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Kilgor
05-15-2004, 10:12 PM
KISS bassist offends Muslims


By Alex Wilson
May 14, 2004
KISS bass player Gene Simmons has caused an uproar among Australia's Muslim community by launching an attack on Islamic culture while in Melbourne.

The lizard-tongued rock god who is touring Australia with the world's most enduring glam rock band launched an attack on Muslim extremists during an interview on Melbourne's 3AW radio.

"Extremism believes that it's okay to strap bombs on to your children and send them to paradise and whatever else and to behead people," he said yesterday.

The Israeli-born US musician went on to say Islam was a "vile culture" that treated women worse than dogs.

Muslim women had to walk behind their men and were not allowed to be educated or own houses, he said.









"Your dog, however, can walk side by side, your dog is allowed to have its own dog house... you can send your dog to school to learn tricks, sit, beg, do all that stuff – none of the women have that advantage."

He went on to say the west was under threat.

"This is a vile culture and if you think for a second that it's going to just live in the sands of God's armpit you've got another thing coming," he said.

"They want to come and live right where you live and they think that you're evil."

Simmons said the United Nations approach did not work and the west had to "speak softly and carry a big stick".

The radio station today fielded calls from Muslims upset at the comments, including Australian Muslim of the year Susan Carland, who said Australian Muslims rejected extremism and did not fit Simmons' stereotype.

Ms Carland said she had two degrees, was doing her honours and "certainly do not walk behind my husband".

The chairman of the Islamic Council of Victoria, Yasser Soliman, said Simmons' comments were "very unfortunate".

"He's very famous obviously and popular and, as a result, influential," he said.

"Mixing the entertainment world with the political and religious world is a minefield."

He said Simmons had begun by talking about extremists but had gone on to vilify the entire Muslim culture.

"A number of his claims regarding women and what they are allowed to do and not do are wrong – Islam teaches the opposite," he said.

Simmons had a right to free speech, but this had to be balanced against the damage done to innocent people, he said.

"I think it would be good for overseas speakers and commentators to be given some sort of advice in regards to our vilification laws here," he said.

"They leave and go back to where they arrived from, but they leave behind a big mess that we have to live with."

Maverick77
05-15-2004, 10:15 PM
who gives a ****

everyones offended these days.

American Patriot
05-15-2004, 10:29 PM
Gene Simmons is alive and kicking

bishop1
05-15-2004, 11:00 PM
I dont mean to offen, but he has some valid points

OB Kenobi
05-15-2004, 11:28 PM
who gives a ****

everyones offended these days.

Gene Simmons, voice of reason?

http://www.mk-magazine.com/news/3-20-03/gene.jpg

scm77
05-16-2004, 12:27 AM
I agree who cares. Anything you say these days will offend someone or some group. :bash:

obd
05-16-2004, 01:36 AM
Hehe, well Simmons should have said "Middle Eastern Culture" as it has adopted Islam.... After all, Islam in Australia is very very different from Islam in Saudi Arabia........Although Islam does have several tenants which I disagree with regarding Islam, and the Koran is rather ambiguos and contradictory on this matter, the fact is that it is more to do with the patriarchal culture of the middle east than any other thing...... Where I live in America there is a large Muslum community and it is quite the opposite of what Simmons speaks of: The Musums in my community are VERY quite and peaceful... In fact, the Muslum neghborhoods have some of the lowest crime rates of the area according to local news "safest places to live" segment which compiled police records.......

In fact, local Christian evengelicals are more likely to be found preaching hellfire and damnation sermons on my university campus and threatening people with Hell if they do not convert..... Those radical Christians are more scary and espose more violent ideology than the local Muslums.......

The week before my exams ended there were two fundementalist Christians shouting that all non-Christians were evil and should be shunned. "BEWARE, Dont let you son or daughter associuate with non-Christians or your house will suffer!!!" and that kind of ****.....real real nutbag crap if you ask me.....Jeez talk about intolerance......

obd
05-16-2004, 01:37 AM
Hehe, well Simmons should have said "Middle Eastern Culture" as it has adopted Islam.... After all, Islam in Australia is very very different from Islam in Saudi Arabia........Although Islam does have several tenants which I disagree with regarding Islam, and the Koran is rather ambiguos and contradictory on this matter, the fact is that it is more to do with the patriarchal culture of the middle east than any other thing...... Where I live in America there is a large Muslum community and it is quite the opposite of what Simmons speaks of: The Musums in my community are VERY quite and peaceful... In fact, the Muslum neghborhoods have some of the lowest crime rates of the area according to local news "safest places to live" segment which compiled police records.......

In fact, local Christian evengelicals are more likely to be found preaching hellfire and damnation sermons on my university campus and threatening people with Hell if they do not convert..... Those radical Christians are more scary and espose more violent ideology than the local Muslums.......

The week before my exams ended there were two fundementalist Christians shouting that all non-Christians were evil and should be shunned. "BEWARE, Dont let you son or daughter associuate with non-Christians or your house will suffer!!!" and that kind of ****.....real real nutbag crap if you ask me.....Jeez talk about intolerance......

Trigger
05-16-2004, 01:49 AM
In fact, local Christian evengelicals are more likely to be found preaching hellfire and damnation sermons on my university campus and threatening people with Hell if they do not convert..... Those radical Christians are more scary and espose more violent ideology than the local Muslums.......

The week before my exams ended there were two fundementalist Christians shouting that all non-Christians were evil and should be shunned. "BEWARE, Dont let you son or daughter associuate with non-Christians or your house will suffer!!!" and that kind of ****.....real real nutbag crap if you ask me.....Jeez talk about intolerance......
Sounds like the 'fundamental Christians' in your neighborhood are all f**ked up...or to put it politely: not behaving in a fundamental Christian manner.
Why am I not surprised? Must be something in the water where you live. Look how you turned out. :roll:

GazB
05-16-2004, 01:51 AM
Worth saying twice obd... don't fix it.


Sounds like the 'fundamental Christians' in your neighborhood are all f**ked up...or to put it politely: not behaving in a fundamental Christian manner.
Why am I not surprised? Must be something in the water where you live. Look how you turned out.

Of course... Christians that do bad things are unchristian, but those who follow Islam are characterised and best described by the nutters within their orgs.
Same excuse with American soldiers... they can perform torture and massacres, but they don't represent America do they?

obd
05-16-2004, 02:38 AM
Hehe, its not just my "area" that has nutbag Christians.. I was watching the 700 club with Pat Robertson the other day ( for fun because I love it when he says "you are all helpless sheep and with out God as your shepard you cannot get back up after you fall down and you need God in your life because you are doomed without God which I guess means his TC version of God heheheh because he sure as hell claims to communicate directly with God on occassion and tells people on his show what God tells him which kinda reminds me of that Waco texas nut..... but anyway)

so PAt Robertson was taking peoples questions..... One Christian women wrote in saying her son was dating a non-Christian and asked if this was "ok".... Pat Robertson said "No it is not okay and then proceeded to quote some part of the bible talking about not letting your children associate with non Christians and he finished off by suggesting that she do everything in her power to make her son break off his relationship with the lost soul because it would "bring ruin to her home and pain into his life"...........and Pat Robertson is a man respected by many American Christians....scary ****...

Pat Robertson is also the man who on the 700 Club said God had told him that Bush was going to win the next election.... I guess God is gonna be watching this election as close as I will.....I hope he has plasma screen technology......if not he can chill with me in the air conditioning ROFLMAO.......

Oh yeah, and Pat Robertson is also the man who said after 9/11 that it was the fault of the gays that we were attacked... Because we accepted gays the "faith shield" (no ****, thats what he said) was lost and God opened us up to attack.....He later made a public apology because of the outcry but it just goes to show you the kind of radicalism seeping beneath the surface among many Christians.......They may talk of peace and "acceptance" on one show but then they very next day they preach intollerance and segregation from different people..........

Trigger
05-16-2004, 02:45 AM
I can't verify all the things you claim Pat Robertson said, but I'll say this: If your only source of Christian biblical info is the 700 club, you may want to seek a second opinion. :D

I'd be willing to bet that any Christian who has actually studied his bible can easily spot the flaws in some of Pat's statements. It's just a shame that we all get lumped in as 'fundamentalist wackos'. Oh well, whataygonnado?

obd
05-16-2004, 02:48 AM
Whats funny is many times that number of innocent people die every year in American from random violence and disease.... and they have been dying like that since human civilization existed..... I wonder why God had a faith shield to protect us "from attack" but for some reason we dont have or have lost our "faith shields" for the thousands upon thousands who are victims of rape, murder, etc every year.... I wonder who PAt Robertson blames for that but I will bet you the last person he blames is the rapist or the murder.....no no no, PAt Robertson see's Gods meaning and Gods truth in all of these things.....ROFLMAO Ah man what a crock of ****.... People like Robertson are responsible for more ignorance and hatred and suffering than most........

Why is it so damn hard for reasonable educated people to stand up to religious radicals and ignorant fools who see the world in simplistic terms like "good vs. Evil" and "Us vs. Them" and "With us or Against Us".....Its hard for Muslums to do it...its hard for Hindu's in India to shake off radicalism, and its hard for Christians..... Wouldnt it be nice if all the absolutist bitches just fought eachother and stopped tying us rational people up in thier bull****e???? Kinda like in the Greek days when an entire battle would sometimes be deciced by each army picking its best warrior to fight the others best.........

obd
05-16-2004, 02:53 AM
Very good point Trigger... I do think its a damn shame that a few radical nuts like PAt Robertson can ruin the Christian reputaiton.... Just remmember it goes both ways.... A few radical nut Muslums can ruin the Muslum reputation.....

I look at it this way: There are more Muslums in this world than Christians and according to international census Islam is exapnding at a faster rate than Christianity......If it were true that Islam was such a violent religion than we would be in much much deeper **** that we are in........

There are over 1 billion Muslums on this earth.... If they were all hellbent on destroying us we would be hurtin pretty bad at the moment.......so would they of course but we would come off bad of it to be sure.........

Trigger
05-16-2004, 02:58 AM
Why is it so damn hard for reasonable educated people to stand up to religious radicals and ignorant fools who see the world in simplistic terms like "good vs. Evil" and "Us vs. Them" and "With us or Against Us"....
I think the reasonable educated people do stand up when faced with falsehoods. It's just that they are outnumbered by the AK-47 or hatchet wielding ignorant masses who are easily misled.

Then again, phrases like 'good vs. evil', 'us vs. them' and 'with us or against us' (Bushisms. Coinciedental? I think not ;) ) sound simple but are somewhat accurate.

Trigger
05-16-2004, 03:03 AM
... I do think its a damn shame that a few radical nuts like PAt Robertson can ruin the Christian reputaiton.... Just remmember it goes both ways.... A few radical nut Muslums can ruin the Muslum reputation.....
This is my biggest point of contention. When a person calling themselves a Christian flips out and does some wacky sh*t, it's often times other Christians that cry foul. As it should be.

I don't hear the same outcry from the muslim world (not counting the recent Berg murder) when wave after wave of suicide bombers rolls over Israel or Russia or anywhere else for that matter.

GazB
05-16-2004, 03:52 AM
Then again, phrases like 'good vs. evil', 'us vs. them' and 'with us or against us' (Bushisms. Coinciedental? I think not ) sound simple but are somewhat accurate.

Actually very inaccurate. I never supported your invasion of Iraq, but I haven't done anything to stop you or to harm you... except point out what I think you are doing wrong. There are just as many people in the US that could be considered evil as there are anywhere else.

Just look at Bush's methods of "saving the world". He wants to spread democracy and peace to the world, in much the same way America accused Stalin of trying to spread peace and communism... by force.


I don't hear the same outcry from the muslim world (not counting the recent Berg murder) when wave after wave of suicide bombers rolls over Israel or Russia or anywhere else for that matter.

Does that mean they are not saying it or that your media would rather run a story of another nutter doing something stupid. Where is the Christian or Jewish or whatever denounciation of what Gene Simmons said? If the US bears no responsibility for what a few Grunts did in Iraqi prisons what responsibility does the church carry?


This is my biggest point of contention. When a person calling themselves a Christian flips out and does some wacky sh*t, it's often times other Christians that cry foul. As it should be.

Can you post examples of this?

SeanAshi
05-16-2004, 05:35 AM
Although I do not like their music, but Gene Simmons & Ted Nugent are my favorite rock stars.

Mr Gently Benevolent
05-16-2004, 06:08 AM
This is a vile culture and if you think for a second that it's going to just live in the sands of God's armpit you've got another thing coming," he said.
He might be a great performer but what a gob ****e.:roll:

n4292936
05-16-2004, 06:23 AM
Its not often that people consider the Christians that slaughtered 300 muslims in Nigeria, or that Timothy McVeigh was a devout Christian and then connect those facts with an derogetory opinion of western/christian culture. That sort of rational is the spurious products of deficient minds; minds that pigeon hole people for lack of an understanding of the shades of grey that exist among all cultures. I can't stand "them & us" mentalities who can only see the world in black and white :slap: .

soldierandy
05-16-2004, 06:57 AM
That sort of rational is the spurious products of deficient minds; minds that pigeon hole people for lack of an understanding of the shades of grey that exist among all cultures. I can't stand "them & us" mentalities who can only see the world in black and white :slap: .

...and who is the most guilty of doing that??? Islam is my guess!

n4292936
05-16-2004, 08:52 AM
It is a mindset that is pervasive in the Middle East to be sure... but it a human phenonomena not a cultural one. All people do it, including Americans. An added disadvantage in the Middle East is that Arabs see themselves as oppressed or subjugated to western powers, or the subject of unfair treatment by them. Right or wrong, this has bred a deep seated sentiment of their culture being on the defensive against a pervasive western influence thereby amplifying the "them against us" mentality. Of course, there are many western people that would say the same thing about Islam. I dont think one culture hates more than another, all habitually fail to understand the others position however.

weedman
05-16-2004, 08:53 AM
http://www.mk-magazine.com/news/3-20-03/gene.jpg`

And he's talking about such things? Haha.... :roll:

sethen
05-16-2004, 09:02 AM
Well obviously if the world is going to be ciivilized we need to be more like Gene Simmons and the Jewish community, right? It is not like they don't blow up houses, shoot arab children or have supported and trained people like Idi Amin. hmm??? :cantbeli: Genes last thought: *More Goy Shiksas*

California Joe
05-16-2004, 09:09 AM
Since when do rock stars opinions on anything matter unless it's power chords, bass lines, cocaine ingestion, drinking their faces off or eating pussy.

Hullebullen
05-16-2004, 09:11 AM
^Word...

anonymous individual
05-16-2004, 10:38 AM
I have to agree with Simmon. He has a point. I am pretty sure he has specifically pointed at the extremists so why did the Muslim get mad?

California Joe
05-16-2004, 12:34 PM
Mostly because he's a vapid albeit successful rock star with spray on hair, a long tongue, a penchant for dressing up as a demonic kabuki when he isn't hawking some overly inflated KISS merchandise on the internet or banging Shannon Tweed. This does make him somewhat more credible as a political pundit than most of Fox News but still not credible enough to be making ****ouncements on the war in Iraq.

You must remember that KISS was cool when I was in Junior Highschool and that was before most of you were born.

2Sheds_Jackson
05-16-2004, 12:48 PM
Go Gene, go Gene go go go Gene (it's yer birthday..)

This is great stuff. Hey, the guy has a point. He's just not very PC. As further evidence of his call-it-like-I-see-it attitude (he's kind of a heavy metal Col. Hackworth) - witness this transcript of a very funny & uncomfortable interview on NPR. Two people who clearly didn't care much for each other - a cartoonish, unrepentantly male, opinionated *** junkie rock star & a chopped hair, pants-suit wearing android like gender-neutral female would-be intellectual. They will no longer provide the audio (or even the transcript) on NPR!

My two cents - he has every right to his opinion, like everyone else. If some people assign more weight to it than the average joe's opinion, that's their problem, not his.

(Sorry for the length, the best stuff is towards the end)




Transcript of Gene Simmons and Terry Gross, host of NPR's Fresh Air.
Originally broadcast on February 4th, 2002
Introduction (Terry Gross): When KISS started performing in the '70s, the band became famous for its look as well as its music. They paint their faces in bold black-and-white patterns that seem inspired by comic book superheroes and villains. They also dress outrageously, in wardrobes that include giant platform shoes, breastplates, and codpieces. The band has been the subject of comic books and movies, and has had all kinds of merchandising tie-ins. Now Gene Simmons has a best-selling memoir called KISS and Makeup. Gene Simmons is his stage name; he was born in Israel in 1949, the son of a Holocaust survivor. When he was ten, he moved with his mother to Queens, New York. There he dropped his Hebrew name and became Gene Klein.

Terry Gross: Gene Simmons, welcome to Fresh Air.

Gene Simmons: Thank you.

Terry Gross: Let's start with the makeup. Did you like being covered up on stage, did it make you feel any less vulnerable, or any less like Gene Simmons or your other names -- Gene Klein or Chaim White, which was your birth name?

Gene Simmons: Close, but no guitars. It's Chaim Witz.

Terry Gross: Oh, thanks. Okay.

Gene Simmons: You said it -- well, the name came out through gentile mouth, so it didn't quite have the flavor. It came out bland.

Terry Gross: Well it's ... it's not a gentile mouth.

Gene Simmons: Ooh! Maybe it's a discussion we can have.

Terry Gross: Okay.

Gene Simmons: But let's not start something we're not going to finish.

Terry Gross: Right.

Gene Simmons: But in terms of the, uh, what was the question about makeup?

Terry Gross: Did you like being covered up by makeup, and did it make you feel less vulnerable or, you know, less like Gene Simmons --

Gene Simmons: Well --

Terry Gross: -- Gene Klein, or your birth name ...?

Gene Simmons: I don't feel covered up more or less than any girls feels covers up-- covered up, when she wears makeup. The makeup is simply an extension of the personality and, uh, colors, clothing, makeup all express something. And getting up on a stage was chance to sort of live out the ... oh, I don't know, sort of a scream therapy meets a rock and roll band version. I wanted to put together the band I never saw on stage. I wanted to be in a band that gave bang for the buck. I wanted to be in the band who didn't look like a bunch of guys who, you know, should be in a library studying for their finals. You know, I wanted stars up on stage. And regular people just didn't look big enough. So we wore 8-inch platform heels, put on more makeup and higher heels than your mother, and made more money than your banker.

Terry Gross: [laughs]

Gene Simmons: So it all kind of works out.

Terry Gross: Did you pattern your makeup on comic book heroes?

Gene Simmons: Um ... my makeup came as a result of a lot of things, all things Americana. Godzilla, horror movies, science fiction ... uh, Black Bolt, which was an Inhumans Marvel comic book, and science fiction certainly. So it's comic books, sort of, all things sort of American pop culture. The rest of the guys in the band had different notions. Paul put on the red lips and the star over his eye as a kind of a exaggeration of what he thought a rock star was, because he always wanted to be a rock star. I was never interested in being a rock star. I always wanted to be Boris Karloff. And Ace -- who's the spaceman in the group, you know -- has delusions of grandeur, and perhaps gravity doesn't quite affect him in the same way, which is to say that he doesn't have good equilibrium, which is a big word, come to think of it. Just like "gymnasium." This is NPR. That's why we're using big words.

Terry Gross: How would you describe the pattern on your face?

Gene Simmons: A banker's pattern. When you look at it, it says, "Boy that guy's got a lot of money." You know why I'm pulling your leg? Because I can't touch it from where I am. This is a serious kind of --

Terry Gross: [laughs]

Gene Simmons: This is a serious program.

Terry Gross: Well, we'll get to that a little later.

Gene Simmons: I'm not going to play like this serious --

Terry Gross: We'll get to the tally a little later.

Gene Simmons: Because this is all -- after all, it means very little. I'm in a weird band. We've done very well. The American Dream is alive and well. And in terms of what it all means, it's sort of academic, really. It's about two guys from the intelligentsia, which is not the intelligence service, who sit around and sort of contemplate their navel. At the end of the day, it means nothing. At the end of the day, food tastes good, I like it or I don't like it. And KISS? Yeah, I like him or I don't like him, that's a conversation, and it's never-ending. But what you can't argue with is the American notion, which is "of the people, for the people, by the people." They vote with money. You and I, we just sit here and we talk and toss the ball around. That doesn't mean a lot. So at the end of the --

Terry Gross: Are you trying to say to me that all that matters to you is money?

Gene Simmons: I will contend, and you try to disprove it, that the most important thing as we know it on this planet, in this plane, is, in fact, money. Want me to prove it?

Terry Gross: Go ahead.

Gene Simmons: The first thing you need -- besides air, which so far is free, and by the way if you went scuba diving, you're paying for air -- the other thing besides that is food, it's what we need to survive. I don't know what other tool I would use besides money to buy it. Although, as a woman of course you have the ability to sell your body, then get the money, and then, with that, get food. But ultimately money is part of it. And so --

Terry Gross: [laughs] You -- you -- you are weird.

Gene Simmons: Really? How do you get food?

Terry Gross: Well, not by selling my body. But --

Gene Simmons: But that's a choice you have that I don't. But getting to the money part, money is the single most important thing on the planet, including the notion that uh, love gives you everything. That's a lot of hogwash. Because although I subscribe to the romantic notion of life --

Terry Gross: Well, let's cut to the chase. How much -- how much money do you have?

Gene Simmons: Gee, a lot more than NPR.

Terry Gross: Oh, I know. I -- you're very defensive on money, aren't you?

Gene Simmons: No, I'm not, I'm just trying to show you that there's a big world out there, and reading books is wonderful. I've certainly read, well, perhaps as many as you have, but there's a delusional kind of notion that runs rampant in --

Terry Gross: Wait, wait, could we just get something straight?

Gene Simmons: Of course.

Terry Gross: I'm not here to prove that I'm smart --

Gene Simmons: Not you --

Terry Gross: I'm not here to prove that you're not smart or that you don't read books or can't make a lot of money --

Gene Simmons: This is not about you. You're being very defensive -- why are you doing that?

Terry Gross: [laughs] It's contagious.

Gene Simmons: Yeah.

Terry Gross: Can we get back to your makeup? What do you use to paint your face, and do you ever break out from that?

Gene Simmons: No, it's actually oil-based. It's Stein's makeup ... is one of the brand names, but you can use lots of different ... lots of things. I don't think I've ever been asked that question. But no. My skin is more beautiful than yours. I would be quite more popular in jail if I so chose.

Terry Gross: [laughs] What do you do to take the makeup off? What do you use?

Gene Simmons: You use, uh, Ponds. You know, the same stuff women do. Or you can use a, uh, a Stein's concoction, which is, you know, sorta similar but more ... industrious. Industrial. Industrious means sort of ambitious. Industrial in strength.

Terry Gross: Now, clothes that you've worn onstage include fishnet stockings. Spiked platform heels --

Gene Simmons: That's actually untrue.

Terry Gross: Not -- no?

Gene Simmons: No. Better research needed. Fire your research person. No fishnet stockings. Never. Not in this band.

Terry Gross: Oh I'm sure I saw you with fishnets --

Gene Simmons: We catch fish with fishnets.

Terry Gross: I was sure I saw you in them. But that's all right. I ... I trust you. I trust you on that.

Gene Simmons: Don't ever do that, I'm a man.

Terry Gross: No. Let's get to the studded codpiece.

Gene Simmons: Oh yes.

Terry Gross: Do you have a sense of humor about that?

Gene Simmons: No.

Terry Gross: Does that seem funny to you? Are you --

Gene Simmons: No, it holds in my manhood.

Terry Gross: [laughs] That's right.

Gene Simmons: Otherwise it would be too much for you to take. You'd have to put the book down and confront life. The notion is that if you want to welcome me with open arms, I'm afraid you're also going to have to welcome me with open legs.

Terry Gross: That's a really obnoxious thing to say.

Gene Simmons: No it's not, it's being -- why should I say something behind your back that I can't tell you to your face?

Terry Gross: Wait, it -- it -- has it come to this? Is this the only way that you can talk to a woman? To do that shtick?

Gene Simmons: Let me ask you something. Why is it shtick when all women have ever wanted ever since we've crawled out of caves is, Why can't a man just tell me the truth and just speak to me plainly? Though, if I do that -- you can't have it both ways.

Terry Gross: So you really have no sense of humor about this, do you?

Gene Simmons: Oh, I'm laughing all the way. You know, we're --

Terry Gross: Oh, to the bank, right?

Gene Simmons: Well of course. [laughs] Don't I sound like a happy guy?

Terry Gross: Not really, to be honest with you.

Gene Simmons: I was going to suggest that you get outside of the musty place where you can count the dust particles falling around you. And get out in the world and see what everybody else is doing.

Terry Gross: Having *** with you?

Gene Simmons: Well, if you chose, but you'd have to stand in line.

Terry Gross: Well, that's the thing. We might as well get to this since you ... since you keep bringing it up. Uh ... yeah. You've had 4,000 --

Gene Simmons: I didn't actually, you did.

Terry Gross: You write in your book you've had 4,600 ****** liaisons --

Gene Simmons: You're supposed to say "so far."

Terry Gross: So far.

Gene Simmons: Right.

Terry Gross: To you, this will be asking the obvious, but why have you wanted so many encounters?

Gene Simmons: I can only spell it in three letters. M-A-N. When a woman ... and, look, I'm not here to say that I'm a scientist, or pretend or portend to be anything else -- those are semantics of course, but then neither you or I are anti-semantic. The notion is plain. And I read a book called Myth of Monogamy, which actually, sort of, uh, approached the subject and verbalized it, and I finally understood what it was. Because every woman suspects that the man she's laying next to is not necessarily going to be, well, "faithful" is the word. And privately she tells her girlfriends, "Oh God, all men are dogs." You're correct. And I'm here to tell you that in my deluded , uh, perspective, perhaps, it's biological. The first, "man" -- and women -- if man was predisposed to be monogamous, and we all lived in caves at that point, there were one or two alpha males, and the rest were females. Either way, if we were monogamous, within one or two generations, we would all be cross-eyed and retarded. Get it?

Terry Gross: So let me ask this. You say you've had *** with about 4,600 people. Women.

Gene Simmons: Women. Yes.

Terry Gross: Um, do you actually count? I mean do you have, like, a book --

Gene Simmons: You know, you know, I never --

Terry Gross: -- in which you keep hash marks, or --

Gene Simmons: I never paid much attention to it, because I've always lived my life the way my mother taught me to live with, which is that every day above ground is a good day. Don't look over your shoulder at society's rules, or whether or not you please anybody else except you, because at the end of your life, right before they stick you underground, you can't go into the "would'a, could'a, should'a." You can't do that great Jewish joke. What's a great Jewish whine? "I wanna go to Palm Springs." Doesn't fly. You're responsible for your own happiness, and women have to get that notion of, don't look to your guy. You have to figure out what makes you happy. And I did, a long time ago. I'm an only child, and I had a lot of time to figure it out. And so what I figured out a long time ago was, every day should be enjoyable, a, if you will, um, Epicurean hedonist. Look it up in your Funk & Wagnall's. And what it means is, life is the pursuit of pleasure. And I've done very well pursuing it. And so the band has been around 30 years. We're right behind the Beatles in the number of gold records by any groups in history. Somebody likes us. Women, and their sisters, and their moms, seem to want to express their adoration and/or fan-worship, or perhaps they want to see if my oral appendage actually does have a spin-and-dry cycle, and whether or not it has the ability to whip up a good froth. Ladies, I'm here to tell you it does. So for whatever reason they deem me worthy of their companionship, I was more than glad to oblige. And so, almost 30 years ago, I started taking photos. Polaroids. And I still have them to this day. And so, when the book was being written, Crown Publishers, who published my book, wanted to know -- you know, you can't just say "I did this" and "I did that," you have to give specifics. So I sat down and started counting. One, two, and so on. And arrived at about 4,600 and change.

Terry Gross: Are you interested in music, or is the goal of being in a rock band to have *** a lot?

Gene Simmons: I believe in my heart that anyone who gets up there and says what they're doing is art is on crack, and is delusional, and that in point of fact, what they really ... their modus operandi initially -- perhaps it changed when they started to question their ******ity, but clearly, initially -- it was to get laid and make lots of money. And anybody who tells you otherwise is lying to you. The reason we all wanted to pick up instruments initially ... you know, publicly, anyway -- I will grant you there are those people who really love music and simply want to do it as a private pleasure. The jury is out, I have no comment, but as soon as you get up publicly and want other people to hear it, it seems odd that we really get off on the notion that the opposite ***, the fairer *** -- that's you -- like what we do. And perhaps, if we do it really well, you'll think, "Gee, he's not only talented and bright, but he's kinda cute, too." That's what we're hoping for. Against all odds. And in music, it's the great aphrodisiac that says that even though I'm short, fat, ugly, bald, and ... and I'm hung like a second-grader, but if I'm in a rock band, I've got a better than average chance of bedding you down than if I was a dentist. I didn't make those rules. I come from Israel. I'm ... I'm simply a student at your feet. This is what I've noticed.

Terry Gross: Are you interested in music at all?

Gene Simmons: Don't you love this interview? Tell me the truth.

Terry Gross: Well, I think it's kind of a drag, because you're making speeches.

Gene Simmons: That's right.

Terry Gross: And you're being intentionally obnoxious. [laughs]

Gene Simmons: No, I'm not. I'm being a man.

Terry Gross: That's what I mean. You're being intentionally obnoxious by defining everything that you're saying as being a man.

Gene Simmons: For me. Well, I can't talk --

Terry Gross: I know better, I know all men -- a lot of them -- don't define --

Gene Simmons: No, no, no, no, no.

Terry Gross: -- define it the way you're speaking.

Gene Simmons: I always define ... No. You're wrong. I always defined it as "for me." I kept doing that over and over again. What bothers you is you're finally hearing a man tell the truth, instead of "You're the only one I'll ever live with and you're the ..." He's lying. He's lied ever since he was twelve. "I promise I'll pull out." He's lying, and I refuse to play that game, I refuse to stand up in front of a rabbi and my friends and the woman I love -- who I will tell you I can love with all my heart -- and promise she will be the only one I will ever have until the day I die. That's a lie.

Terry Gross: Do you like the movie Spinal Tap? And do you think that Spinal Tap, um, has any comment, uh, on ... on --

Gene Simmons: Rock and roll? Sure. Oh yeah. Sure. I think it's all funny. When you really think about it, I'm not delusional enough to think that what I do is important to life as we know it on this planet. No. But neither is what you do. You know, the world can get along very well without us. Farmers are more important. Teachers, and firemen, and so on, because if they're not around it really affects us. Your job and my job, whether you wear less makeup and I wear more makeup, is to entertain people. And I'm here to tell you: I'm very entertaining. I don't know about you. But this is NPR. [laughs]

Terry Gross: What exactly is NPR in your mind?

Gene Simmons: I never knew! It always sounds like a sixth-grade schoolteach -- see, if I was in charge, give me the reins, I would get -- National Public Radio! [snores] People start snoring. I'm not questioning the content. You should have bright people on. Maybe you should never have me on again, if you don't think I'm bright. Clearly it should be a wonderful place for people who read and are bright to have a conversation, a discourse perhaps, without hearing whatever it is you hate about the outside world. Fine. How about some style? Give me a little -- give me a little spice, instead of this bland ... Have you ever heard the Saturday Night Live version? It's pretty spot-on.

Terry Gross: Have you listened to it enough to know if it's spot on?

Gene Simmons: Sure. I was in -- here -- I was in Los Angeles and did a quick one. P.J. O'Rourke, who's great, who wrote for Rolling Stone, was on with myself and one other gentleman I don't remember, and the instruc -- you know the teach -- heh ... sorry. The DJ guy gets on, "GOOD-AF-TER-NOON, GENE." I'm going, what's the matter? Why are you talking like that? "WHAT-DO-YOU-MEAN?" I'm going, you know what? Let P.J. talk. P.J. the DJ. You need s-- as a listener --

Terry Gross: Well --

Gene Simmons: I would beg you guys to get something else on the air. Something with style. I'd change the call letters. NPR. I'd change it. Give it some oomph. Lexus! Locus! Something. See?

Terry Gross: Well I'm going to get back to some questions about KISS, and we'll see where we get to. One of the things you've done on stage is your fire-eating. How and why did you start doing that?

Gene Simmons: So that people can say, hey, look at him fire-breathe. Why does anybody, uh, why -- why does a little boy put a frog in a little girl's hands? Because she screeches and goes "Aaa!"

Terry Gross: Did you learn from magicians how to do it?

Gene Simmons: Yeah. I learned from a guy named Magico, who was actually, uh... you know, warned me about everything, and the first time I tried it I burned the corner of my hair. You know, it was very dangerous and, you know, continues to be.

Terry Gross: What about throwing up blood? Did you consult a magician for that too, or a special effects guy?

Gene Simmons: No. Nope. Nope. It's when nobody's looking, fill your mouth full of it, and get into it. But what does it all mean? Nothing! It means for two hours we're going to make you forget about the traffic jam, and the fact that your girlfriend is whining, or whatever else is going on in your life, and for two hours we give you escapism, that's what it means.

Terry Gross: What was the age of your audience when KISS started to perform?

Gene Simmons: That's a good question, because in 1972 or 73 when we first started, it was late teens, I'd say 18 to 20, 60 to 70 percent male, and then, uh, when KISS became the No. 1 band, you know, within a year and a half, we were playing Anaheim Stadium and we had toys, games, comic books, everything you can imagine. The age really widened. And we had fans as young as 3 years old. And then through the '80s and stuff, the audience got older as we did less toys, less comic books, and so on. And now in the '90s and the 2000 era, we've got over 2,500 licenses: There's a KISS Broadway play on the way with Rob Roth, who directed Beauty and the Beast, a KISS cartoon show with the people who do Transformers and Beast Wars. In other words, there are KISS comic books in the works. Superman meets KISS. That's going to be the kickoff of the new Superman, uh, rather, the new KISS comic books series. So we're going everywhere. I can be on the cover of Playboy magazine, and I can sell comic books and bubble gum to younger fans. And it's all good. And instead of being in a rock and roll band -- who the hell wants to do that? I don't -- I want to be in a rock and roll brand. I want to be Disney without the overhead. And I'm on the way.

Terry Gross: Let's talk about your background. Uh, you were born in Israel, several years after the war ended. Your mother, during the war, was in a Nazi concentration camp. Um, do you have any memories of life in Israel?

Gene Simmons: I do. The German Nazi concentration camps, in WWII, which the entire German population -- or enough of it that you can say the German population -- bought into hook, line, and sinker, was the result of my mother's and millions of other people's misery. And Israel was a strange place anyway. It was certainly not an easy place to go to, but six months after the "independence" of Israel was recognized by the U.N. and who knows who else, I popped out. So, where I was born was really an accident like everyone else, and growing up in Israel was sort of like being in a box where you're not aware that the outside worlds exists. I certainly never saw a television set. I didn't know about Kleenex or supermarkets or anything. All I knew was you heard stories in school about David and Goliath and, you know, all these wonderful great superhero stories -- and the sea is splitting open and wide and our people go through it and then it crashes again on the Egyptians -- you know, all these great stories, but, and then people slowly started to tell me: No, no, this is the place it happened, you're actually living in it. It was tough to take it. So at eight-and-a-half years of age, when I came over to America with my mother, it was like being thrown into another dimension. I'd never heard of Santa Claus or Christ or Christmas, never knew anything about Christians or that there were other kinds of people. And from then on I became a sponge. I wanted to just take it all in. It was just way beyond anything I could ever imagine. And television. The great television. And rock and roll. And horror movies and science fiction and comic books were my education. And I thank God that those were what I learned instead of having to read Jane Eyre at an early age, because it wasn't anything -- it wasn't anything I could relate to.

Terry Gross: I know you went to a yeshiva as a boy, were you from an orthodox family?

Gene Simmons: No, nobody in the family was orthodox, but when I came to America, my mother, being a single mother, had to go out and work, from 6:00 in the morning till 7:00 at night, so she put me in a yeshiva, which is a Jewish theological seminary. In other words, you're studying to be somebody, and I was studying to be a rabbi. And they fed me and clothed me, and you sort of take care of your child that way, you don't have to worry that your child is on the street. And so while I was there I saw one world, the closed world. And when I turned on television, people were flying through the air and they had capes and there were cartoons and, you know, just amazing things. And I wanted to go there. I thought that was a lot cooler than yarmulkes.

Terry Gross: What's your mother's reaction to KISS?

Gene Simmons: Well, it's interesting. Good question. My mother is probably the wisest person I've ever known. She's not schooled, she's not well-read. But she has a philosophy of life that makes well-read people seem like morons. She doesn't talk a lot, uses very few words to express herself (unlike myself, who likes the sound of his own voice). So here's a woman who'd been through the German Nazi concentration camps of WWII and still thought that there was goodness in humanity and thought about the fact that the glass was half full instead of half empty. And when asked, well, "What about your son? He's in this weird rock band, he's ... dresses weird and, you know, apparently he has lots of liaisons with girls and stuff ... What do you think about that?" She says, "Well, as long as he doesn't use drugs and alcohol and doesn't hurt anybody, I don't care about the rest." You know what? She's right.

Terry Gross: You've said that you don't use drugs.

Gene Simmons: Never have.

Terry Gross: And you've never had a drink of alcohol.

Gene Simmons: That's not true. I've never been drunk.

Terry Gross: You've never been drunk. That's right. Yeah. Yeah.

Gene Simmons: I, literally, at parties, when somebody says "toast," I try to take a sip. But, without saying it for effect, it's true when as soon as I smell alcohol I start to gag. I may be blessed with some kind of chemical reaction against it, but I won't go near the most beautiful woman who's got my name written all over her if she opens her mouth and smells like a truck driver who's just drank Bud. I'm outta there. Gone. It always struck me bizarre that women are willing to paint their mouths beautifully with lipstick and yet smoke and drink and make their breath smell like ... a garbage heap. So ... I can't do that. I can't be around people who numb their senses. Everybody's allowed as far as I'm concerned to take their own like or numb themselves to oblivion, but I could care less. I have no sympathy for anybody who has the -- lives in America, especially, and who decides, You know what, I'm going to numb myself. Drugs, alcohol, cigarettes ... So I'm happy to be alive every single day. And I want my senses working 24 hours a day. And if you were in my room and we were going to have a liaison, and you were high, you'd be out on your butt before you could spell your last name. Because if you don't want to experience me with all the senses God gave you, you don't deserve to be with me.

Terry Gross: Um, you know, you -- you --

Gene Simmons: I think you should.

Terry Gross: -- you said you don't have sympathy for that guy on the roof who keeps saying, "I'm going to jump."

Gene Simmons: None.

Terry Gross: But my impression is you don't have much sympathy for anyone. You -- you're so into yourself! You're just so deep into yourself.

Gene Simmons: Well, I think ... I think everybody should be. If it sounds like admiration coming out of you, I accept it. I think ... it -- life is too short to have anything but delusional notions about yourself. Which is -- you should really like yourself more than you deserve to, because the alternative isn't very good. You should really think you are better looking than you are, because the alternative is ... sort of ... you know, some ... some bad notions. And so I'm aware, as a sane person, that I'm not the best-looking guy in the world. I'm aware of it. But when I go into a party, I will walk out with your girlfriend.

Terry Gross: Um, just one more question before we wrap up.

Gene Simmons: As many as you want.

Terry Gross: I would like to think that the personality you've presented on our show today is a persona that you've affected as a member of KISS, something you do on stage, before the microphone, but that you're not nearly as obnoxious in the privacy of your own home or when you're having dinner with friends.

Gene Simmons: Fair enough. And I'd like to think that the boring lady who's talking to me now is a lot sexier and more interesting than the one who's doing NPR. You know, studious and reserved, and -- I bet you're a lot of fun at a party.

Terry Gross: Well, we'll leave it at that. Gene Simmons --

Gene Simmons: Sure!

Terry Gross: -- thanks so much.

Gene Simmons: I look forward to our meeting.

Terry Gross: [laughs] Bye-bye.

Durandal
05-16-2004, 01:24 PM
Who cares, its Gene Simmons. He kicked the Phantom of the Park's ass...he take on the Muslim World. :)

Off topic sort of: Did anyone ever catch his interview with Terri Gross on Fresh Air?

*snort*

Dude offends everyone...and people let themselves be offended.

Edit: I suppose, as per usual, I should have read the entire thread rather than just replying. Nice post 2Sheds. :)

UkrainianAmerican
05-16-2004, 02:29 PM
That interview is hilarious. Gene Simmons is my new rolemodel! :lol:

mobster
05-16-2004, 03:28 PM
Gotta go with Gene on this one.

Nawlins
05-16-2004, 06:36 PM
That interview is pretty funny. He's so obnoxious it hurts.

StarvingStudent47
05-16-2004, 11:19 PM
Regarding the original post:

Does anybody else notice that their main quote is:


"Extremism believes that it's okay to strap bombs on to your children and send them to paradise and whatever else and to behead people,"

And again with emphasis:


"EXTREMISM believes that it's okay to strap bombs on to your children and send them to paradise and whatever else and to behead people,"

Note that they do not have any direct quotes where he condemns Islam as a whole. He says "Extremism" and then uses the ****oun "they" to refer to those EXTREMISTS. He does not say "Islam makes you treat your wife worse than your dog." He says Muslim EXTREMISM does that.

That's not a scandalous allegation folks, that's not Gene Simmons being bigoted, that's just the facts. Jeez, look at the Taliban. There is no question in ANYBODY'S mind that they treated their women worse than cattle. You don't stone cattle to death for making noise when they walk.

Sounds to me like the authors of this article are putting words in Gene Simmons' mouth.

StarvingStudent47
05-16-2004, 11:25 PM
That interview is pretty funny. He's so obnoxious it hurts.

Ted Nugent still makes Gene Simmons look like Moby. Anyone else seen that show "Surviving The Nuge," or something like that? It was on VH1, I think, or maybe MTV? It's like Survivor, only instead a dozen random people living for a month on some island, a dozen city kids (from models to disc jockeys to militant vegans) have to survive a week as Ted Nugent's ranch hands :) Funny show, though you start to realize the Nuge isn't as big of an asshole as he wants people to think he is.

soldierandy
05-17-2004, 02:00 AM
Regarding the original post:

Does anybody else notice that their main quote is:


"Extremism believes that it's okay to strap bombs on to your children and send them to paradise and whatever else and to behead people,"

And again with emphasis:


"EXTREMISM believes that it's okay to strap bombs on to your children and send them to paradise and whatever else and to behead people,"

Note that they do not have any direct quotes where he condemns Islam as a whole. He says "Extremism" and then uses the ****oun "they" to refer to those EXTREMISTS. He does not say "Islam makes you treat your wife worse than your dog." He says Muslim EXTREMISM does that.

That's not a scandalous allegation folks, that's not Gene Simmons being bigoted, that's just the facts. Jeez, look at the Taliban. There is no question in ANYBODY'S mind that they treated their women worse than cattle. You don't stone cattle to death for making noise when they walk.

Sounds to me like the authors of this article are putting words in Gene Simmons' mouth.

You hit the nail on the head there Student!

So my question is this: The topic is titled
'Gene Simmons offends Muslims'.
Therefore it is widely accepted that when you critisize extremists you criticize Islam. NO SURPRISE!!! From what I have seen in the UK and all over the western world muslim communities are very very slow to condemn any terrorist attacks and then immediately justified with a 'but..'
When however the West makes any 'mistake' as in Abu Graib or someones gets slotted that wasn't meant to, boy do they go on the streets protesting!!

Both the west and the muslims living in the west have to wake up and smell the coffee. Terrorism will only be defeated from within their religion as they bear their stamp. That is why Islam has to overcome it's prejudices, realise which side their bread is buttered and stop working against us - us being 'the coalition of the willing'

GazB
05-17-2004, 04:39 AM
Both the west and the muslims living in the west have to wake up and smell the coffee. Terrorism will only be defeated from within their religion as they bear their stamp. That is why Islam has to overcome it's prejudices, realise which side their bread is buttered and stop working against us - us being 'the coalition of the willing'

The war on terror is a war on Muslims. It is not something they wanted... it is something the US created with its BS rhetoric. How many US bombs have landed on the KLA, or ETA, or the IRA? The US thinks terrorism is Al Qada. If they ever actually defeated that then they'd declare victory and forget about terrorism like they did before 11/9. In fact they supported half of it themselves. (one mans freedom fighter and all that).

Kilgor
05-17-2004, 05:15 AM
The war on terror is a war on Muslims. It is not something they wanted... ).

about as much as the US wanted airliners crashing into buildings and the pentagon.

and ummm.. lets see..

Chechen crisis, moscow theatre hostages, moscow subway bombings.
Tailand, 70 rioting militants shot dead.
Australia, Bali bombing
Spain, Blown apart trains.
Saudi Arabia, more suicide bombings against western targets.
Africa, US embassy bombings.
Israel, no explanation needed.

just a brief list off the top of my head.

Islamic extremism is more than just a US problem matey.
wake up

Sergei
05-17-2004, 07:11 AM
As I recall from his bragging of the late 1980s.....

Gene has shoebox after shoebox of Polaroid photographs of free women who have slept with him, proving once and for all that the rarefied atmosphere of celebrity beats any Islamic oligarchy, anytime, anywhere.
I'm not really sure if he knows much about Islam but he is not the one to talk about it since he himself treats women as no more than walking ******s. :bash:

I'm not really sure Gene can relate to the rest of us guys, now.

Durandal
05-17-2004, 07:48 AM
Ted Nugent still makes Gene Simmons look like Moby.

The Nuge' rocks. He is SUPER pro-gun and has mentioned several times that he plans to run for president of the NRA. One of the issues he wants to work on besides the usual 2nd Amendment defense is a campaign to make it easier to gain a Class III FFL.

....just figured that I would add that little bit of rockstar trivia...

:)

oldsoak
05-17-2004, 09:01 AM
Both the west and the muslims living in the west have to wake up and smell the coffee. Terrorism will only be defeated from within their religion as they bear their stamp. That is why Islam has to overcome it's prejudices, realise which side their bread is buttered and stop working against us - us being 'the coalition of the willing'

The war on terror is a war on Muslims. It is not something they wanted... it is something the US created with its BS rhetoric. How many US bombs have landed on the KLA, or ETA, or the IRA? The US thinks terrorism is Al Qada. If they ever actually defeated that then they'd declare victory and forget about terrorism like they did before 11/9. In fact they supported half of it themselves. (one mans freedom fighter and all that).

The US got involved on the side of armed muslim groups in quite a few situations ( as did the UK ) and not always because they represented the path of light, justice and peace. The attitude of the US is that shown by most countries - if it doesnt affect/profit them they wont get involved. The IRA and ETA did not directly affect US interests, and the KLA were used to promote the interests of the US and NATO. The UK is no different. With a bit of luck we'll all getting a bit wiser as to just who and what we back. The war on terrorism might just cause a lot of heart searching among policy makers - lets hope it does.

UkrainianAmerican
05-17-2004, 10:09 AM
Btw, can someone explain to me, how he couldve slept with 4,600 groupies WITHOUT getting STDs?
I doubt he used protection EVERY single time.... :|

Mr Gently Benevolent
05-17-2004, 10:12 AM
Btw, can someone explain to me, how he couldve slept with 4,600 groupies WITHOUT getting STDs?
I doubt he used protection EVERY single time.... :|
Who says he ain't had the Pox, they reckon syph can lead to brain damage later on in your life. ;)

-=TFN=-Karab
05-17-2004, 10:13 AM
This is kind of funny coming from a Knight in "Satan's" Service...

Mr Gently Benevolent
05-17-2004, 10:14 AM
This is kind of funny coming from a Knight in "Satan's" Service...
Did he not get involved with Anton LaVey?