Annie Reuter of Radio.com reports:
Gene Simmons of KISS has some heated words for drug addicts and people dealing with depression in a new interview with Songfacts.com.
When asked if he keeps in touch with the original players of KISS he answered with a resounding “no.”
Why’s that? Simple: they’re either drug addicts or just downers.
“I don’t get along with anybody who’s a drug addict and has a dark cloud over their head and sees themselves as a victim,” Simmons said. “Drug addicts and alcoholics are always: ‘The world is a harsh place.’ My mother was in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany. I don’t want to hear f–k all about ‘the world as a harsh place.’ She gets up every day, smells the roses and loves life.
And for a putz, 20-year-old kid to say, ‘I’m depressed, I live in Seattle.’ F–k you, then kill yourself.”
He added “I never understand, because I always call them on their bluff. I’m the guy who says ‘Jump!’ when there’s a guy on top of a building who says, ‘That’s it, I can’t take it anymore, I’m going to jump.’ Are you kidding? Why are you announcing it? Shut the f–k up, have some dignity and jump! You’ve got the crowd.”
While Simmons said KISS has new songs ready, there are no plans to record anytime soon. But, there is one artist he’d love to record with in the future: Lady Gaga.
“I think Lady Gaga is the only new rock star, although she’s not a rocker,” he said. “I would like her to throw away all the disco stuff and get a band. Don’t use tapes, come out with a real live band and guitars. She’s a bona fide musical artist. She did a duet with Tony Bennett, real great pipes. She can sit at a piano all by herself. She’s a legitimate artist. A lot of the other pop divas who are really talented are not artists.”
Simmons said KISS and Gaga tried to collaborate on their last record but both were too busy.
“We got close. She got busy, we got busy. We would have done it.”
additional source: radio.com
245 Responses
dana,
very gracious of you to do so, but you have absolutely nothing to apologize for.
39 year old avid kiss fan diagnosed with depression and bi polar. Just lost a best friend musician to depression. I was crushed. I have been reading Genes comments for an hour and I am stunned. Do I condemn him and kiss? No, we’ve all said things we wish we could take back. So…I choose to take his comments and try to use them to enable me to get better and not kill myself. Baby steps and support. RIP Glen I wish I had of called you in time. My brother.
I got depressed by Vince’s singing tonight….no wonder the Crue mix is 80% the other guys and bombs then Vince. Alice Cooper is still a rock god.
So, by Gene’s logic….Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, Jim Morrison, Kurt Cobain, Bon Scott, John Bonham, Roy Buchanan, Keith Moon, Del Shannon, Hillel Slovak…etc…, did us all a favor?
Says the sex addict. What a disrespectful and hurtful comment. A lot of us didnt get your compulsion to have sex with any female who walked upright, but I digress…