News Archive January 2011

Gene Simmons: Satisfying That Giddy Teen From Past Years
From: Times & Transcript
Posted: January 22, 2011

Meeting one of your childhood heroes as an adult is interesting. You still have that 13 year old screaming with glee inside, but he's tempered by a (hopefully) more mature, experienced adult who can't fall to his knees and play out that scene from Wayne's World when Wayne and Garth meet Alice Cooper.

"We're not worthy! We're not worthy!"

There was none of that when I met Gene Simmons on Saturday afternoon or when I first saw him in person Friday night at the Atlantic Brand Confabulation at Casino New Brunswick.

On Saturday, I approached Simmons, shook his hand and chatted with him for a moment. He signed a few things and later agreed to give me a brief comment for a story that was published Monday.

In addition to holding back the teenager inside who was forever changed when he discovered KISS in 1997 or so, I also had to be objective and professional simply because that's in the job description.

I would love to have told Simmons about seeing a photo of him decked out as the Demon in '97 in the pages of the Times & Transcript, and how it led to me discovering the band (20-odd years after my father did the same). As a young kid and teen, you feel a lot of pressure to fit in. Being made fun of is the worst thing in the world, next to having your love-of-the-week ignore you. I'm not alone in saying that when I discovered KISS and discovered rock n' roll, it changed the rules a bit.

If these rock n' roll monsters could take to the stage dressed, to steal a line from Simmons, in more makeup and higher heels than my mother, critics be damned, and churn out some cool rock n' roll tunes . . . why couldn't I shun peer pressure and just be me?

That was my way of thinking, and it was a great thing to discover as an impressionable kid. I truly credit music - mostly KISS - for making my teen years a whole lot less difficult than they could have been.

When I heard KISS was taking its "farewell tour" to Montreal in 2000, I told my parents in no uncertain terms that I was heading out to see them. They could come too, but this 16-year-old was going to be there, one way or the other. I wound up organizing a trip for 13 people, including three adults. I was a dedicated little fella, and I've seen the band twice since then.

As an adult, while I continue to discover new bands and genres of music, I still love KISS. The peripheral things - Simmons' TV show, the merchandise and all that - I'm less concerned with. And as an adult, I'd become less enamoured with Simmons, the egotistical businessman always looking for more money, than I was Simmons, the fire-breathing, rock n' roll Demon.

"There's my favourite word - money!" he bellowed to the crowd at the Brand Confabulation on Friday.

However, my childhood hero didn't disappoint when I finally met him, in my hometown of all places. What I learned through Friday and Saturday is that Simmons appears to be all of the above - rock n' roller and money-grubbing businessman, but also friendly, hard working and down to earth.

He spoke of money, money and money, but also pointed out that we all should learn everything we can. He said you never know where you might find success, so you should hit the library and read all you can about anything and everything.

Simmons speaks a handful of languages fluently and is well educated, but he said qualifications are overrated and that there is no substitute for passion and hard work. He spoke of being fearless, presenting oneself with confidence and never giving up, even in the face of possible failure (and failure, he says, isn't possible because there are always second chances).

Much of his speech was framed in a business sense, but it included valuable life lessons for anyone.

I spoke to other people who chatted with Simmons and worked with him in his few days here, and the reviews were glowing all around. Everyone I spoke with said he was intelligent, friendly and engaging. I'm sure he was happy to be getting whatever paycheque he got, but if there was a Hollywood diva hidden in his six-foot-something frame, I heard nothing of it.

Simmons' longtime partner Shannon Tweed received the same reviews. On Saturday, both signed everything they were asked to and posed for photos; obligations of their Moncton appearance contract, no doubt, but both seemed genuine in how they approached everyone. They didn't rush through the signing and they took time to chat with anyone who wished.

I've had the pleasure of interviewing a few heroes in my time as a reporter, and I've been lucky to rarely be disappointed by someone I've admired at some point in my life.

Rocker Alice Cooper was the perfect gentleman who playfully lambasted me for "letting" my mother go to one of his shocking concerts around 1990 (I didn't have the heart to tell him I was only five when she went). Former pro wrestler Bret Hart sounded half asleep when he called from Hawaii at 6 a.m., but was chatty and friendly.

Love him or hate him (and I've heard plenty from both sides since it was announced that Simmons was coming to Moncton), the 61-year-old rocker, who still dons the war paint and seven-inch heels with KISS when he's not doing speaking engagements, left a good impression on a lot of Metro Monctonians last week.

I'm happy for all those folks who maybe learned something, on a business or personal level, but I can now, in this space, admit the truth and just say I'm glad Simmons didn't disappoint the giddy teen from my past.