KISS - Gene Simmons Talks About MICHAEL JACKSON, ACE FREHLEY's Addictions, Chastity Bono's Sex Change
July 9, 2009, 15 years ago
KISS legend Gene Simmons spoke with Richard Burnett from Ottawaxpress.ca recently about a number of topics. A few excerpts from the chat follow:
This week all anyone can talk about is MICHAEL JACKSON. Simmons has refused all media requests to discuss Jackson on the record. Until now.
"I knew Michael and met him. He was shy and charming and self-effacing and obviously very talented. [For me the real story is] sadly about the little boys - not a single girl - all of them little boys under 13 [who] sued him for child molestation. He was never convicted but we know he paid $20-million to settle a case. I think [Jackson] doth protest too much. The story is not complete. I want to hear what those little boys have to say."KISS has always been about the kids, from the millions who joined the KISS Army at the band's height in the late 1970s to fourth-generation fans filling arenas today. When Ace Frehley once trashed the band's fans because they were mostly kids, he was taken to task by both Simmons and Stanley, who know a good brand when they see one.
"Ace is a sweetheart and has a heart of gold," Simmons says. "But he was a major drug addict and alcoholic which is why he and Peter [Criss] were thrown out of the band. You know, rock stars are morons. What Ace said about the kids was stupid and uncaring."Speaking of children, what does Simmons think about Chastity Bono, the daughter of his ex-girlfriend Cher, transitioning from female to male?
"I love Chas," Simmons says. "I was living with Cher when Chas and [her brother] Elijah were kids and I was a substitute dad for a while. Life is short and we should all make up and be happy. And everybody else be damned if Chas isn't happy today, God bless. If Chas is happy, then she will have found the secret of life."Read the entire interview here.
