Latest news with #RockandRollAllNite
CBS News
14-05-2025
- Entertainment
- CBS News
KISS' Gene Simmons reveals moment "Rock and Roll All Nite" was born and reflects on being a "chameleon"
Gene Simmons reflects on his roots and the rise of KISS For more than half a century, KISS' Gene Simmons has been one of the most recognizable figures of rock and roll. Simmons rose to stardom as the "demonic" bassist and co-lead singer of the rock band formed in New York City in 1973. "All my life I've been a chameleon. Everything is a costume," Simmons said in an interview for "CBS Mornings" that aired on Wednesday. But his devilish make-up and theatrical persona are a stark contrast to his very humble upbringing as the son of an immigrant single mother. Long before he became a KISS icon, he was known simply as Chaim Witz, meaning "life" in Hebrew. The road to KISS KISS' Gene Simmons reflects on his childhood in an interview with "CBS Mornings." CBS Mornings "You want to be in a rock band?" Simmons recalled his mother asking. "That's not going to fly, babe." Before moving to New York at age 8, Simmons was born in Israel – a child of Jewish refugees from Hungary. His mother, Flora Klein, survived the Holocaust. "After the horrific unimaginable life my mother went through where she saw her entire family, our family, wiped out in front of her face, every decision I was going to make I thought about my mother first," Simmons said. Simmons vowed to be there for his mother every step of the way, reminding himself, "Don't break your mother's heart. Don't do it." He said it was an observation his mother made that inspired him to be a musician. While watching The Beatles perform on "The Ed Sullivan Show" one night, Simmons recalled his mother coming in and commenting in Hungarian. "I'll never forget this…she said something like, in Hungarian, 'They're really weird people.' And at that point, I thought they're cool," Simmons said. The birth of "Rock and Roll All Nite" After making some money from singing background for other artists at New York City's Electric Lady Studios, Simmons and his pal Paul Stanley went on to form the legendary band KISS in their early 20s. Eddie Kramer, who worked with The Beatles and Jimi Hendrix, agreed to produce and engineer their first demo. But they struggled in obscurity until a challenge from their label's president led to one of the most famous lines in rock history. While buying frozen hot dogs and a can of beans in San Francisco, Simmons recalls Stanley turning to him and humming some of the lyrics to the song that would later become the iconic 1975 hit "Rock and Roll All Nite." "We were in San Francisco, we went downstairs to buy frozen hotdogs and a can of beans. And Paul said, what do you think of this?" "That's really good. What do you got? He goes, 'That's all I've got,'" said Simmons after Stanley sang the chorus. They eventually put more verses together. "And that's how the song was born," he said. By 1977, following the release of their concert album "Alive!" They were one of the most famous bands in America. Today, KISS has more gold albums than any other American band and has sold more than 100 million records worldwide. Though KISS retired from performing as a band, Simmons, now 75, is currently on tour. "You're running a race in a sense, the race of life and the finish line is coming up right ahead of you. What are you going to do? Slow down, or are you going to speed up?" Simmons said.
Yahoo
17-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Gene Simmons Reads Weather Report for Local Los Angeles News Station, Predicts People Should 'Party Every Day'
And now, Gene Simmons with the weather. The KISS singer and bassist crashed the weather report on Thursday, March 13 on FOX Weather Los Angeles. Wearing black leather pants, a denim button-down shirt, a black baseball cap and sunglasses, Simmons, 75, joined meteorologist Adam Krueger for a special broadcast. At the start of their weather report, Simmons cheekily told Krueger, "You look much better in real life than you do on TV." Krueger told the "Strutter" singer, "Oh, you look great in both," to which Simmons replied, "I know that." Related: Gene Simmons Says the Only Time He's Gotten High Was by Mistakenly Eating 6 Weed Brownies: 'Wasn't Prepared' The legendary rocker stepped aside to show Los Angeles on the map and give audiences his analysis of the forecast. Krueger pointed out that there's been a lot of rain driving L.A. residents crazy, slipping in a KISS lyric. "You drive us wild, we'll drive you crazy," he said, referring to their song "Rock and Roll All Nite." "I wrote that," Simmons realized. "I like that." Krueger is known for slipping song lyrics and quotes into his meteorology reports. In January 2024, the reporter weaved "Get Low" by Lil Jon into his broadcast one day. In June, he featured Kendrick Lamar's "Not Like Us" in a report. Never miss a story — sign up for to stay up-to-date on the best of what PEOPLE has to offer, from celebrity news to compelling human interest stories. The clever quotes didn't stop there. "So this weekend it's looking pretty good if people want to rock and roll all night," Krueger continued. Simmons agreed, adding, "They should probably party every day, yeah." "I think you should probably join a showbiz thing, because, you've got it," the "Radioactive" artist said. Before the news segment ended, Simmons attempted freestyle rap and a quick jig. Simmons previously delivered a weather report in September 2024 for KTLA, giving commentary about how folks should dress and what they can do during certain weather conditions. "45 degrees in the evening, nice and cool, put on a sweater, you'll look cool, just like me," he quipped. Added Simmons: "Friday, 80 degrees, you know you like it hot. So do I." Related: Gene Simmons Is Charging More Than $12K for 1 Fan to Be His 'Personal Assistant and Band Roadie' for a Day on Tour He told Entertainment Weekly the origin story of the segment. "The weatherman approached me and asked me if I wanted to jump on and do the weather," Simmons said. "But I told him, 'Hold onto your britches. I'm not your usual weatherman. Weather advisory is in order.'" Up next for Simmons is his eponymous group Gene Simmons and his Band, embarking on a North American tour in April along with a performance at the Summer Breeze Festival in São Paulo, Brazil on April 26. Read the original article on People
USA Today
15-03-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
Gene Simmons spills on solo tour, future of KISS: 'The avatars are just a placeholder'
Gene Simmons spills on solo tour, future of KISS: 'The avatars are just a placeholder' Show Caption Hide Caption Is Gene Simmons' hair real? Watch the KISS icon's answer. KISS co-founder Gene Simmons chats with USA TODAY's Melissa Ruggieri about his decades of touring, the stunts he performed on stage and more. Gene Simmons leans toward the camera and holds his hand sideways. 'You see my hand?' he asks. 'It does not shake and I'm 75. Kids, don't do drugs and booze, and stop smoking.' This advice from the God of Thunder, a man who spent five decades encased in face paint, dragon boots and the battle armor of a rock star, might sound contradictory. But Simmons' preaching has a point that proves his longevity. Though KISS wrapped touring for good in December 2023, the band behind foot stompers 'I Love It Loud,' 'Lick It Up,' 'Rock and Roll All Nite' and more than 50 other singles that inspired many an air guitarist, will live on. Because how can it not? The 50th anniversary of KISS' 'Dressed to Kill' album will be celebrated March 22 with a free audio tour on of band-related landmarks in their New York City hometown (those in the city can visit a KISS pop-up store at Generation Records). Simmons, meanwhile, is packing up his bass and returning to the road April 3 with his solo band comprised of Brent Woods on lead guitar, Jason Walker on guitar and Brian Tichy on drums, for more than a month of shows in theaters, clubs and casinos. The trio also shares lead vocals with Simmons, who crafted a set list stocked with KISS hits ('Cold Gin,' 'Deuce,' 'Calling Dr. Love') and the original version of Van Halen's 'House of Pain,' which he produced for the band's demo in 1976. In between his tour planning, overseeing a chain of Rock & Brews restaurants, making movies with his Simmons/Hamilton Productions company and fielding 'a lot of phone calls,' the ever-candid and interminably cheeky Simmons chatted from his Malibu home (one of six he owns) about his solo shows, his family and why "50 years was enough" for KISS. Question: You went back on the road a few months after KISS' last show. Apparently, you don't like to rest. Answer: When I was growing up, I always thought (success) was about money and chicks and fame. (Whispers conspiratorially) And I love it! I have more fun onstage than the pope. The magic of this band is, I just take the guitar and a guitar pick and that's it. I can get up on stage like this (points to his denim shirt). I don't have to walk around in dragon boots and wear more makeup and higher heels than you ever wore. Do you ever miss the outfits, makeup, and theater accompanying KISS shows? You have to have dignity and respect for the fans who made your life possible in the first place. If you're a surfer and you're blessed enough to ride this giant tsunami of a wave successfully, stop. You've reached it. Have a little self-respect and go out when you look good. And let's be honest, 50 years is enough. The Beatles lasted seven – and we ain't The Beatles – but the magic of them or Marilyn Monroe is they will be iconic forever. All respect to the rock god Elvis, but I don't want to be fat and bloated and naked on the bathroom floor. Mötley Crüe postpones Vegas residency: Singer Vince Neil undergoes medical procedure Do you still talk to (KISS mates) Paul (Stanley) and Tommy (Thayer) and Eric (Singer) on a regular basis? Sure, of course. Paul is like the brother I never had. I've known him longer than anyone except my mother. It goes deeper than friendship. He and I don't agree on lots of things, but it's like going to a restaurant and ordering off a menu. We don't have to order the same thing. It's about having a work ethic, responsibility and respecting the person you're with and realizing you don't know it all. Without Paul, I'd be asking the next person in line, "Would you like fries with that?" ‒ and that's an honorable job as well. And Paul says the same thing about me. If you get into the right company of people, one and one equals three. At the end of the last KISS show, the band debuted avatars. What's the status of that project? A caterpillar goes into a cocoon and what looks like the casket of its life. And shortly after the casket opens up, this beautiful butterfly (comes out). That's what's about to happen with KISS. The avatars are just a placeholder. We're working with the amazing company Pophouse and (what we're doing) is closer to virtual reality. We've already been to George Lucas' Industrial Light & Magic to do motion capture. We dressed up like X-Men and we had cameras all over. What is the time frame to see the results? Two years. 'See you this summer': Lollapalooza reveals dates for 2025 festival It must be gratifying for you and Paul to see your sons, Nick and Evan, collaborating on music. Nick has his own band, Sym Fera, and Evan spent his life committed to songwriting and learning the craft and has his own band. They were always pals. If you look up their names (online), the first thing they did was strum guitar and sing 'The Sound of Silence.' There was a look, a sound and it's real. Tell me about the dynamic between you and the guys in your solo band and the difference playing with them compared to decades with KISS. With KISS, you have to be well-rehearsed because you have light cues and pyro. Here, there's no Auto-Tune, no one backstage singing harmonies ... If you're in front of me in the audience, you bet your sweet bippy I'm gonna pull you up to sing 'I Was Made for Lovin' You.' And at the end, do I dare bring 20, 30, 50 people onstage to sing 'Rock and Roll All Nite' with me? You betcha.
Yahoo
14-03-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Kiss' Gene Simmons Crashes Local L.A. Weather Report, Says Weather Is Perfect ‘To Rock and Roll All Night'
A Los Angeles news station got a dose of star power when Gene Simmons crashed a local weather report. On Thursday, the legendary Kiss vocalist and bassist made an unexpected appearance on Fox 11 Los Angeles, joining meteorologist Adam Kruger to help deliver the week's forecast. 'You look much better in real life than you do on TV,' Simmons quipped to Krueger. When Krueger assured Simmons he looks good in both, Simmons (decked out in sunglasses and leather pants) joked: 'I know that.' More from Variety Kiss Sells Catalog, Name, Likeness and More to Pophouse Entertainment for $300 Million Kiss Says Farewell at Madison Square Garden, Before Passing the Torch to Band's Avatar Successors: Concert Review Gene Simmons Launches Production Company With Arclight Films Chairman Gary Hamilton, Renny Harlin Shark Thriller Set as First Project The 'God of Thunder' singer reported on citywide showers, but he and Krueger assured viewers that sunny skies were ahead, even sneaking in a few Kiss lyrics. 'This weekend it's looking pretty good if people want to rock and roll all night,' Krueger said, a nod to the 1975 track 'Rock and Roll All Nite.' Simmons continued the bit, finishing the lyric and advising that viewers 'should probably party every day.' 'The weatherman approached me and asked me if I wanted to jump on and do the weather,' Simmons told Entertainment Weekly about appearing in the segment. 'Of course! But I told him, 'Hold onto your britches. I'm not your usual weatherman. Weather advisory is in order.'' The impromptu weather report isn't the first time Simmons has appeared on local Los Angeles news: the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer has previously helped Los Angeles' KTLA 5 deliver a weather forecast, during which he encouraged viewers to 'Kiss somebody. The mailman, your beautiful wife — kiss the dog, kiss life.' Best of Variety New Movies Out Now in Theaters: What to See This Week Oscars 2026: First Blind Predictions Including Timothée Chalamet, Emma Stone, 'Wicked: For Good' and More What's Coming to Disney+ in March 2025
