Cult rocker with a long tongue: No boredom after the Kiss finale: Gene Simmons turns 75

Gene Simmons has taken off his silver platform boots once and for all, taken off his heavy costume and taken off his make-up. After 50 years, the bassist and singer played his very last concert with his iconic band Kiss last December. For him, saying goodbye to the stage is out of the question. The cult rocker with the long tongue, who turned 75 today, is now performing without his famous make-up.

Farewell to Kiss, but not from the stage

It was foreseeable that Simmons would not last long without public appearances. In 2022, he said what he would miss most after leaving Kiss. ​​”The magic of the stage,” he said. “When you’re on stage, you can almost understand why someone would want to be the Pope. When you stand in front of a quarter of a million people on Easter Sunday, arms outstretched and everyone cheers, there is no comparable feeling.”

The band did not attract as many people as its spiritual leader at individual concerts, but they still filled large arenas and stadiums with their spectacular shows. Their biggest concert took place in 1983 in the Maracanã Stadium in Rio de Janeiro – in front of an estimated 137,000 people.

On their multi-year “End Of The Road” tour, which had to be interrupted due to the corona pandemic, Kiss played around 250 concerts between 2019 and 2023. The last two shows took place in their hometown of New York City at Madison Square Garden.

Dream of money and women

Just a few blocks away, Kiss had their first gig in 1973 – in front of about ten people. His girlfriend at the time, the wife of drummer Peter Criss and a few friends were there at the Popcorn Pub in the Queens district, Simmons said in an interview with dpa on the occasion of the band’s 50th anniversary. The costumes and make-up of Simmons, Criss, singer and guitarist Paul Stanley and lead guitarist Ace Frehley were still sparse at the time.

Together with Stanley, Simmons had initially founded the band Wicked Lester, which had even recorded songs for a planned album that was never released. Simmons and Stanley formed a new band and planned something spectacular. From the beginning, the duo was united by ambition and persistence, this unconditional will to become famous rock’n’roll stars. In later interviews, Simmons repeatedly revealed bluntly what his motivation was – not a passion for music, but money and women.

From Israel to the USA

Like Stanley, Simmons comes from a Jewish family. He was born as Chaim Witz on August 25, 1949 in Haifa. His mother Flora Klein, who was from Hungary, survived the Nazi concentration camps in Ravensbrück, Flossenbürg and Mauthausen before emigrating to Israel. This was revealed by research by “Bild”. When Simmons saw the relevant documents two years ago, the otherwise cool rock star fought back tears.

At the age of eight, he moved to the USA with his mother. His father stayed in Israel and started a new family. Little Chaim Witz became Eugene Klein in America. When he began his music career, he changed his name to Gene Simmons. The rocker, who appeared in his Kiss costume as “The Demon” and spat fire and (fake) blood, wanted to sound even more American.

Striving for the American Dream

Simmons, who grew up in poverty, dedicated himself to the “American Dream”. After his breakthrough as a rock star with Kiss, he also became a successful businessman. He turned Kiss into a brand and ensured that the band logo and the iconic stage characters were licensed for toys, clothing and countless products. Die-hard fans can even be buried in a Kiss coffin today.

A foray into the film business turned into a flop for Kiss. ​​The 1978 film “Kiss Meets The Phantom Of The Park”, which was released in Germany as “Kiss – Von Phantomen gejagt”, was unintentionally funny. Today it enjoys cult status among fans.

Simmons tried his hand at acting in the 80s. He played the villain in the science fiction thriller “Runaway” with Tom Selleck. He also appeared in the TV series “Miami Vice” and the heavy metal horror film “Trick or Treat”. However, his Hollywood career never materialized.

Success with Kiss, private happiness with Shannon

But Kiss kept going. After the band took off their masks in 1983 and went through a few line-up changes, they returned in 1996 with the original line-up and the famous make-up. In the 90s, dominated by grunge and alternative rock, Kiss suddenly became one of the hottest live groups again. The classic line-up only lasted a few years, but the make-up remained until the very last Kiss performance at Madison Square Garden on December 2, 2023.

There was hardly anything that Gene Simmons didn’t make money from. He offered a collection of around 150 previously unreleased songs in a small safe for 2000 US dollars (around 1800 euros). For the impressive sum of 50,000 dollars (just under 46,000 euros) he even personally delivered the box set to the buyers.

Simmons’ American dream was more than fulfilled. He became rich and later boasted about having slept with thousands of women. In between, he was briefly in a relationship with the singers Diana Ross and Cher. In 1986, he found personal happiness with actress and model Shannon Tweed. He has been married to the Canadian since 2011. The couple have two children.

No boredom in sight

It is questionable whether Gene Simmons will have more time for his family in the future. “The Demon” is not going to retire. In addition to numerous business projects – including those related to the Kiss brand – he wants to be on stage with his new group in the future. He recently gave two concerts in Germany with the Gene Simmons Band – in Oberhausen and at Wacken Open Air. So there is no risk of boredom.

“Of course, nothing will be like being part of Kiss,” Gene Simmons said in an interview with the German Press Agency. “But you should know when to get up from the table when you’ve eaten a lot. How much can you eat in one lifetime? We ate plenty.”