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
56 Responses
Gene just deleted his Twitter acct!
Wow, wise words from Nikki, a breath of fresh air from his usual rants & etc., lol
I want to make this statement about my views on depression for the record and to clarify my prior remarks.
To the extent my comments reported by the media speak of depression, I was wrong and in the spur of the moment made remarks that in hindsight were made without regard for those who truly suffer the struggles of depression. I sincerely apologize to those who were offended by my comments. I recognize that depression is very serious and very sad when it happens to anyone, especially loved ones. I deeply support and am empathetic to anyone suffering from any disease, especially depression.
I have never sugarcoated my feelings regarding drug use and alcoholics. Somewhere along the line, my intention of speaking in very directly and perhaps politically incorrectly about drug use and alcoholics has been misconstrued as vile commentary on depression. Unkind statements about depression was certainly never my intention. Fully, you will know that and I do not intend to defend myself here and now, by listing the myriad charities and self-help organizations I am involved with. Rather, I simply want to be clear that my heart goes out to anyone suffering from depression and I deeply regret any offhand remarks in the heat of an interview that might have suggested otherwise.
Never Was A Fan Of His. Never Will Be. And Take You Apology And Shove It.
What’s happenin’? Mike B, Richman, Doug R, and of course, Eddie and our lovely and very patient moderator (mediator?) Dana…..I have to say, I find all of this outrage towards Gene very dis-heartening.. Someone else on this site said something: that people are just waiting for Gene to say something so they can pounce on him….And I bet if anyone who committed suicide could come back, they would say, “yeah, that sure was dumb.” It is an incredible suspension of logic and common sense to assign blame to Gene for what someone else does in their life, for how they feel…WE are responsible for our moods and volition, which is what I think that Gene was putting across, which got completely turned around, and now has mushroomed to a level of absurdity.
you, clown, are absurd and a shameless turd-polisher for Gene.
Staten,
I don’t blame you. I read Gene’s apology and think it was sincere. It’s not easy to read some of the unforgiving posts on this site from the other posters. Yes, Gene was overly blunt and insensitive with his statements about depression, but the real problem is people are GLAD he said that so they have an excuse (in their minds) to crucify him in their social media channels. Maybe it makes them feel better about themselves to vomit there self righteous anger at Gene.
I agree with Dana that he should know better. He–perhaps more than most–is perfectly capable of articulating his views more effectively than what we’ve seen lately.
I also agree with you that people need to stop judging and that this problem has (to borrow your excellent phrase) “mushroomed to to a level of absurdity”. Thanks Staten! IMO you have excellently and persuasively made some great points!
Oops Dana! This one is a duplicate statement! I already said this. Please delete! Thanks!
Mike,
No worries. I noticed it and took care of it before you even asked 🙂
D 🙂
Mike B, this has gotten so irrational, people were so quick to vacate their common sense, except Dana, but she allowed for how weak people are and called Gene irresponsible, whereas I say that someone else’s weakness is their problem and not Gene. Suicide…I will never, ever understand how anyone could even consider it, ‘all things equal.’ it is such an incomplete analysis of the situation. Life, once you distill what it really is, is this beautiful thing, no matter what happens to you, or how unforgiving circumstances can be. It should never even be considered, the thought should never occur to you. Look at animals, they wouldn’t even consider it, and they get treated like complete crap. If the purpose of Gene’s statement was put on the table, it would’ve been processed much differently. But instead, the media took a provocative sound bite, and framed it to the public for pure sensationalism. People just LOOOVEE pointing at a successful person and tearing them down.
Shannon,
I am not sure what you are talking about.
If you read my initial comments, I said that I thought Gene might be referring to whiny, spoiled, coddled teens. However, the one thing that I couldn’t deny, and wouldn’t deny, was that his delivery was despicable. His message was vague and that allowed it to be easily misinterpreted. On that premise alone, his actions were completely reckless and foolish. A man of his age, and a father, no less, should know better.
Dana from ET.com 🙂
We are that emotionally fragile? For God’s sake no one is perfect. Gene had a rough childhood, he was basing his comments, I am hypothesizing, on his own experiences. So, he becomes public enemy #1? This rush to judge Gene is more disturbing than anything he said. You said that what he said was vague, so we infer the worst? You didn’t. You list reasons he should know better, but I don’t see the relevance, he’s probably a great father, that’s called tough love.
What he said was tough love. Are we that dumb to infer that Gene would literally say to someone who was about to commit suicide “go ahead” ? Seriously, THAT is what is disturbing.
No, of course not. But, you have to realize when you are dealing with someone that is in a fragile state with fractured emotions, they might take those words seriously, and that is the danger. Just my opinion, of course.
Dana 🙂
Shannon,
Again, if you scroll through my comments and see the progression, you will discover that I recently lost someone whom I cared very deeply for to suicide, only mere months ago.
I don’t agree with the delivery of his message. The fact that it was vague is what makes it so irresponsible. Had he clarified EXACTLY what he meant from the get go, I don’t think this would have been as much of an issue. When you are a public figure, you really need to be cognizant of what that means. We can agree to disagree on this one. Glad, he apologized.
Dana 🙂
It’s as if people are acting as though Gene has violated their civil rights or something, this reaction is insane.