Gene Simmons

[desdemona]

Gene Simmons Is an "Asshole"

Kiss man plans to party around star-studded album

Kiss bassist Gene Simmons plans to hold "asshole parties" to promote his first solo album in twenty-six years. The disc, appropriately titled Asshole, includes contributions from Bob Dylan, Dave Navarro and the late Frank Zappa, and will be released May 18th.

During off-nights on the upcoming Kiss tour, Simmons, who claims to be "the world's biggest asshole," will take over a club, where only true assholes will be admitted. "No fakers allowed," says the fifty-four-year-old rocker. "And, of course, once you come in, you'll be given a certificate which will certify that you're a real asshole."

Simmons' winning personality didn't stop rock's most celebrated songwriter from working with him. The fruit of his and Dylan's collaboration is "Waiting for the Morning Light," a song Simmons had begun nine years earlier. "I called Bob Dylan cold one day," Simmons says. "I said, 'Hi Bob, it's Gene Simmons. Do you want to write a song together? And I was surprised to hear, 'Yeah, sure, come on.' So we got together at my house, and in one afternoon we came up with some chords that Bob put together and I sang a melody against it, and bingo: 'Waiting for the Morning Light.'"

Another years-in-the-making track is "Black Tongue," a song begun by Frank Zappa. "When Frank was alive, he invited me over to his home and I sat around with his family, and he was very gracious," Simmons recalls. "After he passed away, I asked his wife whether or not he had any unfinished songs, and [Zappa's son] Dweezil brought over a thirty-second tidbit of a piece originally called 'Black Tongue.'" Simmons then layered guitars, drums and vocals over it, and kept the title. He also invited the entire Zappa family -- wife Gail, Dweezil, daughter Moon, and son Ahmet -- to join him on background vocals, with Dweezil adding more guitar to his father's original part.

Asshole also features Simmons' own family. Shannon Tweed, his live-in girlfriend of twenty years, and her mother Louise sing on "Whatever Turns You On"; Simmons' fifteen-year-old son Nick sings on "Carnival of Souls"; and his eleven-year-old daughter Sophie sings on "Now That You're Gone."

The album's single is a cover of Prodigy's "Firestarter," featuring Jane's Addiction guitarist Navarro.

Simmons, who begins touring the U.S. with Kiss June 10th in San Antonio, has no plans to hit the road behind Asshole . . . yet. "If somebody stands up with a large enough check," he says, "I'll go out."

The Asshole track listing:

Asshole

Carnival of Souls

If I Had a Gun

Weapons

Waiting for the Morning Light

Whatever Turns You On

Sweet and Dirty Love

Beautiful

Dog

Now That You're Gone

Black Tongue

I Dream a Thousand Dreams

Firestarter

KAREN BLISS

(April 22, 2004)

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/newsarticle.asp?nid=19642

[Shawn]

If anyone wants to pre-order the album, you can buy it today and have it shipped to you as soon as it is released.

According to Amazon, it won't be released until June 8, 2004.

[DudeAsInCool]

If anyone wants to pre-order the album, you can buy it today and have it shipped to you as soon as it is released. 

Spammer :) J/K..Ive never been a Kiss fan, but I like the title of the project, and this looks more interesting than usual. Who would have ever figured Gene Simmons with the likes of Bob Dylan, Dave Navarro and the late Frank Zappa??

[KiwiCoromandel]

Gene Simmons Is an "Asshole"

Kiss man plans to party around star-studded album

Kiss bassist Gene Simmons plans to hold "asshole parties" to promote his first solo album in twenty-six years. The disc, appropriately titled Asshole, includes contributions from Bob Dylan, Dave Navarro and the late Frank Zappa, and will be released May 18th.

During off-nights on the upcoming Kiss tour, Simmons, who claims to be "the world's biggest asshole," will take over a club, where only true assholes will be admitted. "No fakers allowed," says the fifty-four-year-old rocker. "And, of course, once you come in, you'll be given a certificate which will certify that you're a real asshole."

Simmons' winning personality didn't stop rock's most celebrated songwriter from working with him. The fruit of his and Dylan's collaboration is "Waiting for the Morning Light," a song Simmons had begun nine years earlier. "I called Bob Dylan cold one day," Simmons says. "I said, 'Hi Bob, it's Gene Simmons. Do you want to write a song together? And I was surprised to hear, 'Yeah, sure, come on.' So we got together at my house, and in one afternoon we came up with some chords that Bob put together and I sang a melody against it, and bingo: 'Waiting for the Morning Light.'"

Another years-in-the-making track is "Black Tongue," a song begun by Frank Zappa. "When Frank was alive, he invited me over to his home and I sat around with his family, and he was very gracious," Simmons recalls. "After he passed away, I asked his wife whether or not he had any unfinished songs, and [Zappa's son] Dweezil brought over a thirty-second tidbit of a piece originally called 'Black Tongue.'" Simmons then layered guitars, drums and vocals over it, and kept the title. He also invited the entire Zappa family -- wife Gail, Dweezil, daughter Moon, and son Ahmet -- to join him on background vocals, with Dweezil adding more guitar to his father's original part.

Asshole also features Simmons' own family. Shannon Tweed, his live-in girlfriend of twenty years, and her mother Louise sing on "Whatever Turns You On"; Simmons' fifteen-year-old son Nick sings on "Carnival of Souls"; and his eleven-year-old daughter Sophie sings on "Now That You're Gone."

The album's single is a cover of Prodigy's "Firestarter," featuring Jane's Addiction guitarist Navarro.

Simmons, who begins touring the U.S. with Kiss June 10th in San Antonio, has no plans to hit the road behind Asshole . . . yet. "If somebody stands up with a large enough check," he says, "I'll go out."

The Asshole track listing:

Asshole

Carnival of Souls

If I Had a Gun

Weapons

Waiting for the Morning Light

Whatever Turns You On

Sweet and Dirty Love

Beautiful

Dog

Now That You're Gone

Black Tongue

I Dream a Thousand Dreams

Firestarter

KAREN BLISS

(April 22, 2004)

http://www.rollingstone.com/news/newsarticle.asp?nid=19642

interesting news item.....i`ve always admired gene simmons attitude to rock although i`ve never been that keen on kiss. as a frank zappa fan i`m certainly keen to hear the zappa/simmons collaboration track, "black tongue". :strumma:

[Lord_of_the_Dense]

I didn't know where else to put this, so I figured I'd do it here. I have something else too. If I can ever figure out how to save it. It's a .gif from an e-mail. I try to copy but all I get is a still image. It's one of the smileys from Smiley Central. I just want 1 .gif, not the entire toolbar/collection.

[DudeAsInCool]

:good job:

[Umma]

great pic LOTD