Gene Simmons
Gene Simmons
Chaim Witz, known professionally as Gene Simmons, is an Israeli-American musician, singer, songwriter, record producer, entrepreneur, actor and television personality. Also known by his stage persona The Demon, he is the bass guitarist and co-lead singer of Kiss, the rock band he co-founded with rhythm guitarist Paul Stanley in the early 1970s...
NationalityAmerican
ProfessionRock Singer
Date of Birth25 August 1949
CityTirat Carmel, Israel
CountryUnited States of America
I crave ideas, and when an idea hits me, it grips me and it tortures me until I master it.
Before a show, you might have aches or pains, or it's a bad rainy day, or it's too humid. We all complain about stuff. But... how do I put this poetically? Once it's the roar of the crowd and the smell of the greasepaint, forget it. Once the adrenaline kicks in and your chest expands, you forget about all that.
I voted for President Bush, I voted for President Clinton, and, although I do want my vote back, I voted for President Obama.
Fiscally, I'm very conservative. I don't believe in welfare states. I believe in giving people jobs.
I'm from Israel, so America has no limits. I started a record label, and then I started managing other artists, like Liza Minelli.
When you are a rock star in front of 20,000 people, you receive instant gratification. A rock star on tour is a king in his domain.
The biggest financial pitfall in life is divorce. And the biggest reason for divorce is marriage.
If you look at the CEOs of some the most successful companies in the world like IKEA, they never fly first class. They always go economy.
To be in a band on the road is to have anything and everything you want just by picking up the phone.
I fly economy. I do often fly first class, but I don't travel with a posse, or bodyguard, or an assistant.
I was never interested in being a rock star. I always wanted to be Boris Karloff.
The makeup is simply an extension of the personality and colors, clothing, makeup all express something.
James Bond has a license to kill, rockstars have a license to be outrageous. Rock is about grabbing people's attention.
I also learned that I love making money. Anyone who is not afraid of work will be happy with the money they make.