Gene Simmons: Comics, Nuggets And A Bright Future

Posted on by

 

Brian Lowe

Gene Simmons has been perfectly happy as a member of Kiss, the band he co-founded in New York City circa 1973 with friend Paul Stanley. Although Stanley has toured outside the band before and, more recently, taken to performing with his R&B cover band, Simmons was reluctant.

“The idea of solo tour never appealed to me,” he says, speaking from his California home on a recent Sunday afternoon. That was until he teamed up with Wizard World, the company that produces a series of comic book conventions across the country. The organizers tapped Simmons, a lifelong comic enthusiast, for some appearances and asked if he’d be interested in playing live as well.

“I said, ‘I’d love to, but the conventions don’t sound good.’ These are hollow halls that don’t have good acoustics,” he notes. “Why not take over a theater or arena someplace and do some shows? That’s really where the genesis of the idea started.”

To form his band, he tapped players who had worked with a variety of other acts including former Mötley Crüe vocalist John Corabi, and committed to five dates. Key to his commitment was making sure that fans had affordable tickets, keeping the price range to around $35. “I didn’t want people to get gouged on tickets,” he offers.

Simmons, however, is a notorious multi-tasker with a variety of business concerns. He’s hitting areas, including St. Louis, that are home to the Rock & Brews restaurants that he and Stanley have been opening across the U.S. The pair will expand the franchise to include a resort and casino in Bramen, Oklahoma, where Simmons appears on April 6.

Continue reading →

JOHN 5 Takes Partial Credit For Reuniting GENE SIMMONS And ACE FREHLEY In Beverly Hills

Posted on by

Blabbermouth

In a brand new interview with the “Talk Toomey” podcast, former MARILYN MANSON and current ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5 (real name: John William Lowery) took partial credit for reuniting Gene Simmons and Ace Frehley at the former KISS guitarist’s February 3 concert in Beverly Hills, California, marking the first time the KISS legends were photographed together since their 2014 induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame.

Asked how he came to be involved with Ace and Gene‘s reunion, John 5 said (hear audio below): “Gene is my buddy, just like Peter [Criss, original KISS drummer], Paul [Stanley, KISS frontman] and Ace. I e-mailed Gene and I said, ‘Gene, hear me out. Let’s go down the street from your house. Ace is playing right down the street. Let’s go have some laughs, let’s go watch Ace. I’ll pick you up, we’ll park right in front, we’ll walk in, and we’ll have a great time. ‘Cause me and Gene, we get together and we laugh and we have a really good time. I mean, I love the guy — love the guy. Iv’e known him for years, and he’s the funniest, best guy.”

He continued: “So I’m thinking he’s gonna e-mail me back and go, ‘I can’t do that,’ or, ‘That’s not a good idea,’ or, ‘I’m busy.’ And he e-mails me back and he goes, ‘Okay. Let’s do it.’ And I set it all up, made sure we had our parking right in front. And we walked in. And we were sitting in the room. Ace wasn’t there yet. Ace walks in, and I’ll tell you, man, those guys started talking like they have been… They didn’t miss a beat. They were just talking like no time has passed. And they were talking about [the early days of KISS performing at] the Coventry [club in Queens, New York], and they were talking about the Daisy [club in Amityville, New York], and it was so cool. It was really cool. And I didn’t say a word; I just listened. ‘Cause these guys were talking and just talking and talking. And it was so great, and we all had a great night. Ace sounded amazing. Ace sounded great. And me and Gene were watching on the side of the stage and we had a blast. And we just all had… It was a night I’ll never forget, and I’m so glad we did it.”

Continue reading →

Gene Simmons Might Be James Franco’s Daddy In Deleted ‘Why Him?’ Scene

Posted on by

WAAF

If you saw the James Franco/Bryan Cranston comedy Why Him? in theaters, then you are aware that the band KISS holds an important role in the film’s plot as being the favorite band of the Flemings (Cranston, Megan Mullally). In an attempt to warm up to his possible in-laws, Franco’s character Laird, an unapologetically unfiltered online billionaire, recruits the talents of Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley in hopes of getting their blessing to marry their daughter.

Recently, a deleted scene of their cameo has surfaced that suggests that Simmons could be Laird’s genetic father after a wild night while on their “Creatures of the Night” tour in Oakland, California. “He’s got your eyes,” says Stanley. Unconvinced, Simmons has Laird compare their tongue skills to see if they could indeed be a match. “Scoop it like it’s mommy’s hot ice cream,” says Simmons. Because science, right?

Bill Aucoin featured in 1st issue of Rock Candy

Posted on by

Rock Candy

Remember KERRANG! Magazine? Remember it had that cool UK angle and always felt they had pics you’d never seen before? Now, some of the creators of Kerrang have reconvened to launch ROCK CANDY, a magazine focusing on the rock bands we grew up with in the 70’s 80’s and 90’s.

Who’s the lead story of their debut issue you ask? Bill Aucoin of course. In this 7 page piece, Peter Criss, Gene Simmons, Billy Squier, Carol Kaye and others give their perspective on Bill’s persona, his talent, his magic, and his unrelenting quest to reach the top. You can buy the premier issue from the link below

www.rockcandymag.com

No KISS and tell: Gene Simmons talks about upcoming solo show in Braman

Posted on by

Jimmie Tramel | Tulsa World

KISS doesn’t begin an overseas tour until May 1.

“Before then, I am kind of free,” Gene Simmons said.

What should he do with his spare time?

Jam in Oklahoma, of course.

It was announced recently that Simmons will headline an all-day outdoor music festival April 6 at Southwind Casino in Braman, a tiny Kay County town in north central Oklahoma.

Simmons provided elaboration during a telephone interview that came after the festival was announced in a March 20 press release.

First, in case you’re not clear about this, be aware that KISS isn’t performing April 6 in Braman. A KISS concert there is likely inevitable because Simmons and Paul Stanley announced in January they are teaming with the Kaw Nation to bring a Rock & Brews Casino Resort (with a 1,500-seat event center) to Braman. But that’s a story for another day.

The “now” news is Simmons will hop on stage in Braman with what he called the Gene Simmons Band. They performed March 18 in Cleveland, Ohio, in what has been described as Simmons’ first full-length solo concert.

“Every once in a while, Johnny Depp and I will get up someplace and play a song or two, but I never toured or never did anything outside of KISS,” Simmons said. “And I’m having a great time.”

How will a Simmons show be different than a KISS show?

Simmons won’t be in makeup. Those who make the trek to Braman can count on hearing some KISS standards. “Of course, we will play ‘Rock and Roll All Nite,’ ” Simmons said.

But he said solo shows give him a chance to “dig deep” and perform “obscure” material. He mentioned the songs “Almost Human” and “Got Love for Sale” from KISS’ “Love Gun” album.

Continue reading →

Gene Simmons On Idea Of KISS Continuing Without Original Members

Posted on by

Ultimate Guitar

KISS cofounder Gene Simmons doesn’t appear to have a problem with the idea of the band continuing without him or Paul Stanley, he revealed in a recent interview.

Simmons was asked by Cantonrep.com, “The idea of KISS moving on without Paul Stanley and yourself is another highly-debated topic among Kiss fans. You see it working to some degree with bands like AC/DC with only one original member and Foreigner, who often play live with none. Is it a testament to the strength of the music that an idea like that could work for generations to come?”

Gene responded, “Well, AC/DC has had 21 different members. But it’s more than music. It’s a vibe. You can’t just get a jazz musician to step up there with a rock band, I don’t care who it is, and make it convincing. Not just in how you play, but how you stand on stage. People are listening with their eyes. They’re bringing their eyes, and you better make that work. It’s not just your ears. When you stayed at home in the old days, you could turn on the radio, and you didn’t know what anybody looked like. That’s different.

Continue reading →

Guitarist Adam Bomb Recalls His Audition for KISS

Posted on by

Jeff Giles | Ultimate Classic Rock

Kiss auditioned dozens of potential replacements after Ace Frehley departed the lineup in the early ’80s — including a teenage guitarist calling himself Adam Bomb, who recounts the experience in his upcoming memoir.

Classic Rock has premiered an excerpt from Bomb’s book, titled 911 Is Disconnected … So This Is Rock & Roll, in which he takes readers through his version of the events surrounding his brief brush with Kiss. At the time, he was just a young musician looking for a gig, and had no idea when he responded to a Billboard ad from a band seeking a guitarist that he’d end up on the phone with drummer Eric Carr.

Invited to audition — and informed he’d have to make his own way to Los Angeles — Bomb hurriedly brushed up on the four songs he was told he’d need to play: “Firehouse,” “Detroit Rock City,” “Black Diamond” and “Calling Doctor Love.” Determined to take his shot even though he was neither old nor tall enough to fit the description posted in the ad, he learned “every lick, shake and squeak that Ace Frehley made on the live and studio albums. … If nothing else, I was going to play those songs with Kiss.”

Arriving early enough to catch another hopeful’s failed audition, Bomb made his way into the rehearsal studio — and, as he tells it, regardless of how the experience ultimately turned out in terms of employment opportunities, it lived up to his dreams. “I wanted to scream but I kept my cool. I was still a huge fan. I pictured them in my mind from the record jacket for Kiss Alive and from seeing them in concert in Seattle. I felt like the whole world stopped turning for a moment,” he wrote. “It was just me in a room in Hollywood, playing lead guitar with Kiss.” Continue reading →

Katey Sagal Opens Up About Affair with Gene Simmons, Says He Helped Boost Her Career

Posted on by

Just Jared

Katey Sagal is opening up about her longtime affair with Gene Simmons while she was just an aspiring singer and actress.

The 62-year-old actress has revealed that she and the Kiss frontman had an affair back when she was in her 20s work as a singing waitress at an Los Angeles restaurant, according to the NY Daily News.

CHECK OUT: Katey Sagal Reveals 15-Year Battle with Drug Addiction

Katey writes in her upcoming memoir “Grace Notes” that one night Gene came into the restaurant where she sang for him before taking him home “because he was quite persuasive, and I like men.”

Katey admits that she was attracted to Gene because he was “weird” and “he was cute and had a lot of confidence.”

Gene would eventually go on to help Katey and her band get signed to Kiss‘ record label, giving her one of her first starts in the business.

Despite her band fizzling out, Katey and Gene continued their affair until she learned of his womanizer way, but had always “fantasized” that she would be the one to change him.