- It's a dirty job but somebody's got to do it.
- Walk amongst the natives by day, but in your heart be Superman.
- Anyone who tells you they got into rock n' roll for reasons other than girls, fame and money is full of shit.
- When I'm gone, on my tombstone I'd like 'Thank you and goodnight', because I have no regrets. The sad thing is most people have to check with someone before they do the things that make them happy. We're all passing through; the least we can do is be happy, and the only way to do that is by being selfish.
- The first thing I did when I met Shannon Tweed, or Cher, was say: 'Here, there are no skeletons in Gene Simmons's closet.' I refuse to lead a Dr Jekyll-and-Mr Hyde life. There are DJs who get caught with prostitutes, MPs with stockings on their head. It's a waste of time. Just say, 'This is who I am. Take it or leave it'. Then you sleep well.
- My hero is me. Why? Because I was a poor little kid who was told, 'Hey stupid, can't you speak English?' Now all those people work for me. Despite whatever circumstances I came across, I was always able to rise to the top and there's only one way to do that - by being selfish, but also by believing in yourself. Belief is self-knowing. Even Yoda out of Star Wars said, 'Do or do not. There is no try.'
- [on why he was voting for George W. Bush in 2004] When you walk through a bad neighborhood, you don't want a poodle by your side. You want a Rottweiler.
- Marriage is an institution, and you must be fully committed to it. That sounds crazy to me.
- The root of all evil isn't money; rather, it's not having enough money.
- Whoever said 'Money can't buy you love or joy' obviously was not making enough money.
- [on his children, Nick Simmons and Sophie Simmons] Why are they so funny and creative and charming and generous? Because I won't stand for them being anything less, that's why!
- [on the dismissal of his KISS band-mates Peter Criss and Ace Frehley in the early 1980s] They were let go for being into alcohol and worse drugs, pure and simple. I love both those guys to death. But I didn't want them to die on tour.
- You can't argue with facts and figures. Either people want it, in which case they pay for it, or it's two guys sitting around at the Plaza having a discussion, which means nothing. I mean, Titanic (1997). I wasn't crazy about the movie. But you know what? I'm gonna shut up, because the people have spoken. End of story!
- [on Radiohead's plan in 2007 to let fans choose how much to pay for their new album] That's not a business model that works. I open a store and say, 'come on in and pay whatever you want'. Are you on fucking crack?
- We broke Lawrence Welk's attendance record in Abilene, Texas. I'm very proud of that.
- We own some very big houses that critics have bought us with their bad reviews. Critics are an unnecessary life form. There's a large Kiss cemetery at the back of our houses where we bury them.
- Kids should never be allowed, much less forced, to leave the nest until and unless they can fly - or, preferably, soar.
- The best you can do is set your kids on the right track; staying on it without falling is up to the kids.
- The best things in life are never given; they're earned. Responsibility, for instance.
- Everyone has SOMETHING for which everybody else will gladly shell out a ton of money...whether or not they know exactly what it is.
- [on pop duo "Boy Meets Girl", aka George Merrill & Shannon Rubicam] Their worst and only mistake was actually getting married, when they already had a gorgeous little girl *and* a booming music career. Had those two just left well-enough alone, like Shannon (Tweed) and I have, they'd probably still be a couple today.
- [on touring as a family group] I think it's good for me and good for the family. It forces [us] to confront issues that would normally be hidden. We've been together twenty-eight years and I don't know of a single highway you can drive on that doesn't have bumps in the road. Love is the answer. If you care enough about somebody, you confront those issues.
- The TV show, for me, is medicinal. I'm able to watch it and realize that I'm not aware how I come off. I can be short, I can be impolite, and not be aware of it, and it certainly hurts people's feelings.
- This is a privileged life. There are rewards. But at any time I could say 'I don't want to do this, don't bother me' and quit. I do it because I love it.
- It is time for me to grow up. I'm 62. I've been doing a lot of wacky stuff for an awfully long time... and there's nobody I've ever said 'I love you' to. I even find it difficult to say 'I love you' to my mother. But I love Shannon with all my heart and all my soul, and always will.
- Don't believe bands who say it's all about the fans and they want to give their music away for free. The result is they will continue to live in their mother's basement.
- If someone offered me a billion dollars for the Kiss brand I wouldn't sell. We now have 3,000 licensed products. There's no limit to what Kiss can do. We have everything from condoms to caskets - we'll get you coming and we'll get you going.
- Music, marriage and religion, it's all a business. Even God passes the hat around. It is your fiduciary duty not just to understand how to play a minor chord but how to maximize your pay.
- Some bands use a lot of tapes...U2? I'm sorry, it's a fucking tape. The great bands like Metallica, AC/DC, Led Zeppelin - what you see and what you hear is what these people are actually playing.
- I would urge all bands that say they only care about credibility and don't care about money to send Gene Simmons every dollar that they don't want. I'd be happy to take it off them.
- No karaoke singers allowed. No fake bullshit. Leave that to Rihanna-Schmianna and everybody else whose name ends with an 'a.'
- I think Barack Obama is actually a good guy. He has no fucking idea what the world is like because he doesn't have to live there.
- Politicians trot out celebrities and rock stars to convince us they're worthy of the job, and we the masses, fall for it. Shame on us. Celebrities are morons, myself included. They should stick to what they do best. Act. Sing. Or burp. But keep the candidates clean of their stains.
- I have never been high or drunk in my life.
- It's very sad for new bands. My heart goes out to them. They just don't have a chance. If you play guitar, it's almost impossible. You're better off not even learning how to play guitar or write songs and just singing in the shower and auditioning for The X Factor (2011).
- Where's the next Bob Dylan? Where's the next Beatles (The Beatles)? Where are the songwriters? Many of them now have to work behind the scenes, to prop up acts and write their stuff for them.
- That beautiful idea in religion about the meek inheriting the earth is naiveté at its highest. The strong inherit the earth; the meek inherit shit.
- People think that, in KISS, Paul and I are alike, as are Peter and Ace with each other. Bullshit. Paul and I are like black and white; there's almost nothing we share an opinion on. I think Judge Dredd is one of the greatest movies ever made, and Paul think it's a piece of shit. The one guy in KISS that I have much in common with would be Peter.
- I think Shakespeare (William Shakespeare) is shit. Absolute shit! The guy may have been a genius in his time, but I can't relate to it at all. 'Thee, thou...' The guy sounds like a fairy.
- David Bowie, you will be sorely missed. Bowie's 'Changes' and the Ziggy story songs were a major influence for me.
- [on Trump] I think people should get over it and move on. He's our President and that's it, end of story.
- [In an interview with the business news site BNET, when taking about his book "Ladies of the Night: A Historical and Personal Perspective of the Oldest Profession in the World"] Sure! We're whores. I have no credibility. I don't want credibility. To me, a prostitute has always been much more ethical than a wife.
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