Within the last year, at least, it seems like Gene Simmons has mostly been preoccupied with trying to trademark things. At first, he just seemed to be trying for his spin on the rock’n’roll devil horns, which is also “I love you” in ASL. Then, in an interview with Ontario’s Windsor Star in August, it seemed like the KISS bassist had been secretly active in the trademarking game for a while, in that way some people obsessively open credit cards: He claimed to have the rights to the “money bag logo” and the term “motion pictures.” No one at Spin has read Simmons’ brand new book, which is actually called On Power: My Journey Through the Corridors of Power and How You Can Get More Power, but one wonders if trademarking hacks are among the power moves presumably discussed within.
One of Simmons’ recommendations in On Power, according to a recent Forbesinterview with Simmons, goes something along these lines: “Power and money is the ability to make your own decisions about your own happiness, ambitions and other issues, without worrying as much about repercussions.” Perhaps a mantra along these lines was running through his head when, after shooting a Fox & Friends segment about the book, Simmons reportedly burst into a staff meeting in Fox News’ New York City office, hiked up his shirt, made lewd remarks, and traipsed around the conference room “bopping” two Fox News staffers on the head with a copy of his book.
According to The Daily Beast’s report of the incident, Simmons shouted “Hey chicks, sue me!” after revealing his “chest and belly.” (It’s worth noting that, in the preceding interview, Simmons discussed Harvey Weinstein and claimed “Men are jackasses….I’m not validating it or defending it.”) He also reportedly made several jokes about Michael Jackson and pedophilia, somehow. The Bunny-Foo-Foo-esque book-bopping move, apparently, was an element in a joke comparing the staffers’ intelligence.
In any case, according to The Daily Beast, network executives have now permanently banned Simmons from Fox News and Fox Business Network. You can watch his final interview below; at the end, he does the weather.
Update (11/17): Gene Simmons has issued the following statement about the alleged incident at the Fox News studios yesterday through his publicist:
I have appeared frequently over the years on various Fox News and Fox Business programs and have a tremendous amount of respect for the talented women and men who work there. While I believe that what is being reported is highly exaggerated and misleading, I am sincerely sorry that I unintentionally offended members of the Fox team during my visit.