In a new interview with Fail Better With David Duchovny, the podcast hosted by actor David Duchovny, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons reflected on the recent passing of Black Sabbath legend Ozzy Osbourne.
Simmons said (as transcribed by blabbermouth.net): “That was heartbreaking, ’cause I knew him for decades and decades. And there was a unique human being, a giant who, no matter what anybody said, was always Ozzy and treated you and the next door neighbor exactly the same. ‘Hey, how are you? Nice to see you.’ No airs about him. No anything. And it’s a good lesson for idiots like me who sometimes — guilty as charged — get full of themselves and say, ‘Wow, I’m Gene Simmons.’ And if you would’ve met Ozzy, you’re on your best behavior, because it was a big deal. ‘Nice to see you. You know, I just bought Vermont,’ those sorts of stupid things which you just meant to impress. [He was] not about that at all. Just, ‘Hey, how are you? How are the kids?’ So it is humbling for someone like me who based my life on creating armor around me so that I wouldn’t be hurt — change my name, change my appearance, do whatever I have to do to survive and appear stronger and more successful than I am.”
He added, “… It is important to meet somebody like Ozzy, who is just himself, whether — now, of course, when he gets up on stage, it’s more like scream therapy. You get out there and it’s just all energy coming, but strangely, the real Ozzy — he’s supposed to be the Prince Of Darkness, and yet in the shows he blows kisses to the fans and goes, ‘I love you.’ If you were the Prince Of Darkness, that’s like anti — that’s kind of like a good guy. He was a giant.”
Ozzy Osbourne passed away on July 22nd from acute myocardial infarction (heart attack) and out-of-hospital cardiac arrest, with coronary artery disease and Parkinson’s disease with autonomic dysfunction listed as associated factors.
6 Responses
Gene $immon$ is trying to present himself as a humble/caring human being with his comments….while in reality he is a narrcacistic @$$hole.
“it is humbling for someone like me who based my life on creating armor around me so that I wouldn’t be hurt — change my name, change my appearance, do whatever I have to do to survive and appear stronger and more successful than I am.”
Kudos to Gene. This might possibly be the most introspective and insightful – certainly most real – thing I’ve ever heard Gene say.
I was surprised myself. Gene talks big, but I’ve met him a few times, and he’s gracious, generous, extremely appreciative of the fans, and quite funny. I like him a lot.
I had a friend that ran a Turtles Records store back around the Crazy Nights era. I know it was that tour. My friend was a huge fan and somehow found out Gene’s false check in name at the hotel in Huntsville. He called the room. Gene answered the phone. He was cordial and talked with my friend for a few minutes. Gene didn’t have to do that.
I saw his solo band in 2018 and there was this guy who must have been in his ’40s, overweight, wearing spandex, those high heel goth boots, he had long hair, a frumpy girlfriend, and he started crying like a baby right in front of me….
Gene was so nice to everyone; he invited everyone onstage to sing with him, take pictures, no extra charge, no “meet and greets”..he was super cool. He also said Got Love For Sale was from his solo record, so anyone who thinks Gene remembers who played on what session, etc….please, just stop putting down Peter Criss, who, confirmed by Charlie Benante who spent time with him recently, played on all of Alive II, including all of side 4!
The point of this post, is Paul and Gene just sold Kiss for $350 million; all of Kiss: the publishing, trademarks, all of it…I don’t know, that doesn’t seem like a lot of money for Kiss who used to gross a third of that annually in 1977!
What does Eddie Trunk think of this amount that they got for Kiss? Or anybody else?
That ridiculous spandex guy got onstage with Gene and Gene told him he looked like Rob Zombie, just super nice to everybody.