News Archive October 2009

Gene Talks Axebass, Album, Tour
From: KISSonline.com
Posted: October 12, 2009

Q: Just one glance at the Gene Simmons AxeBass will make jaws drop. It's sleek; black; beyond cool. How did you create it?

Gene Simmons: "First, I have to take you back about 25 years ago. I noticed that musicians kept calling their guitars their 'axes.' They would say, 'I want to play my axe.' I decided that because of my persona, I'd actually build a guitar that looks like an ax. You just need to take one glance to know that this guitar looks so cool. Who doesn't want to have the coolest looking guitar around? Seek and you shall find; ask and you shall receive. I personally created this guitar, approved the electronics, the body type, the design and even the wood. I even went to the trademark office of the U.S. Government and now own the body type of the guitar and the word AxeBass because my guitar looks like an ax."

Q: CD "Sonic Boom" is your 45th release. It also marks your first KISS CD in over a decade. Does that blow your mind that KISS is still the biggest rock band in the world with old and new fans creating sell-out shows? Your presence is a true phenomenon because you can't get out of Wal-Mart without seeing KISS now either.

Simmons: "It's our 45th release during our 35th year of playing together and releasing albums. We've been touring the world for the last year and now we've come back to the United States. As for our presence, I have 3,000 licensed KISS products — everything from the upcoming KISS scooter to KISS M&Ms and a KISS Mr. Potato Head. We have corners in Wal-Mart where you can buy T-shirts and everything KISS.

Q: Did you ever think you would see your face on Mr. Potato Head?

Simmons: "It makes perfect sense to have a KISS Mr. Potato Head. Anything that's iconic is us."

Q: How does it feel to be on stage now?

Simmons: "It's bigger and better because it's great being the champion of the world. I treat music and the stage with the respect it demands. The stage is holy ground. I realize that very few people who walk the planet ever walk a stage. Very few people up there on that stage last or get to come back again. For me, the stage is an electric church."

Q: Your fans span the ages from a 14-year-old boy using rock music to cope with life to a 60-year-old woman who just wants to rock out for an evening. How do you explain a KISS fan?

Simmons: "It actually defies all logic because the fans span every age in every country. In fact, there will be a new coffee table book focusing on 30 years of KISS fans."