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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.
Sweet journey back to class for the KISS singer In the face-off between new reality shows about aging hard-rockers returning to school, score a victory for KISS's GENE SIMMONS over Motley Crue's Tommy Lee. Also score a victory for cable over broadcast. NBC's cloying "Tommy Lee Goes to College" never establishes why that rocker wants to be there. That leaves the series with a sense of aimlessness. There's a goof going on but we're not really sure who's being goofed. By contrast, VH1's "GENE SIMMONS' Rock School," which premieres tomorrow night, has a clear sense of purpose and narrative development. "Rock School" is also cheerful and even cute, if predictable. (After its premiere, "Rock School" switches to 10:30 on Fridays, following repeats of NBC's "Tommy Lee.") Taking a cue from the hit movie "School of Rock," the 55-year-old Simmons, who even looks like a weary, middle-aged Jack Black, arrives at England's 450-year-old Christ's Hospital boarding school to unteach, as he puts it, a class of musically gifted 13-year-olds. The school is beautiful, a veritable castle in the countryside, and one of the show's chief attractions. Another is the students' chicly archaic uniforms of dark tunic-like coats and long gowns. They look like little monks in the making. Almost all the students in the class favor classical over pop, and Simmons' mission is to make a rock band out of them. Early on he admonishes that attitude is far more important than musical accomplishment. He tells one boy he's too good for rock. One could quarrel with that, and for that reason the premise of the series seems stale. Simmons' KISS in its day was indeed a bluntly simplistic musical act that got by on theatrical bombast and lots of pancake makeup, but that's hardly the rule for rock bands, as we know. The biggest current British rock bands like Radiohead and Coldplay are extremely accomplished musically. But "Rock School" is less about rock than giving the students a chance to loosen up and have fun. Under Simmons' tutelage, they try to act like young rock gods. A red-headed boy named Joshua, who is studying trumpet, renames himself "Emperor" and tries out for lead singer by writhing about and screeching like Johnny Rotten. The other kids are appalled. Simmons is delighted. Certainly, some of the chemistry of "Rock School" is Simmons' bad-boy image as a man of many women, and in the premiere episode he's seen in a limousine with two leggy blondes, making a devilish face in close-up. Old footage of KISS concerts shows him sticking out his tongue, and there's an obscured shot of a female fan baring her breasts at a concert. But in class we see a very different Simmons, and therein lies the real charm of the show. We meet Simmons the man, and he's a likeable sort, someone we can identify with. This gives "Rock School" some depth of the sort that's entirely lacking in "Tommy Lee Goes to College." Initially, Simmons comes on mock-tough, causing one girl to scream, but he proves to be disarmingly nice with a friendly, supportive classroom demeanor. He smiles and laughs a lot. He explains early on that he once had a job as a teacher until KISS took off. He'd long wondered if he would have been good at teaching. From the evidence here, he could have been. He might not own a mansion, however. Or his own show on VH1. |
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