During an appearance on “The HoneyDew”, a storytelling podcast hosted by comedian Ryan Sickler, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons said that his late mother taught him “the value of money.” He added (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “It’s interesting. Different cultures think of money in different ways. If you’re not Jewish, per Benjamin Franklin, a penny saved is a penny earned — by the way, now a penny saved is two pennies earned, ’cause that was before taxes, before America had taxes, federal included — so if you are not Jewish, people say, ‘Oh, you’re frugal.’ If you’re Jewish, ‘You’re fucking cheap.’
“When somebody says I’m cheap, I say, ‘Thank you. I’m smart, bitch. I’ll see you at the end,'” he continued. “And revenge, for all the people that had something to say about you and about you, the best revenge is to have them work for you. That’s the best revenge. Keep your nose right on the grindstone. Work hard, work harder than your next door neighbor. Amass your fortune, whatever that is. And living well is the best revenge.
“I have met the athletic jock in school who was more popular in school, who had some chicks,” Simmons added. “Of course, when he wouldn’t look, I’d climb on them anyway, but they all pick… they don’t look to the future. It’s like right here, right now. I never thought about right here, right now. What am I gonna do later?
“I’ve got my finances in such order that the next two to three generations are taken care of. That’s why you have to diversify… So I’m in crypto, real estate, stocks, bonds, futures, commodities.”
Elsewhere in the chat, Simmons repeated his previous statement that his children should find their own way in life, rather than relying on vast handouts from their mom and dad.
“Neither [my son] Nick nor [my daughter] Sophie ever got — what is it called? — allowances, where you give your kids money for nothing,” he said. “No. You want money? You’ve gotta do something. Do this. I don’t know — mow the lawn, clean this, do that. Then you understand the value of it. And then you don’t have to say ‘thank you’. You don’t owe anybody money.
“The love of labor… If you can get that into the thick skulls of — what’s the new gener[ation]? Generation X? What is it? … Generation fucked up,” Gene continued. “The entitled generation. ‘Cause if you go through your whole life getting your palm greased, which used to mean you get money for nothing, when you turn 18 or 20, whenever it is that you’re on your own, you get entitled: ‘Hey, I deserve healthcare.’ No, actually, you don’t. ‘I deserve free living.'”
Circling back to his belief that being born into a wealthy household does not give children the right to be entitled to their parents’ fortune, Simmons added: “It’s up to you. You have an inferred fiduciary duty or an inferred duty to yourself to figure out what the right thing is, to figure out where the right place is and to figure out when the right time is — right thing, right place, right time. I mean, when I was born, my mother used to chew my food for me. I didn’t have a tooth in my skull and there was no such thing as baby food in a new country, Israel. There was no baby food. It was just little babies, no teeth. Their moms used to chew their food so they can get protein and everything and fruit and whatever… Before the American system of baby food came in, mothers and fathers in the 1800s would chew their food, just like birds, whatever, for their kids. I know it sounds, like, ‘What?’ But think about it. And when I was born, I know for a fact I just used to shit whenever I wanted to. Somebody wipes up my shit, somebody chews my food — I’m set. I can cry whenever I want. It’s, like, ‘This is the best thing.’ And then one day it’s stopped. ‘Hey! So who’s gonna wipe my shit? Who’s gonna chew my food?’ And then you have to do it. And the sooner your kids — or any anybody’s kids that you care about — the sooner they learn to be self-sufficient, the more good citizens they’ll be.”
In early 2024, KISS sold its entire music catalog, likeness and brand name to Pophouse, a Swedish entertainment group.
While terms of the Pophouse deal were not officially announced, Bloomberg and Associated Press said it was worth upwards of $300 million. However, Simmons insisted that financial gain is “not what [the sale is] about. It’s about enjoying life,” while adding, “I’m certainly blessed.”
KISS continues to be among the most merchandised bands in history and a pioneering force in the music merchandise and licensing industry, with KISS-branded merchandise available in major retailers around the globe, including Nordstrom, Macy’s, Urban Outfitters, Hot Topic, Torrid, Tilly’s, Pacsun, Cotton On, Revolve, Nasty Gal, Princess Polly, Target, Walmart and Kohl’s, among many more.
