» Blog Archive Why Gene Simmons is off his "Rocker" -
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Remember when Chaim Witz was cool? Wait,  let me rephrase that-remember when Chaim Witz was the coolest mofo on the planet? He, replete with demonic hegemony, the appointed leader of the Kiss army. That dirty mouth, double entendre intended, that spewed both bloody caplets and fire and yet was still outdone by its elongated tongue. The demon face boots, insidious and stylish all at once. And if all that were not enough he morphed into a marketing guru who singlehandedly changed the union of musician and businessman. If ever someone encapsulated what it meant to be a rock star it was him, Mr. Witz, from the motherland of Israel to the ignoble streets of NYC. Elementary school teacher turned makeup wearing demon rocker.

 

Of course by now you know that Chaim Witz became Gene Simmons. The oversized costume outdone only by the oversized personality. While Paul Stanley, chest hair bearing, lead singing love child and fellow cofounder, always seemed comfortable letting the alter ego getting all the attention, the same can not be said for Gene. Gene, perhaps as compensation for average musical skills, has always sought the limelight, and has always understood that any publicity is good publicity. However something happened along the way wherein Gene morphed from cool to cold and finally to the opposite of magnanimous. In fact somehow the man who bedded more women than posturepedic and made his band the most ubiquitous Rock and Roll has ever seen has become something of a misanthrope.

 

gene_simmon_michael_des_barres_horn_sign

Maybe its age, though that has not seemed to impede the “cool” of his good friend Hugh Hefner, or perhaps, as is the case with many aging rock stars, it’s the becoming irrelevant factor (heck even Elvis felt threatened by and resented the Beatles). So maybe in consideration of these and some other unknown and or undisclosed factors poor Gene is looking for something to get some attention. Enter the devils horns!

 

Apparently Gene Simmons thinks he could and even more alarming should trademark a sign that he did not either create or popularize. Sure he used it, often, but what rockers and or their fans have not? Historically the symbol dates back to early Italian society when people used it to warn off evil spirits. This is why Ronnie James Dio, who was the first rocker to use the symbol, credited his Italian grandmother for showing it to him. Further it was used by John Lennon in the 60’s and was featured on the cover of what most music historians consider the greatest achievement in Rock and Roll history, Sgt. Peppers. So why would Gene Simmons have the audacity to claim it has his own? Certainly he does not need the money!

 

When I was a kid, like seemingly every other kid at that time, I was completely enthralled with Kiss (and what kid did not dress as a member of Kiss at least once)? They were both intimidating and magnetic. Liking Kiss just seemed a little rebellious. I can still close my eyes and  smell the very inimitable scent of their cards. Lunchbox, check. Sheets, check. Dolls, check. And as I went from kid to pimply faced pre-teen denim jacket with Kiss patches and pins, check. I loved Kiss, even after the makeup came off. I forgave Gene for the disco stuff on his solo album. I even liked The Elder for goodness sake! The point is I have always been a fan and quite frankly thought I always would be. But, there’s always a but in these diatribes, I am not so sure anymore because this doesn’t feel right. This feels to orchestrated and I can’t quite understood for whom?

 

Dio, for myself and many others, is a metal deity, one who never sought anymore attention then what that perfervid voice gave him. Further, and most importantly, those hand made horns belong to all of us. Anyone who has ever grew their hair out for years, or waited in line for over 12 hours to see our favorite metal band, or who now has permanent hearing loss for attending said shows one to many times! So I get it, its hard getting old,  I still can’t get the vision of Vince Neil in spandex from last years Crue concert out of my head. However getting old and less popular does not give one the right to take something that is not rightfully theirs-I’m sorry Chaim we expect more from our demons.

By Sean S.

(Update: Forbes reports that after less than 2 weeks, Gene Simmons has withdrawn his application for trademark of said hand gesture with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.)

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