Gene Simmons is an a$$hole

[DougK62]

Uggghh. KISS is extremely lucky to be famous. Right place at the right time.

 

[Don Vito Corleone]

He's definitely one of the world's great jackasses. KISS has always been more of a marketing phenomenon than a musical one - they really have never done anything interesting artistically, but they have broken new ground as the first band to have branded caskets, credit cards, condoms, and every other kind of nonsense under the sun.

The standup comic Craig Gass used to do a bit on the Stern show impersonating Simmons and caricaturing his greed and arrogance - hilarious stuff.

 

[Homerboy]

I'm not going to argue with the God of Thunder (and Rock and Roll)!!!!

While he's a cocky SOB, I respect his straightforward/no-punches pulled attitude. And he's right. Why should KISS make another album? The money? As a previous posted said the made most his money off merchandise and still does. Whats another album going to get him? Couple hundred K if that? Chump change to him. KISS never was and never will be in it for "the music" The were salesmen and DAMNED good ones at that. They made their bajaillions. Got laid in every city and country they went to and lived the life they wanted. They were never "Artists" nor pretended to be.

 

[Feldenak]

Originally posted by: shinerburke

Originally posted by: RadiclDreamer
By the way, kiss sucks anyway.

KISS > you

Text

 

[Injury]

Originally posted by: Don Vito Corleone
He's definitely one of the world's great jackasses. KISS has always been more of a marketing phenomenon than a musical one - they really have never done anything interesting artistically, but they have broken new ground as the first band to have branded caskets, credit cards, condoms, and every other kind of nonsense under the sun.

The standup comic Craig Gass used to do a bit on the Stern show impersonating Simmons and caricaturing his greed and arrogance - hilarious stuff.

When a soda company can have merchandising that rivals that of Star Wars I see nothing wrong with it. I certainly can't change the standard for a band. Fools and their money are soon parted. I'm not affected when a guy feels the need to get a Peter Criss cock ring. It may not be the proudest moment for capitalism, but it's surely a shining example.

 

[Pepsi90919]

I open a store and say "Come on in and pay whatever you want." Are you on f*cking crack? Do you really believe that's a business model that works?

lol

 

[Linflas]

Say what you will but he definitely has a sense of humor about himself. One of the funniest things I remember listening to on the old Stern show was Gene Simmons and some guy that Stern used to have on that did a dead on imitation of him (Billy West?) going back and forth one morning.

 

[imported_LoKe]

He's a business man and he's all about the money. He's absolutely right.

 

[BoberFett]

Copyright violation is not theft. It's copyright violation.

 

[Linflas]

Originally posted by: BoberFett
Copyright violation is not theft. It's copyright violation.

Don't expect the absolutists here to understand that distinction. Also forget about the idea that copyright was always meant to be a limited monopoly as opposed to an absolute monopoly for a specified period of time which balances the fair use rights of the public while providing an incentive to the producers to produce more product. On one extreme are the idiots that charge a garage owner for copyright infringment because passers by can hear music coming out of his garage and on the other and the people that think everything should be stuck up on the net free of charge for all to access. Unfortunately the people charged by the Constitution to enact laws balancing these competing rights are pretty much in the pockets of the producers now which results in excrement like the DMCA.

 

[meltdown75]

You gotta lose your mind in Detroit, ROCK CITY!

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: captains
i see nothing wrong with that whole article

I actually don't either. Gene is actually an awesome businessman, and he really knows what he's doing. He's a pretty good guy too (he just puts on a hard-ass persona as an image).

 

[imported_LoKe]

Originally posted by: BoberFett
Copyright violation is not theft. It's copyright violation.

Then maybe we need to redefine theft. Getting something you did not pay for, to me, is theft.

And who gives a shit what the term is? You're doing something wrong, whether it be copyright violation or theft, and there are punishments for it.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: captains
i see nothing wrong with that whole article

Me, either. What in that article makes him an asshole? Not saying he's not, because he certainly, admittedly, is, but nothing in that article indicates it.

 

[Pacfanweb]

Originally posted by: Homerboy KISS never was and never will be in it for "the music" The were salesmen and DAMNED good ones at that. They made their bajaillions. Got laid in every city and country they went to and lived the life they wanted. They were never "Artists" nor pretended to be.

And neither is any other band, until they "make it". Show me a big name, rich artist that is supposedly in it "only for the music", and I'll show you a liar(s).
No big band or artist is in it for the music....they want fame and fortune. The only ones who claim to be in it for the music are either:
A) The ones who've already made it big and can do whatever they want to now

or

B) The ones who never will make it big, or are has-beens, and all they can claim now is "they're in it for the music". Bull F*cking Sh*t. Every single one of them would trade places with Gene Simmons in a heartbeat.

 

[BrownTown]

Yeah, it really is bad people trying to morally justify what is for all intents and purposes stealing. Just look at the thread in ATOT about stealing your neighbors wireless, apparently its OK to steal someones wireless connection because "if they are too dumb to encrypt it than its their own damn fault". I didn't realize it was moral to steal from dumb people, or in the case of music to steal from rich people, or steal from big businesses etc..

 

[gururu2]

taking, trading, distributing copyrighted material without license is stealing point blank. we all do it because we know we won't get caught. that doesn't make it right.
Gene Simmons is a smart dude, and that article clues you in on that real fast.

 

[Homerboy]

Originally posted by: Pacfanweb

Originally posted by: Homerboy KISS never was and never will be in it for "the music" The were salesmen and DAMNED good ones at that. They made their bajaillions. Got laid in every city and country they went to and lived the life they wanted. They were never "Artists" nor pretended to be.

And neither is any other band, until they "make it". Show me a big name, rich artist that is supposedly in it "only for the music", and I'll show you a liar(s).
No big band or artist is in it for the music....they want fame and fortune. The only ones who claim to be in it for the music are either:
A) The ones who've already made it big and can do whatever they want to now

or

B) The ones who never will make it big, or are has-beens, and all they can claim now is "they're in it for the music". Bull F*cking Sh*t. Every single one of them would trade places with Gene Simmons in a heartbeat.

Ummm you missed the "never" part. They NEVER were in it "for the music" They were in it to make it rich and get laid from the get-go.

 

[mrrman]

hes an opportunist and will only do event for $$$$, nothing is done for charity

 

[dr150]

Stanky Left Nut Sack > KISS

Stanky Right Nut Sack > GWAR

GWAR > KISS

 

[mobobuff]

Basically, yeah.

 

[Fritzo]

Originally posted by: mrrman
hes an opportunist and will only do event for $$$$, nothing is done for charity

Actually you are incorrect. He does a lot of charity work- the United Way, local charites---he'll do anything. In fact, he's got a charity auction on Ebay right now as we speak.

 

[Kev]

What college kids are going to download KISS? They fucking blow.

 

[Dirigible]

Originally posted by: LoKe

Originally posted by: BoberFett
Copyright violation is not theft. It's copyright violation.

Then maybe we need to redefine theft. Getting something you did not pay for, to me, is theft.

And who gives a shit what the term is? You're doing something wrong, whether it be copyright violation or theft, and there are punishments for it.

Nope. Copyright violation is not the same thing as theft. Never has been. Never will be. Copyright violation is not necessarily doing something wrong. Big content owners have spent so much lobbying dollars to change the law to suit themselves and their profits that they've driven right and wrong out the window. The law has gotten so imbalanced that it very much does not define the line between right and wrong. It has overshot that line completely.

I will agree that violating copyright by downloading KISS's music without paying for it is wrong.

 

[DangerAardvark]

Originally posted by: Kev
What college kids are going to download KISS? They fucking blow.

Yeah seriously, KISS fans are of the generation that can't program their VCRs.

Anyway, regarding downloading music: I can therefor I do. I don't try to justify jaywalking or smoking reefer, so why try and justify downloading music? It's there, it's free, and it's too easy; my conscience simply does not kick in when I download a song. There's no Jiminy Cricket to tell me it's wrong via musical interlude

.