Gene Simmons

I don't know what his music sounds like, but his views on the Middle East rock.

Comments

[Mark]

Oh come on, Gail, you never heard KISS before?

The guy with the twelve inch tongue is Gene.

And by the way, he's tribe.

[Gail]

I know what he looks like, I know he's tribe (born in Israel), but honestly, I never listened to his music. I suspect I've probably heard it somewhere along the line, but ascribed it to that nameless generic "music I just don't care for" genre. Loved the Dead, CSNY, the Allman Bros, and the Eagles. Metal was never my thing.

[Mark]

Me neither. Who are these "dead" of whom you speak?

;o)>

[Jack]

Gene's interview was good. Jon Voight wasn't too bad either.

http://radaronline.com/features/2007/04/jon_voight_1.php

[oceanguy]

Gail,

Had to laugh... The Kiss thing... I can't name anything they did, and when they were at the peak of their popularity it was teeny-bopper rock... Man I hate to admit that, I'm too old to have appreciated Kiss...

You, on the other hand, obviously just had superior taste in music.

[Gail]

Jack: Thanks for providing the link to Jon Voight's interview. I hadn't seen it.

Oceanguy: According to Wikipedia, Kiss became successful in 1975-78. I was 19-21 during that time. Probably not too old - so I guess it was a matter of taste.

You announced your recent milestone b'day about a year after I announced mine, by the way. So, if I wasn't too old, then neither were you, youngster!

[DRaftervoi]

Gail: I have a version of Kiss's "Rock And Roll All Nite" by Toad The Wet Sprocket that I'll send along to you one of these days; it's an acoustic cover of what's probably Kiss's defining song, one that defines their worldview: "I want to rock and roll all night, and party every day." I like it better than KISS's hamfisted approach, as it allows you to appreciate the melody.

I wasn't a fan of KISS, either, as they were STADIUM ROCK, and I prefered the more intimate and insular world of 70's punk rock. Kiss was one of the first bands to really understand Stadium Rock as an art-form; they figured out that playing in a hall that holds 15,000 people is different than playing in a ballroom that holds 2 or 3 thousand people. Kiss understood that the poor, hapless 14 year old in the cheap-o nosebleed seats deserved a great show, just as much as the guy in the front row....so KISS figured out a way to provide a spectacle that would reach all the way back to the rear of the stadium. It wasn't just about the MUSIC(and how could it be, in a gigantic stadium designed for sporting events, not for music?)...it was about the SHOW.

[soccerdad]

I was never a fan of Kiss's harder stuff, but I did like Beth. (Recently I bought an anthology CD that includes Dr. Love on it. Not bad if overly bombastic.)

This is an amazing story about Chaim Witz.

I heard him on the Sean Hannity show. The guy is completely amoral. His views on terror and our enemies are on target. But I'd keep my daughter(s) far away from him. (The younger two are 5 1/2 and 9 months, so they'd probably be safe.)

[Gail]

Draftervoi: Oh yes, "Rock and Roll All Night," I have heard that one. And I understand what you mean about Stadium Rock. Kiss, in those costumes and make up, was very dramatic on a large scale. Well, it was very astute of them to realize what people wanted, to give it to them and make lots of money doing it.

SoccerDad: That WAS quite a story about Simmons sending the tape to the wounded soldier. Thanks for the link. Glad your daughters are safe - mine as well

[DRaftervoi]

Well, I'm with SoccerDad on this one; Simmons is about as amoral as they come, when it comes to the nubiles. I

didn't play in a rock and roll band for nothing...I played in a rock and roll band for whatever money we brought in at the door, all the free beer I could drink, and whatever stupid-ass local chicks I could ball, particularly if they'd give me free drugs. Which, of course, is why the girl I lived with eventually left me and moved 3,000 miles away to Boston.

And it's also why I will also keep my daughter away from guys like Gene. Gene rocks, but that's EXACTLY why I'll keep my daughter away from him.