeared as a psychic working at the Mystic Journey Bookstore in Venice, California
2010 Extreme Makeover: Home Edition Episode 160 As Himself Kiss made a personal appearance during the Wagstaff family's vacation in Disneyland and honored them as special guests at one of their concerts. Kiss also made a personal appearance at a local school where a donation of new musical instruments was made in the Wagstaff family's name.
2010 I'm in a Rock 'n' Roll Band! Episode 1 And 5 As Himself Discussing the requirements of being in a rock band.
2011 Castle To Love and Die in LA As Himself
2014 CSI: Crime Scene Investigation Long Road Home As Himself
2014 American Idol Season 13 Finale Himself Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer, Paul Stanley Performed with Caleb Johnson
2014 Welcome to Sweden S1 Ep4: Get a Job/Farthinder Himself
2015 Scorpion S2 Ep1: Himself 30 September 2015, Himself, Interview
2016 Angie Tribeca (2016 TBS TV Series) S1 Ep9: Himself
2018 Jeopardy! October 31 episode Himself Reading clues about Halloween in costume and makeup. As a publicity stunt, Alex Trebek was briefly made up and costumed as Simmons. Short video of that appeared as a commercial bump; longer video posted to show web site.
2019 Kouhaku Uta Gassen December 31, 2019 Himself Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer, Paul Stanley Performed "Rock And Roll All Nite –YOSHIKISS version" with Yoshiki[76]
2020 Ridiculousness January 9 Himself

Video games[]

Year Video Game Role
2014 Family Guy: The Quest for Stuff Himself

Music video appearances[]

In 1994, Simmons appears as auditioning for the band with actor Al Lewis & comedian Gilbert Gottfried in a music video for "I'll Talk My Way Out Of It" by Howard Stern comedian Stuttering John. In 2007, he appeared alongside other celebrities, as well as regular people, in the music video for "Rockstar" by Nickelback.[citation needed]

Video game appearances[]

Gene Simmons is a playable character in Tony Hawk's Underground, unlocked when completing the story mode on Normal difficulty, and also appears with his Kiss bandmates in the Hotter Than Hell level to play one of three songs upon collecting the four K-I-S-S letters.[citation needed]

Gene Simmons's Kiss character, The Demon, is a playable character in Kiss: Psycho Circus: The Nightmare Child. Simmons also has a large role in the 2010 music video game Guitar Hero: Warriors of Rock. In addition to narrating the main storyline, voicing the character Demigod of Rock in cutscenes, and doing advertising for the game, the Kiss song "Love Gun" is playable.[citation needed]

A Pokémon introduced in Pokémon Sword and Shield and known as Obstagoon resembles Gene Simmons's Kiss character.[77]

Discography[]

Studio albums[]

  • Gene Simmons (1978)
  • Asshole (2004)

Box sets[]

  • Vault (2017)

DVDs[]

  • Speaking in Tongues (2004)

Guest appearances[]

  • Wendy O. Williams – WOW (1984) Producer, played all the bass on the album(credited as "Reginald Van Helsing"), co-wrote five songs "I Love Sex (And Rock and Roll)", "It's My Life", "Thief in the Night", "Legends Never Die" and "Ain't None of Your Business".
  • Bruce Kulick – BK3 (2010) Lead vocals on "Ain't Gonna Die"
  • Engelbert Humperdinck – Engelbert Calling (2014) co-vocals on "Spinning Wheel"

Publishing career[]

In 2002, Simmons launched Gene Simmons' Tongue, a men's lifestyle magazine.[78] The magazine lasted five issues before being discontinued.[citation needed]

Other ventures[]

In 1976–77, Simmons signed a management and production contract with the band Van Halen. He produced a Van Halen demo tape and attempted to find a record deal for the band with a variety of major record labels. When no deal materialised, he released them from their contract.[citation needed]

From 2006 to 2008, Simmons served in a marketing and publicity role with the Indy Racing League.[79]

In 2012, Simmons headlined the Rock N Roll All Stars tour which performed in stadiums across South America. The project also featured several other Rock N Roll Hall of Famers including Def Leppard's Joe Elliot, Guns N Roses' Duff McKagan & Matt Sorum and Deep Purple's Glenn Hughes as well as Billy Idol's Steve Stevens, Collective Soul's Ed Rolland, Sebastian Bach, Alice in Chain's Mike Inez and the Cult's Billy Duffy. On March 1, 2012 the line up and the tour was revealed at a news conference hosted by Promoter Gabe Reed at the Roxy theater in Hollywood, CA. Simmons was in attendance and the entire news conference and subsequent tour was featured on Simmons Family Jewels' series finale episodes.[80]

In 2012, Simmons partnered with Paul Stanley and three other investors to form the restaurant franchise Rock & Brews.[citation needed]

In 2017, Simmons launched "The Vault" which is a compilation of all of his major works selling for $2,000.[81]

In 2018, Simmons was named as "Chief Evangelist Officer" of the Canadian cannabis company Invictus MD Strategies.[82] Simmons also holds a large investment stake in the company.[83]

Published works[]

  • Me, Inc.: Build an Army of One, Unleash Your Inner Rock God, Win in Life and Business, Gene Simmons (ISBN 0-062-32261-3)
  • Kiss and Make-Up, Gene Simmons (ISBN 0-609-81002-2)
  • Sex Money Kiss, Gene Simmons (ISBN 1-893224-86-4)
  • Kiss: The Early Years, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley (ISBN 0-609-81028-6)
  • Kiss: Behind the Mask, David Leaf and Ken Sharp (ISBN 978-0-446-69524-4)
  • Ladies of the Night: A Historical and Personal Perspective on the Oldest Profession in the World, Gene Simmons (ISBN 1-59777-501-0)
  • 27: The Legend & Mythology of the 27 Club (ISBN 978-1-57687-886-6)

Notes[]

  1. ^ Hebrew: חיים ויץ‎, pronounced [χaˈim ˈvits].

References[]

  1. ^ "Gene Simmons' Mom, the Holocaust, and Me". The Huffington Post. April 17, 2015. Retrieved June 14, 2015.
  2. ^ Martin, Dale (October 4, 1998). "KISS army continues to grow". The Victoria Advocate. p. 10D. Retrieved August 9, 2015.
  3. ^ Associated, The (March 22, 2011). "Lead singer of Kiss Gene Simmons slams Israel boycotters". Haaretz. Israel. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
  4. ^ Smale, Will (April 19, 2015). "The rock star who can never be too rich". BBC News.
  5. ^ "1949: A Hard Rocker Demon and Good Jewish Boy is Born". Haaretz. August 25, 2015.
  6. ^ "College of Staten Island CUNY". Times Higher Education (THE). September 19, 2018. Archived from the original on June 28, 2018.CS1 maint: unfit URL (link)
  7. ^ "Gene Simmons". Jewish Virtual Library. Retrieved February 17, 2019.
  8. ^ Lewis, Barbara (June 4, 1978). "Gene Simmons Was Sixth Grade Teacher". The Lakeland Ledger.
  9. ^ Crandall, Bill. "10 musicians who saw the Beatles standing there", CBS News, February 6, 2014.
  10. ^ KISS bassist Gene Simmons said on an episode of his television show Gene Simmons Family Jewels that he is a big comic book fan, with the bat-like "wings" in his "Demon" persona costume being modelled after those worn by Black Bolt Gene Simmons Family Jewels – Under the Knife? – Wednesday, Nov 3, 2010 – mReplay Livedash TV Transcript – Livedash – Search what is being mentioned across national TV Archived October 9, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Livedash. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  11. ^ Woodward, Fred (2000). Rolling Stone: The Illustrated Portraits. Chronicle Books. p. 213. ISBN 978-0811828161.
  12. ^ "Gene Simmons: 60s Fanzine Publisher" Archived August 27, 2013, at archive.today, October 2008
  13. ^ Simmons, Gene. "Letter" Janus 8 (Vol 3, No. 2); Janice Bogstad & Jeanne Gomoll, eds., 1977; p. 15
  14. ^ "Gene Simmons is married". The People. October 1, 2011. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  15. ^ "Gene Simmons and long term girlfriend marry". MSN – Wonderwall. October 1, 2011. Archived from the original on January 29, 2013. Retrieved October 2, 2011.
  16. ^ Jump up to: a b Biography Archived September 6, 2012, at archive.today. GeneSimmons.com. Retrieved February 1, 2011.
  17. ^ "Gene Simmons fell for Diana Ross while dating Cher". The Washington Post. June 1, 2015.
  18. ^ "Gene Simmons Doesn't Drink or Do Drugs Because of His Mother". Ultimate Classic Rock. February 7, 2019. Retrieved December 3, 2019.
  19. ^ Federman, Josef. "AP Interview: Simmons blasts Israel boycotters". Yahoo!. Archived from the original on March 26, 2011.
  20. ^ Late Night Rocker (March 31, 2011). "Kiss Mask Webzine: Meet Gene Simmons' Brother and Sisters". Kissmaskwebzine.blogspot.com. Retrieved August 10, 2011.
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