SiriusXM “The Howard Stern Show” staffer Sal Governale recently spent a day with his idol, KISS legend Gene Simmons. A video recap of the experience can be seen below.
According to Rolling Stone, Governale, better known as “Sal The Stockbroker”, was a stockbroker with a habit of making prank phone calls when he became a regular caller into “The Howard Stern Show” in the mid-1990s. He was hired as a comedy writer in 2004 after competing in the “Win John’s Job” contest against several other superfans in order to land a full-time spot on the show.
KISS played its two final shows ever in December 2023 at New York City’s Madison Square Garden.
The last show, held on December 2, 2023, streamed live on pay-per-view.
KISS launched its farewell trek in January 2019 but was forced to put it on hold in 2020 due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
“End Of The Road” was originally scheduled to conclude on July 17, 2021 in New York City. The trek was announced in September 2018 following a KISS performance of the band’s classic song “Detroit Rock City” on “America’s Got Talent”.
Early last year, KISS sold its entire music catalog, likeness and brand name to Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment, which is behind “ABBA Voyage”. A biopic, an avatar show, and a KISS-themed experience are already in the works, with Simmons and KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley playing key roles in the development of all these projects, working closely with Pophouse.
Simmons is a multihyphenate entrepreneur and one of the world’s most recognized personalities. He continues to hit the stage with his GENE SIMMONS BAND, which, in addition to Simmons, includes Brent Woods (SEBASTIAN BACH, VINCE NEIL),Zach Throne (MOTHER PEARL, THE PINK FLOYD EXPERIENCE, CODY CARPENTER) and Brian Tichy (WHITESNAKE, BILLY IDOL, FOREIGNER, SASS JORDAN, OZZY OSBOURNE).
Simmons has achieved success that reaches far beyond his music career, extending into television, film, publishing, merchandising, restaurants, consumer products and more. He co-founded KISS, America’s gold record award-winning rock group.
KISS was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame at the 2014 induction ceremony. The band has also been recognized with a star on the Hollywood Walk Of Fame for its pioneering work.
