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 All news should be considered an unconfirmed report unless verified, and all information published at KISS Asylum is attributed to the source from which it was received so that readers may judge the validity of the statements for themselves. All information is confirmed where possible, and all publication is governed by common sense.
GENE SIMMONS Innerview From: ChicagoInnerview.com by Melanie Falina 
Few people conjure such extreme ambivalence in others as GENE SIMMONS. He's an icon of both sex and wealth, as if he's the love child of Donald Trump and Ron Jeremy - but cooler due to that whole face-painting rock and roll gig. He's a
marketing genius, an axe-slinging, tongue-wagging, eloquently spoken musical hero. And aside from the millions of worldwide fans known as the KISS Army, who have amassed for more than three decades, there are others as vehemently
cynical of Simmons' wide-ranging capitalistic endeavors. One must admit though, saying that GENE SIMMONS has got staying power is the understatement of the century, and for those who do like and do purchase the KISS shirts, KISS toys,
Kiss wine, and KISS condoms - they wouldn't have it any other way.While currently on tour with KISS, the legendary rock band that has bypassed the 80 million mark in album sales, co-founder Simmons also has, as always, a few new tricks up his sleeve - one of which is the recent release of his second solo album, Asshole. A surprisingly diverse effort that includes collaborations with artists like Bob Dylan, Dave Navarro and Frank Zappa, it spans musical genres, flirting with not only rock music but also thrash, pop, country, and neo-psychedelia. "That's what a solo record is for," explains Simmons in an earnest conversation with Chicago Innerview. "You know when you're in a band - or when you're marching in a marching band, for instance, you have to have the cadence and rhythm of a group of people because you're dealing with other people, it's this sort of group philosophy, group identity. And then on your own, you can march to the beat of your own drummer, if you get my inference." SIMMONS' INNER VIEW "Aerosmith and KISS toured together last year and the one thing that Steven [Tyler] kept telling me, almost every night, is, 'Your fans are out of their minds!' And it's not the first time I've heard it." The joint projects with Zappa and Dylan prove to be just as exciting to Simmons as they are to his listeners. "The idea of writing with Frank [Zappa] happened because Frank invited me over to his house before he passed away. We got along well." "Black Tongue," the end product of Simmons and Zappa's association, was created around some vocals and guitar riffs recorded by Zappa before his death, and features the whole Zappa clan chiming in on backing vocals. "It's the first time the entire Zappa family appears on a song together anywhere," Simmons emphasizes. "And the Bob Dylan [co-penned song, 'Waiting For The Morning Light'] was just a dream. You know I grew up being influenced by perhaps the best lyricist of modern pop music, and we all have our heroes. Who doesn't want to hang out with Superman?" Simmons' first solo record was a self-titled album released back in 1978, when each of the original members of KISS put out their own solo albums. The lengthy gap between solo projects, however, is due to the fact that Simmons is probably one of the most enterprising human beings of modern times. "I have a job, in fact, I have a few jobs. I had Simmons Records, which is now back in business again, produced 10 or more other bands and other recording artists including Liza Minnelli. Acted in movies, wrote books, lectured, all kinds of wacky stuff, and continue to be in KISS and tour all the time and make records. When the planets align you just sort of wake up one day and say, 'You know, it's time to do a solo record.' "I have an awful lot of material that has never seen the light of day and I intend to bring it out. Within a year there will be a GENE SIMMONS box set called 100 and it's 100 Gene songs. Over the years when I write for KISS, I write three or four times as what winds up on the record and the songs that don't [get chosen for the album] used to sit in a vault." In fact, a couple of the songs that did make it onto Asshole were written as long ago as the late '70s, but once the dust was blown off and the songs were newly recorded, there were no questions as to their newfangled freshness. "That's a good sign, that's a sign that maybe the stuff works because when you really think about it, not all material stands the test of time. You know the doo-wop songs don't work today. It's not true that all things come back - the idea about cycles. The high end stuff keeps moving." An example of which is the ballad "Now That You're Gone," where the fire-breathing Simmons shows a rare tender side written about an emotional time in his past. "That was written back in the '70s but I added a bridge: 'You left us when I was much too young and I was your only son.' That was written specifically about my father. [It's] difficult to really peel back the armor and show the soft white underbelly. When I was about seven years old, my father left us. But it's no different than most people, most people have dysfunctional families and that's life. You pick yourself up and you move on, but it doesn't mean the scars aren't there." And moving on is what Simmons does best. However, the release of Asshole and the onset of KISS' 2004 Rock The Nation tour has shaken the hornet's nest of fans who have been long awaiting a new KISS studio album. The band's last studio album was Psycho Circus, released in 1989. "Well, [singer/guitarist] Paul [Stanley] is going to be doing his solo album right after the tour. And I'm sure we'll look at getting into the studio together. You know, being 'America's gold record champions of all time', there's nothing we have to prove to anybody. So we'll do it when it feels right. In the meantime, playing live is an awful lot of fun. We have more firepower up on that stage than most third world countries - it doesn't get better." The present tour, which consists of Simmons and other founding member Stanley, also features guitarist TOMMY THAYER and ERIC SINGER on drums. "We're having a ball, it's just a bang-up hoot. It's KISS reborn. This is back again to being what a band should be, which is a straight band. There's no complaining, there's no moaning, everybody shows up on time and there's no drugs or alcohol. And that's the best way to be," says Simmons, who has never taken a drink of alcohol or any drugs in his life. "You know it's important to tip the hat to [founding members] Ace [Frehley] and Peter [Criss] for helping to give the band life. They were there at the onset and that's very important. But not every member of the team should continue to play. Sometimes people have to get off the court and sit on the sidelines, because the team is there to win." Though Frehley and Criss' careers in KISS have been on revolving door status for quite some time now, their replacement continues to infuriate certain fans. "If mom and dad have problems, the kids never understand. If dad is a drunk and mom kicks him out of the house, mom sometimes gets beaten up by the kids. 'How could you do that to dad?' And the fans, you know there's a core five-percent, eight-percent, whatever the number is, who feel the pain and can't understand why Ace and Peter aren't in the band. But that's because they're not in the thick of it. And you give people chances and more chances because you try to hold the family together, and past a certain point it's better to be apart. And it's better for Ace and Peter's health. They shouldn't die on the road, they should be healthy and happy back home." Another gripe among some fans is TOMMY THAYER and ERIC SINGER's use of the "Spaceman" and "Catman," the characters that Frehley and Criss created for the makeup and costume onstage theatrics. "The fans who are negative about that still come to the shows. Everybody's got something to say and that's what makes our relationship with our fans the best anywhere. Aerosmith and KISS toured together last year and the one thing that Steven [Tyler] kept telling me, almost every night, is, 'Your fans are out of their minds!' And it's not the first time I've heard it. Every band knows that the judge and jury are KISS fans. They are not pushovers, you have to go out there and work for them. And they let you know if they think you're doing a good job. So part of being in KISS is you actually have the best fans in the world, but it also means that they're brutally honest. And they'll tell you exactly how they feel. And I wouldn't have it any other way." The addition of Thayer and Singer has given KISS the ability to perform several songs on this new tour that haven't been done live for quite some time. "This band can do that material. This band has a lot more musical muscle and that's one of the other advantages. We can just break into - cold - any kind of material that we want. And everybody sings, everybody plays in key, in pitch, in time. And the original line up almost never did. We got by on adrenalin, a lot of material we simply couldn't pull off on stage. And this is an awful lot of fun." |
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