Gene Simmons Appreciation Thread for Sunday (with Poll)

[trickyric]

Safety last!

You've seen this one, right?

Keith almost killed the band

I read that Both Townsend and Daltry were pissed after he did this.. In Pete's autobiography he talks about intervening between Daltry and Moon more than once because something hit Roger.

 

[Son of Wobble]

I read that Both Townsend and Daltry were pissed after he did this.. In Pete's autobiography he talks about intervening between Daltry and Moon more than once because something hit Roger.

I think having spindly Peter Chris kick a couple drums in the direction of the frontline was the least of the threats to Gene and Paul.
With explosive planted everywhere they have to stay in proscribed zones, I'd imagine. And then there is the aforementioned gargling with flammables, and handling fire while in costume and hairspray, that if I were Gene I would have jettisoned long ago in the name of safety first.

 

[Son of Wobble]

I read that Both Townsend and Daltry were pissed after he did this.. In Pete's autobiography he talks about intervening between Daltry and Moon more than once because something hit Roger.

Keith contributed to the death of his driver with his drunken antics. He was pretty full on. If I remember the Smothers Brothers story correctly, Keith told his explosive guy to up the dose without telling the band. Hard to believe network TV production sets were run in that lax a fashion back in the day.

 

[trickyric]

I think having spindly Peter Chris kick a couple drums in the direction of the frontline was the least of the threats to Gene and Paul.
With explosive planted everywhere they have to stay in proscribed zones, I'd imagine. And then there is the aforementioned gargling with flammables, and handling fire while in costume and hairspray, that if I were Gene I would have jettisoned long ago in the name of safety first.

I cannot argue with that...it is really amazing they didn't go up in flames like Michael Jackson did

 

[logdrum]

I dated a girl named (Eliza) Beth. It was fun and short lived and we hooked up because I was playing singing that song.

I think a spun a record when I was 12 years old, but I was disappointed that they were not as heavy as their looks were. I never bashed them though, couple of days was enough to see if I dug them or not, except for the song Beth. I saw them live in ABQ when we were fund raising for the gymnastics team by manning the beer stands in the Hard Rock amphitheater. The fans went nuts when the guitar player (I heard he was not the original) was attached to the zip line Kung Fu movie style and hovered over the front row audience. It looked cool. I was busy checking fake IDs that I ignored the show for the most part and Gene for that matter.

 

[Deleted member 261632]

Gene is great for/in what he (only) does/is doing. There are better bassplayers out there, there are worse.

I love his stuff in Kiss where another bassplayer playing the same basslines in Kiss songs, might feel "off".

 

[Son of Wobble]

I cannot argue with that...it is really amazing they didn't go up in flames like Michael Jackson did

Yeah exactly.

Another dangerous bit Gene persisted with is the flying harness. I read him say that every time it lifted off, he immediately regretted the bit.
Here are two videos, including a fail where he the rig got tangled. You can see Gene pointing down and yelling at the guys to bring him down rather than continue raising him to the top platform.

No way I'd do this. I'd be thinking of Curtis Mayfield every second of the show beforehand.

But Gene, being a hardcore Beatle fan, is committed to "mach show," as the fabs said in Hamburg.

 

[2112]

 

[Son of Wobble]

View attachment 4247912

Don't try this at home

 

[Dluxe]

Can't have a thread about Gene without a picture of a straight head Grabber Bass.

 

[Son of Wobble]

This is another interesting Bob Ezrin recording. Really piles on the delays, and the reverb. But it's really got a lot of depth, too.



My sister bought this album and the sheet music book when they came out. She must have been ten. I was like 13, and the previous year I'd bought Alive because these two little girls in my drama class had touted me on it. These little girls were so spectucular, they had the then-current seventies posh suburban hippy look down cold, they were like miniature Stevie and Christine from The Mac. Drama class, so they had hats, and scarves, and big rigs, all such ecoutrement. I was so smitten. So when they told me I needed Alive and Alice Cooper Goes To Hell, I hectored Ma to fire up the sedan and open the wallet

 

[cnltb]

I saw the poll, I did not see the 'meh' option.

 

[wmhill]

 

[Hummergeist]

I love this one, there's also the earlier Wendy O Williams version

 

[Hummergeist]

I met Eddie Kramer once, at the NAMM Show. I couldn't resist mentioning Kiss, and especially his work on the Rock And Roll Over album. He looked conflicted - pleased to get a compliment, reluctant to be drawn into talking about Kiss for probably the millionth time.

 

[lbbc]

I will admit that Gene Simmons is a good/great bassist, a great showman and a great businessman. I don't care, and never have cared, for his demeanor on talk shows, reality shows or any other public appearances. That has affected my opinion of him. For me, the individual's personality and playing ability either gains my respect or not. To each their own.

 

[ELG60]

I thought that they were ridiculous when I was 14 . . . I think that they're ridiculous at the age of 60, but whatevs. One may not be able to argue with economic success, although his music, persona, and schtick don't resonate with me.

 

[Lowbrow]

That thin bodied axe Paul is playing looks the business, what is it?

L6-S. Bolt on weirdo from the Gibson weirdo period.

 

[Benj-jammin]

I was fortunate enough to have attended the first KISS live album concert at Cobo Arena in Detroit - 1976. I've been to a ton of concerts in my day, but the electricity in the air for this one - BZZZZZZ!!

 

[rtslinger]

One of my favs is War Machine