News Archive June 2011

Gene Simmons To Get Key To Winnipeg
From: Toronto Sun

by Ross Romaniuk
Posted: June 17, 2011

Only a rock star -- or the God of Thunder -- could conquer Winnipeg's city hall this way.

KISS frontman and reality television star Gene Simmons wowed about 200 excited people at the Main Street complex Wednesday afternoon while accepting a key to the city and mingling with fans.

Emerging from Mayor Sam Katz's office while the KISS song I Love It Loud blared on speakers, Simmons -- dressed in black, wearing dark sunglasses and accompanied by longtime spouse Shannon Tweed -- waved a small Canadian flag as the crowd cheered.

"This means a lot to me," Simmons, 62, told the crush of media and fans, after accepting the key plaque from Coun. Gord Steeves while Katz was away on business. "I will proudly display this to the world on our TV show."

The singer and bassist, hours before his speaking engagement Wednesday night at the Centennial Concert Hall, told reporters there are "nicer people, more qualified people, more charming people, more eloquent people" who deserve the Winnipeg honour far more than him.

"I don't deserve anything. I'm the luckiest son of a bitch who ever walked the planet," said Simmons, who was born in Israel before moving to the U.S. as a child and eventually co-founding KISS, one of the world's most popular rock bands, in the early 1970s.

"I haven't killed anybody yet. That's a good beginning. By the way, if all of us practised that on the planet Earth, it would be a much better place, don't you think?"

Seeming a world away from the demonic character he performs as in makeup and costume while spitting blood and breathing fire on stage, Simmons spoke thoughtfully when asked about several local issues. He'd like to visit the Canadian Museum for Human Rights once it opens, he suggested.

Tweed -- an actress who co-stars on Gene Simmons: Family Jewels, a show based on their life at home in Los Angeles with their son and daughter -- also received adoration from the crowd.

"Shannon, you're very beautiful!" one fan shouted, as Tweed and Simmons walked through the foyer to sign autographs and pose for photographs.

KISS fan Ricky Zimmermann was rendered almost speechless. The 45-year-old had greeted the star couple when they arrived by limousine, giving Simmons a T-shirt he had painted with an illustration of the musician's costumed alter ego.

"My knees are shaking. My voice, I imagine, is shaking a little," Zimmermann said. "I actually got to meet the God of Thunder, which is a dream come true. I feel like passing out now."