MetaChat - Gene Simmons,

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27 June 2008

Gene Simmons, world-class jerk
→[More:]
On music downloading:

Gene Jail time, taking peoples' homes, cars. I mean legitimate hardcore penalties for theft.

L.G.: Well, if you have millions upon millions of people around the world doing this, particularly—

Gene That means that there are possibly trillions of dollars which can be collected.

On global culture:

Gene: So if you're a Chinese filmmaker, or songwriter—you know, right now, China doesn't have any pop culture that anybody gives a shit about. ... Same thing with India. I can't name you an Indian comic book, cartoon character, comedian, actor, and don't really care.

L.G.: Well, Bollywood, of course.

Gene: Means nothing outside of India.

Prostitution:

L.G.: Let me ask you, have you been a satisfied customer?

G.S.: Actually I haven't, but that's only because I'm against the business model. I think they should be paying me.

Energy:

Gene I would encourage the American oil companies to make as much money as possible so that we put the money in our oil companies instead of the Middle East... For all the global-warming issues everybody talks about, we'd be better off killing cows because the methane released from cow farts literally is causing the biggest hole in the ozone.

Bonus:

L.G.: Absolutely. So, Family Jewels—let me ask—

G.S.: Gene Simmons Family Jewels.

L.G.: Yeah, yeah, I got it.

post by: Firas at: 01:15 | 26 comments

(did i say world-class? i meant backwater)

posted by Firas 27 June | 01:27

He's the only person pretty much ever to even attempt to really, really mess with Terry Gross...here's a transcript of their interview. And nobody messes with Terry.

(Non-US bunnies: Terry Gross hosts an hour-long radio interview show on National Public Radio called Fresh Air.)

posted by mdonley 27 June | 02:17

That's interesting. The NPR interview presents him doing a shtick though, but in contrast with the (bit more serious) portfolio interview you can see that even through the cracks of the facade the actual person underneath is more than a touch delusional and defensive about everything. Oh well. He's richer than me, so good for him?

posted by Firas 27 June | 03:02

I have disliked Gene Simmons ever since the Terry Gross interview, shtick or not. He's a creep.

posted by LoriFLA 27 June | 05:32

*is apparently a non-US bunny; never heard of Terry Gross and assumed she was a British man by the name*

posted by Eideteker 27 June | 05:35

Yes, it's not Terri. Terry Gross is awesome, eid. She soothes my mind for the most part. She has a very calm voice and is a good interviewer.

posted by LoriFLA 27 June | 05:41

Tried listening to NPR once. Not my thing. Maybe when I have a mortgage.

posted by Eideteker 27 June | 06:52

I don't have a mortgage, Eid.

I heard the tail end of that Terry Gross interview, and it's a pretty tired shtick, unless he's NOT being deliberately offensive just to screw around with The Man?

posted by muddgirl 27 June | 07:00

Our local NPR station and the Non-NPR public music station are the only broadcast radio that I can stomach these days. But I don't listen too often since I don't drive to work anymore and the radio reception inside my house is crappy (too many layers of lead paint probably).

posted by octothorpe 27 June | 08:16

Oh, my god. I remember hearing that interview and wondering who the hell that schmuck was. It was late at night, I was trying to sleep, so I turned on the 24-hour internet npr broadcast. I came in at the middle I didn't stick around to hear who it was and didn't care. I got so disgusted I had to get up all over again just to turn it off and wash my brain.

Reading the transcript I think TG has got a lot of class. GS, not so much.

posted by lysdexic 27 June | 08:22

I hear you, octothorpe. I mostly listen on the internet. I fell in love with "Wait Wait" and listened to all the backlogged shows every night for months. Until my ipod died I was a regular subscriber to the Science Friday podcast.

posted by lysdexic 27 June | 08:23

I was trying to sleep, so I turned on the 24-hour internet npr broadcast.

*giggle*

Alright, alright. I'll try to grow up. NPR's just not my thing, no one be offended. I just thought that line was funny, given NPR's reputation with the non-latte crowd.

posted by Eideteker 27 June | 08:31

Alright, alright. I'll try to grow up

I lol'd.

posted by lysdexic 27 June | 08:45

given NPR's reputation with the non-latte crowd.

What's a "non-latte" crowd? Am I in it? I don't drink lattes, usually.

posted by muddgirl 27 June | 08:57

On first glance I thought this was going to be about Richard Simmons. I'd love to hear Richard Simmons mess with Terry Gross.
≡ Click to see image ≡

posted by mygothlaundry 27 June | 09:05

If someone really wanted to take Gene Simmons down, they should ask him why no one cares about his music when he doesn't wear make up.

posted by drezdn 27 June | 09:12

Back when my daughter was pregnant and working in a local restaurant Gene was in town to promote his cologne, and he and entourage had lunch at daughter's restaurant.

He was "with" a woman NOT his long term livein girlfriend, and he requested a lapdance after lunch-from one of the owners.

Classy guy. Only, not.

(I think he's been doing the shtick so long he's BECOME it.)

posted by bunnyfire 27 June | 09:26

Drezdn, I doubt HE cares about his music. I think he's into making money, and he's just interested in providing product.

posted by bunnyfire 27 June | 09:27

Curse that muddgirl! She's immune to my sweepingest generalizations!

posted by Eideteker 27 June | 10:00

People I know--I guess people I used to be friends with--have this friend that they insist is "not really like that". He's not really an asshole. He doesn't really reduce every woman in the room into three holes and high heels. His actually a "Nice Guy". He just does that; it's just his thing. He doesn't mean it.

But I wonder, if that's the only way he ever acts, how can he not be that person?

You know, you can think you are the person you want to be inside your own head until you're cold, buried and unmourned. How you treat the person right there standing in front of you is who you actually are. If it entertains you, or your friends, or vast swaths of media-consumers to be a dick, it's hard to suggest you're not a dick. The goal is to leave every space of the world a little better for your having stood in it, not worse, and sometimes the simplist way to do that is just to treat everyone with respect. You don't do that by having a shtick that "everyone" knows is just an act. That waitress has no idea you're having a "joke", she just knows you're demeaning her and anything she does to regain her own dignity jeopardizes her job.

/rant

posted by crush-onastick 27 June | 10:08

What's a "non-latte" crowd? Am I in it? I don't drink lattes, usually.

Curse that muddgirl! She's immune to my sweepingest generalizations!

Well, I didn't want to say anything, but I'm a cafe breve sort, myself...

But today it's brandy!

/it's 5'oclock somwhere

posted by lysdexic 27 June | 10:11

She's immune to my sweepingest generalizations!

It's my super power!

Didn't mean to jump on your, Eideteker, but it's a generalization that I've heard a bunch recently, and it really confuses me. Is it, like, an 80's thing? Where before starbucks only liberal middle-class folks bought coffee from a coffeehouse? Or is there still a divide, except instead of between lattes and coffee-pot drinkers, it's between latte and frappachino drinkers?

posted by muddgirl 27 June | 11:48

His appearance on The Rollins Show was amazing and really made me realize what a complete fuckwit he is. All he talked about was how rich he was, and how that made him "something" I guess. Poor Henry was mortified.

posted by tr33hggr 27 June | 12:40

Didn't mean to jump on your, Eideteker

It's alright. I thought it was funny. I am dating an NPR listener, so the "NPR-people" vs. "non-NPR people" thing is acutely funny to me at present. But it's totally a non-issue.

She doesn't drink lattes, either.

posted by Eideteker 27 June | 13:44

My alarm clock is tuned to NPR, but that's usually the only time I listen to it. When I drink coffee, maybe once or twice a week, it's usually an iced Americano, though I also like the occasional iced mocha, especially with Mayan chocolate. Based on this information, can you deduce my opinion of Gene Simmons?

posted by box 27 June | 14:14

"nobody messes with Terry" on gets on the air.

posted by Ardiril 27 June | 15:40

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