KISS star Gene Simmons says he’s proud to be among the One Percent of the world’s richest people – and insists everyone else owes him a debt of gratitude.
The bassist believes the world would descend into “chaos” if it wasn’t for him and fellow millionaires.
Simmons tells UTSanDiego.com, “The one percent pays 80 percent of all taxes. 50 percent of the population of the US pays no taxes. The one percent provides all the jobs for everybody else. If the one percent didn’t exist there would be chaos and the economy would drop dead.”
He adds, “Try being nice to rich people. I don’t remember the last poor person who gave me a job.”
Describing his 30 years of extreme financial security as “fantastic” he continues: “You know how I spell ‘shameless?’ P-r-o-u-d.”
He explains, “People often confuse my pride and self-confidence with arrogance. I’m like an animal in the jungle that pisses on the ground and doesn’t ask permission. That’s full disclosure before the facts – others hold their opinions to themselves and never say who they are. You will always know who I am. You don’t have to like it.”
KISS recently announced, KISS Rocks Vegas residency, starting November 5th at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino Las Vegas. The band is currently on tour with Def Leppard.
additional source: classicrockmagazine.com
125 Responses
Gene should follow his own advice and had paid Ace & Peter more so we could have more rich people to help the economy !
You have to work to be paid.
yes, what is not true what Gene said? I thank the Good Lord above everyday for rich people, as they hire people like me. The vast majority of people that are “rich” earned it, they did not steal it nor inherit it. It is people that don’t work, or do NOT WANT to work, that criticize the people that are rich. Am I rich? Not by American standards, but I do OK, and I busted my tail to get there after 40 years in the labor market, and I don’t begrudge people that are rich. God bless ’em. The cold truth is that the world was civilized by the point of the sword, and in today’s vocabulary, the point of the sword is money.
rudy the roadie ,
and other racists do not belong on this site making ignorant and hurtful comments. I am stunned the comment was allowed to be posted-
BobbyD,
Thank you for naming the individual. I will remove the post right now. If I let it through, I am ashamed of myself. As I stated before, I am the last person to tolerate bigotry and ignorance. My apologies.
Dana from ET.com 🙂
You can’t catch everyone Dana….no need to be ashamed of yourself but the poster posting it should be more than ashamed of himself….Joe in The Cuse
Thank you Joe 🙂
D 🙂
I had to reply to you dana,
please don’t be ashamed , joe in the cuse was right. Also, you have a lot of comments to sort through when the post is kiss related-
The federal tax system is a joke the way it is. Sorry but the 99% DO NOT HAVE LOOP HOLES & RED TAPE THAT ALLOWS THEM TO RECOUP ALL THIER MONEY THEY PAY IN.
Check out the facts on Social Security taxes and how the wealthy escape that after a certain amount is paid in.
If our American tax system was based more on luxury/sales taxes and there were no LOOP HOLES for anyone than a guy like this could spout half truths all he wants.
Who sent all the decent paying middle income jobs overseas? Yeah the wealthy 1%. We don’t make shit in this country anymore and it’s not the uber poor who controlled those doings.
I’m quite sure that most of the products Gene sells are made overseas by some chinese laborer getting paid $10 a day if LUCKY and than Gene turns around and marks up the product for a fat 90%.
IT’S ALL GREED and there is no doubt that Gene is one GREEDY SOB, like him or not.
I could careless about people that are uber wealthy, it just tends to grind on me when they say it’s all the poor peoples fault and we should all be happy that they live while they rub our faces in the mud as they step on us, meanwhile talkin humanity out of the side of their mouth.
The true American Dream went out the window in the late 1950’s. The term middle class American is such a sham it’s beyond ridiculous. Working class poor is the term that should be used.
No doubt America is still one of the best places in the world to live, but the chest pounding isn’t all it’s cracked up to be because there’s some really other nice countries to live in this world besides the good ol US of A. Just sayin, not hatin’. Whoa…..deep exhale.
there seems to be a huge disconnect in Gene Simmons thinking between the right thing to say and the wrong thing to say when it comes to the ridiculous answers he gives to media questions- I would love to know what he considers poor??? anything under a million a year …….? when it comes to questions about ace and peter he and Paul should just say… {next question please. } OR…… THEY COULD SAY… ace and peter had their problems, but we all built something special together, and at one point they were as close as family, and I truly love them as brothers, and wish them nothing but success in everything they do – wouldn’t that be refreshing….
We are nice to rich people. Nice, rich people.