Todd Martens | L.A. Times
When Gene Simmons, leader of KISS Inc., spoke to Pop & Hiss early Friday about the grand re-opening of his El Segundo bar/restaurant Rock & Brews, he bragged that the establishment would allow customers to feel just a little bit like rock stars. Yet it soon became evident that the space couldn’t replicate all of the perks Simmons enjoys.
When a local police officer pulled over to place a ticket on the illegally parked motorcycle of a Rock & Brews employee, a trade was offered. Perhaps the ticket could be skipped, bar employees inferred, if a meet-and-greet with Simmons could be arranged? Moments later, a member of the El Segundo police force was posing for photos with the rock ‘n’ roll veteran. Please, said the officer, don’t photograph the badge, as department rules would then forbid him from placing the image on Facebook.