Stacy Perman from Businessweek.com spoke to KISS legend GENE SIMMONS recently about

entrepreneurship, failure and other topics. A few excerpts from the chat follow:

Which do you consider yourself first, a rock star or an entrepreneur?

Simmons: "That's an interesting question and the simple answer is a bit of both. Nobody does just one thing. But the real difference between being an entrepreneur and everyone else in the world is the ability to monetize. I am an entrepreneur in the classic mold. No matter what I do—outside of sticking my tongue out—I tend to make money, and quite a bit in non-KISS stuff."

How did you understand so early that you could leverage KISS into other business ventures?

Simmons: "When the band was starting off, we noticed that T-shirts and non-music items were earning a substantial amount of money. KISS quickly became a multi-headed beast: rock band and rock 'n' roll brand—and the only one to have endured the ages and decades of fads and fashions. Today we have 3,000 licensed products, everything from condoms to caskets. We have you coming and going."

Where would you say got your business education?

Simmons: "The United States of America. The best school is the street, and most successful entrepreneurs did not go to Wharton. Both Google and Hewlett-Packard were created in a garage. The difference between those that become a Buffett success—and I don't mean Jimmy—have an innate inborn connection. Their snouts are close to the ground. If you look at the CEOs of some the most successful companies in the world like IKEA, they never fly first class. They always goes economy. Sam Walton of Wal-Mart had a second-hand car and lived in the middle of nowhere."

Read more here.