Tim Kennealy of the TheWrap reports:
Following news that KISS frontman Gene Simmons is attempting to trademark the “horns” hand gesture, TheWrap spoke to Wendy Dio, widow of deceased singer Ronnie James Dio, who’s widely credited with popularizing the hand gesture.
Wendy’s assessment of Simmons’ trademark bid? It’s “disgusting.”
“To try to make money off of something like this is disgusting,” Dio told TheWrap. “It belongs to everyone; it doesn’t belong to anyone. … It’s a public domain; it shouldn’t be trademarked.”
Dio was quick to note that her husband — who fronted groups including Black Sabbath and Rainbow — shouldn’t be credited with the gesture either. As she noted, the singer, who died in 2010, adopted the hand gesture from an old Italian sign that he picked up from his grandmother, which is used to either ward off evil or give the evil eye, depending on how it’s employed.
Dio also noted that the rock band Coven used the hand gesture, as displayed on the cover of the group’s 1969 debut album, while the cartoon version of John Lennon flashes a similar sign on the cover of the Beatles’ Yellow Submarine album, released in 1969.
Dio characterized Simmons’ effort to trademark the hand gesture as “a joke,” and noted, “It’s just crazy.”
“It’s laughable, I think, quite honestly,” Dio said, likening Simmons’ trademark bid to trying to trademark the bird or the peace sign. “I think he’s made a complete fool of himself.”
Read more at TheWrap.
source: thewrap.com
12 Responses
Gene says, “How much money can you have? Not enough.” As that may be true, the per suite of it has made Gene a prick.
I’ve supported Gene during controverseys past, like when he said “rock was dead,” but this is beyond the pale of a$$holiness. A variation on this sign signifies love, and John Lennon holds it aloft on the Sgt. Pepper album. In metal, it signifies you-know-who’s- horns. Let the callow, tone-deaf KISS bassist take it up with Lucifer, if he dares.
That hologram of your dead husband is spot on though.
I miss Dio I really associate devil horns with him anyway
If Gene did he did version of Spiderman with the thumb sticking out he also stole the bat wings from another Marvel character Black Bolt
So what’s next Dana Paul Stanley condemning his partners actions?
Just ridiculous
Patient a ancient hand gesture
Ridiculous
Has it occurred to anyone in the media and social media (and this site) that Gene doesn’t really care whether he’s granted trademark ownership? Perhaps the reason for this stunt was to bring back national attention to KISS. Domestically, they’re only playing a limited number of shows and at smaller arenas, theaters, and casinos. What better way to drive up some buzz than to try to trademark a corny hand gesture!