Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx has commented on KISS’ bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons suggesting that people who suffer from depression should kill themselves.
According to blabbermouth.net, Sixx said that people who are suffering from depression should not “listen to people who don’t know what they’re talking about.”
During last night’s episode of his Sixx Sense With Nikki Sixx radio show, Sixx said, “It’s pretty moronic [of Gene to say what he said], because he thinks everybody listens to him, that he is the god of thunder and he will tell you he is the greatest man on earth. And, to be honest with you, I like Gene. But in this situation, I don’t like Gene. I don’t like Gene’s words, because … there is a 20-year-old kid out there who is a KISS fan and reads this and goes, ‘You know what? He’s right. I should just kill myself.’ If I had killed myself, my four beautiful children would not be here today. I wanted to talk about what I’ve done with my recovery and my depression and something I think Gene should use as a model.
I got off the drugs and alcohol and it was the hardest thing I ever did in my life. I didn’t think I could ever be off the heroin, to be honest with you. I got off the heroin and I couldn’t leave my house. I didn’t have any social skills, I didn’t know how to interact with people. I pretty much started to go deeper and deeper and deeper into a depression. So I went to a therapist. And it was the first time I had ever been to a therapist. And I said, ‘I just feel hopeless.’ Now, if I went to see Gene Simmons, he would have said, ‘Well, you know, Nikki, if you’re depressed, you should just kill yourself.’ But this therapist said, ‘Hey, there are ways out.’ And he gave me an experimental drug at the time called Prozac, and it got me on the right path. And then I got off of it. And I got out of my depression. And I then went to have these four beautiful children, I wrote the Dr. Feelgood album, I’ve had a wonderful life. I did not take that way out.
And what I’m saying is: for people who are depressed, there is a way out. There are many, many ways out. And I don’t want people to listen to an interview from a rock star who’s telling you the only way out is out, when I’m telling you, and I wrote it in [my book] The Heroin Diaries, you can get out of this…
One in 10 Americans are affected by depression at one point in their life, so this is another thing to think about. At one point in your life, meaning it will come and it will go…
They say all bad things must pass, all bad things will pass. So keep that in the back of your mind if you’re feeling depression, and don’t listen to people who don’t know what they’re talking about.”
To listen to the actual audio,
In related news, Triple M’s Network head, Mike Fitzpatrick has just pulled all KISS tracks from playlists around Australia. In a statement on the Triple M web-site Fitzpatrick says “Gene Simmons’ recent comments are misguided and insensitive. Depression and Suicide are not topics he should be using to further his notoriety or sell records. His desperation to use mental health issues to find relevancy in a modern age is sickening. I can only put it down to a brain fade on his part. The Triple M Network can’t and won’t be playing or supporting this d-ckhead’s music. I put the challenge out to other stations across Australia and North America to also drop any of this nudnik’s songs until such time as he reconsiders his thoughtless and insensitive position.”
Simmons has also been labelled a hypocrite after he tweeted, “R.I.P. Robin Williams. A kind and generous man,” in the wake of the actor’s tragic death this week.
source: blabbermouth.net and scenestr.com.au
Clinical depression is a medical condition, an actual disease within the brain and at times it causes people to kill themselves. It’s horrible. It’s tragic . It’s sad. Robin Williams Gene. Robin Williams. I love you Gene, sincerely, but this has pushed me over the edge as a fan. i will no longer be attending your current tour. And quite frankly, I wish you’d apologize for your remarks. You used to say, any publicity is good publicity, but not in this case. I hope somehow, someway, Paul Stanley reads this.
Gene needs to think before he speaks for sure but what I think Gene is referring to are the wannabes that think depression and grunge are like fads and in way to act and they walk around the mall in their faded plaid shirts listening to the killer of music we all loved at the time Nirvana. I don’t think deep down Gene meant for all folks suffering from mental illness should kill themselves. And I am not saying he shouldnt review how he says things because he certainly dies put his foot in his own mouth a lot.
Gene and Paul go f yourselves.
Even though I don’t think Gene meant it that way, I say good for Nikki Sixx. I think he is a good example of someone who overcame his demons (no pun intended Gene) and has lived a productive life and put out some great music! Nevertheless, I do think Gene is being taken out of context. That doesn’t matter though because this statement by Nikki is a great message and people need to hear it from someone like him, and not Gene.
Good words Nikki. Thanks.