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Spotlight on GENE SIMMONS From: immigration.about.com Welcome to our second piece in our Musician Immigrants series, a developing collection of articles talking about those who left their homelands to experience a culture outside their own, making musical contributions that serve to enrich and inspire us. It is safe to say that he probably has one of the longest tongues in the Rock Music Business - his trademark body part that can be seen on album covers as well as during live shows with the Hard Rock Band KISS, where he is playing bass and singing. But lyrics are not the only things that roll off his enormous "flesh carpet:" pyrotechniques (such as spitting fire) are a regular part of his performances, or, at elevations over 50 feet, he will often throw up blood all over the audience - acts that can compete with any circus. Born Chaim Witz on August 25, 1949 in Haifa, one year after the proclamation of the state of Israel, Simmons was renamed "Eugene Klein" after immigrating to America in 1958. He then changed his name to GENE SIMMONS, maybe because he thought the name "Klein" inappropriate for his height (he is about 6'2") and the length of his tongue, since "Klein" means "little" in German. Before he became a fire-spitting lizard and gained fame as a frontman for KISS, his occupation wasn't what one would necessarily expect of a Rock Star: he finished a bachelor's degree and worked as an elementary school teacher in Spanish Harlem for a while. There he was confronted with an ethnically diverse student body that mainly came from the poorer neighborhoods of New York. In order not to favor any ethnic group he made the students read the current issue of Spider-Man, a raceless comic figure wearing a mask, so anybody could identify with it. According to Simmons, "we had discussions about what the story meant, what did you get out of it, what was the motivation--very deep, almost philosophical ideas about what life is all about, why right over wrong, and so on." (Interview with Andrew Hamlin, Chicken out of Hell). His unusual methods of teaching weren't much appreciated by the staff. Obviously his choice to become an onstage comic-figure proved more successful. Simmons as the Bat Lizard, his band colleagues PAUL STANLEY as the Star Child, PETER CRISS as the Cat, and ACE FREHLEY as the Spaceman have rocked the world since 1972. KISS has sold over 80 million albums. 27 of the released 29 albums are certified gold or platinum. KISS was definitely one of the biggest acts in Rock'n Roll in the seventies, and laid the ground for a lot of Glam Rock and Hard Rock bands that followed in the eighties. Their success lies in their stage shows as much as in their music, and above all, in the marketing talent of GENE SIMMONS. The KISS memorabilia that were and are on the market are countless: from comic books to pinball machines to toilet paper, just to mention a few. In the late seventies, the band experienced a dwindle in popularity; the setup of the band changed several times during the eighties. GENE SIMMONS and PAUL STANLEY were the constant members of the band from its launch to present day. In 1983, without make-up, they had a come-back with the album "Lick It Up," which went platinum. In 1990, they had another hit ballad with "Forever," and in 1996, the original KISS band reunited and had one of the most successful tours of all bands in 1996. Maybe the fact that Simmons came from a different culture enabled him to understand the workings of the new culture better than the native people. Never short of down-to-earth statements that often provoke people and critics (yep, Simmons definitely considers critics to be a lesser species), he expresses his views on American culture in an interview with Andrew Hamlin: A.H: "The Spin article suggested that your experience as an immigrant [from Israel] has an effect on your loyalty to the American way of life." G.S: "Without question. Native-born Americans take it all for granted. Everything. And that's a shame. 'Cause this is Mecca. You've got it all. If an alien landed anywhere in the world, he'd come to America--where else would he go? Scotland? France, where they're eating legs off frogs-- get outta here! Spielberg, hamburgers, KISS. I'm proud to be in that company. And just as big." Later in that interview, he delivers a distinct opinion of who rules the American society, and points out the hypocrisy of successful bands in the music business. He has no patience for "white kid" bands who become famous and have a problem with the amount of money their earning, nor does he buy the millionaire wearing torn jeans, pretending he is still one of us. Source: Pandemonium Online GENE SIMMONS definitely lives the American Dream to its fullest extent. Besides making a "filthy amount" of money, he has always been famous for dating America's finest women: Cher and Diana Ross were among his chosen ones, and his current love is actress Shannon Tweed, whom he has two children with. In addition to being a Rock Star, he appeared in several movies, including "Runaway" (1984) and "Model by Day" (1994). KISS made their own movies too, the latest being "Detroit Rock City", starting in August 1999. Despite bad critics and indignation from fans at the direct sarcasm toward the Catholic Church, with GENE SIMMONS as the driving force behind the band, we can expect KISS to be around until the power supply runs out. |
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