When I sat down to interview Gene Simmons for my podcast Now with Nadine, I didn’t even get a chance to finish my intro. The moment we logged on, he dove straight into a conversation about KISS undergarments (and that’s me putting it politely for print). From there, the interview spun into a kind of wild, unfiltered ride.
Gene Simmons is more than the fire-breathing, tongue-wagging frontman of KISS... he’s the co-founder of one of the most iconic rock bands in history, a bestselling author, reality-TV star, and entrepreneur with restaurants, casinos, and film projects under his belt. Yet behind the makeup and the bravado is the son of a Holocaust survivor, a family man, and a relentless storyteller who has been shaping pop culture for over half a century.
What follows is a Q&A dedicated to celebrating 50 years of KISS as the band marks its golden anniversary in Las Vegas (road trip, anyone?).
Before my producers pressed record, you were singing a song with my name in it. When you first came to America, what was the very first music you heard (which feels pretty fitting for this conversation)?
Strangely, when I first came to America, the first music I heard was not the Beatles or the British Invasion or anything like that. It was Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and so on… Black music, where it all started.
You even had a Chuck Berry moment years later.
My solo band, Gene Simmons Band, was playing a gig in middle America. The day after, before I left, I found out at the very same place we played, they were holding the Chuck Berry memorial funeral with an open casket and invited guests. The Berry family asked me to do the eulogy. Really. It’s on Google and Schmugel. There I am getting all choked up because without Chuck Berry, you couldn’t have rock and roll and the Beatles and the Stones and even Hendrix.
Growing up in Israel as little Gene, did you have big dreams of becoming a rock star?
No. I knew nothing about it. It was a new country. I was born in 1949. Maybe it was 1849 now that I think of it. Of course, these are semantics, and we all know I’m not anti-semantic.
What was life like in Israel back then?
I never heard of television. We didn’t have a radio. There was one bedroom with a little sink and a little gas thing where you could heat up stuff. We didn’t have a refrigerator. There was an ice box. The bathroom was a hole in the ground outside.
And when did you finally come to America…
When I was eight and a half years of age and came to America… stunned is not even the word. You may as well have landed on another planet. There was a huge piece of furniture six feet long. On one side was booze, things to drink. On the other side, plates or whatever. But in the middle, a screen. I didn’t know what television was. We walked into my Uncle George’s house, and there was a close-up of a man’s head reading the news. I thought there was a guy in the box.
Later you discovered superheroes. Did that flip a switch?
At my Aunt Magda’s house, I saw Superman flying through the air. My jaw just hung. And then I found out Superman, Batman, and all the other superheroes were created by our people as well, literally without exception… the Hulk, the Fantastic Four, Thor.
How did that realization shape how you see people?
I never cared about people’s backgrounds, religions, racial stuff. You’re just born… your religion is handed to you, your nationality is handed to you, you have very few choices in life. I judge people by their character.
Your mother survived the Holocaust.
Yes. She was 11 years of age in Nazi Germany concentration camps. I don’t think we should whitewash history. Germany gave us such amazing things- Einstein, and of course he was Jewish as it happens- and a lot of other technological advancements. They were the most advanced, most educated people in all of Europe. And then they declared war; lunacy and madness can take over the consciousness even of the most educated people.
There’s nature and nurture. I believe a lot more in nurture; whatever you start writing in your formative years will determine to a great extent what’s going to happen to you. Although, of course, you always have a choice.
What memory do you revisit most often?
My mother. My mother’s always with me. She lived to be 94 glorious years of age. What a survivor. Everything I am, everything I learned, my sense of what’s important in life all came from my mother. The sense of what she gave me is: every day above ground is a good day. Whatever you’re complaining about, it’s all relative. You complain about traffic jams or bad hair days. Go live in Africa. Good luck to you.
Now, we have nothing to complain about... nothing. During COVID, you know, we didn’t see daylight for a while. Oh, did you have enough to eat? You spoiled brat. Shut up. Yeah, we have nothing to complain about.
How did you learn English and find your footing?
I went to school and copied the sound of broadcasters on television. Because when you went outside, people talked differently. I realized, dress British, think Yiddish. Walk, talk, and dress like the people who are more successful than you are.
Before music took off, you were a teacher.
I used to be a sixth-grade teacher in Spanish Harlem. I loved it. Kids keep you on your toes.
And then you even worked at Vogue.
Kate Lloyd was the editor, and I was the only male on the floor. Imagine that... so many females wanting attention! I was just there to help. A good Samaritan. But it also paid, and that mattered. After Vogue, I’d work nights at a Jewish deli, then rehearse with Wicked Lester. Nonstop. Don’t look at the clock; just work.
When did music hit you so hard it changed everything?
The Ed Sullivan Show. Half of America was watching. Suddenly the Beatles came on. You could barely hear the music because the camera turned on the fans. Girls were screaming.
Take me through the grind before KISS.
I always worked. Newspaper delivery, butcher shop… Then started rehearsing with a band called Wicked Lester on 23rd Street. Wicked Lester actually got a record deal… By 23, I amassed $23,000 after tax. That was enormous.
How did KISS actually come together… and why the name?
We started writing new songs: “Strutter,” “Deuce,” “Black Diamond.” But Wicked Lester didn’t sound good playing them. So we fired the band. We put an ad in the Village Voice, and Rolling Stone seeking a drummer and lead guitar… KISS was born pretty fast.
We were driving in Paul’s Mustang- I didn’t start driving until I was in my 30s- and Paul sort of shrugged and said, “How about KISS?” To me, it sounded a little feminine. But then I went, “Wait, what?” KISS... like “kiss of death” or KISS can be soft-hearted. And we immediately liked it.
The makeup myth: whose idea was it and how did the looks happen?
Nobody can lay claim to it… “Let’s go down to Woolworth’s.” We seemed to instinctively buy clown white… We also bought a $15 mirror… very Twilight Zoney… I remember we all started just putting on makeup and looking at each other and getting off on what was happening… Everybody designed their own makeup except Paul didn’t know what to do… It might have been Ace who turned around to him and said, “Well, you always wanted to be a rock star. Why don’t you put a star on you, over your eye?” He goes, “Oh.” And that’s how it happened.
Your own look pulls from horror and silent film.
For nobody else in the band except yours truly… When I started buying Famous Monsters of Filmland… Castle of Frankenstein… the Universal black and white movies, The Wolfman and Dracula… I distinctly remember… Phantom of the Opera with Lon Chaney Sr… She unmasks him… people used to faint… I’ll never forget that face… It reminded me of the shadows on the face. That’s what I tried to do.
What was the first “we might be huge” moment?
It happened very fast… four shows in Canada… We’re nobody… The first flash-pot goes off- BOOM- in a song I wrote called “Deuce”… Some of the people ran out! We got back to the Holiday Inn at night and there was a room full of chicks waiting for us.
That’s when you knew.
I'll never forget that very first night. A girl with green hair and drop-dead gorgeous wanted to hang just because I was in a band. That's when I knew.
Your first real chart hit?
We never had hits. We had what was called radio hits… But it wasn’t until “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” which became a number one song around the world… that was a legitimate hit.
Fifty years of KISS, now being celebrated in Vegas; how does that feel?
It’s happening this month (November 14-16, 2025). I’ll be there with Paul and Tommy. It’s going to be an awesome event. So grateful. (kisskruisevegas.com)
You’ve raised a lot of money for kids and veterans. Where does that impulse come from?
I remember when we were in Israel and a care package showed up anonymously… It was peaches. We didn’t even have a can opener. My mother took a big rock and smashed it open… my first taste of that nectar… And then I finally thought that somebody in the world cared about us.
You’ve said you never needed drugs or booze…
And then like a vulture, I just wait on the sides for all the idiots to get drunk and then just swoop in… that’s the way to do it. No drugs, no booze. To this day, I can hold my hand in front of my face and it doesn’t shake. Kids, don’t do drugs. Don’t smoke. Don’t do any of that crap. It’s like putting sand in your fuel and pouring it into your car. See how well it runs. It doesn’t work.
What’s the secret to a long, happy marriage?
Guys should wake up in the morning and just say, I’m sorry. I’m sorry. I’m sorry. And thank you. It’s all my fault.
You’ve been with Shannon for decades.
We’ve been together 41 years. But for the first 29 of those years, anything under the term bad that you can imagine, I did. And look at her. She stayed. That is why she’s a higher life form than I will ever be. She is the moral compass of the family. I’m smart and well-educated, but she’s much wiser than I'll ever be. And beautiful.
She even walked in during our interview…
Yeah, she didn’t care that we were doing a Zoom. She walked in with potato salad and told me, “Here’s some food and the dog’s been gone a while.” That’s her. She knows me, she knows I’m hungry, and she doesn’t care what else is going on. That’s why we work.
After five million interviews, what still matters most when your head hits the pillow?
It’s going to be a corny. Living in America, having your health and having enough money for a roof over your head and food in your belly. Having a great family. Nick and Sophie are fantastic. All you’ve got to do is be gracious.
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