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jhains's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
2.5
Was excited to read this as I am a big kiss fan, but was disappointed. He doesn't go into much detail about kiss music.
He prefers to let you know how many women he slept with and who he slept with.
Seems it was just written to make money which from the book is what he likes to do.
So if you want a quick recap of kiss career, who gene has dated and everything he can take credit for this is the book
He prefers to let you know how many women he slept with and who he slept with.
Seems it was just written to make money which from the book is what he likes to do.
So if you want a quick recap of kiss career, who gene has dated and everything he can take credit for this is the book
thosh's review
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
3.75
Gene’s memoir of growing up in Israel and moving to the US to become one of the greatest rock stars ever. Fun read, read in a single day on March 5, 2019. Written in 2001, this is the first of the Kiss memoirs by ten years.
bent's review
3.0
Read this a long time ago so it's a little hard to remember details. I found the story of his childhood interesting, but find Gene Simmons a hard guy to like overall. He's a real blowhard.
jlmb's review
4.0
I picked this up at the library on a whim - great cover! Before this book, I could have only named two KISS songs. I don't own any of their albums; although I do own an awesome KISS lunchbox. Never saw Gene's reality show either. So I came to this book with hardly any preconceived notions about Gene Simmons or the band.
The book turned out to be a really interesting read. I had no idea he was Israeli or that his mom had been in the camps during the war & had most of her family killed by the Nazis. He & his mom immigrated to NYC when he was 9. And then he went to a yeshiva in Brooklyn! He was a good boy who did well in school. Gene explained that his decision to never drink or do drugs or smoke stemmed from not wanting to hurt his mother. She had been through so much and lost so much, who was he to break her heart by turning to drugs or drink?
I'm glad he never used, because it made his clear headed account of KISS much more interesting. I've read rock memoirs where the musician was such a complete & utter fuck up that it is hard to follow the story of the band. Looking at you, Keith Richards! And Ron Wood. And Vince Neil. And Belinda Carlisle. A memoir where the musician is so flummoxed by how the music industry works that they can't give any explanation or insight as to what was going on. It becomes a story about how "the suits" fucked him over and how he is a musician, man, not a square. And did I tell you about this celebrity I hung out with? Or the wacky high times I had destroying hotel rooms and blowing through money like water? Those memoirs are like reading a memoir written by a 12 year old with an IQ of 90.
Gene is nobody's fool. He got a BA in education before starting a band so he'd have something to fall back on if music didn't work out for him. A back up plan! Wow. He taught 6th grade for a while & worked in various offices(including Vogue) while attempting to build a successful band.He actually read contracts before signing them. He looked at bills before he paid them. He spent his money on practical things like houses for his family rather than gold toilets and marble statues of himself. He got to know people in the industry who could teach him things & give him opportunities. In terms of the band, I found it fascinating to read about why things were done the way they were. About the costumes & stage design & tours and the marketing & merchandise.
I think the one aspect he did not fully deal with was his incredible promiscuity. At the beginning of the book he writes that he has had sex with 4,600 women. I immediately wondered how he came up with that number - he must be rounding to the nearest even number, right? And estimating? Later in the book he talks about how he would take a photo of a woman after he had sex with her. Sort of like keeping baseballs cards but with pics of naked women instead. So I am guessing that he counted the photos. He does mention that several people told him he needed to be in therapy to deal with his intimacy issues. And he does admit that since he did not get drunk or high, his chosen vice was one night stands. I started thinking he might be slightly Asperger-ish. He doesn't understand small talk, he didn't really have close friends, he never got close with women, he is smart etc.
I think this memoir is worth reading even if you aren't a KISS fan. Anyone interested in the music industry would find his book engrossing.
The book turned out to be a really interesting read. I had no idea he was Israeli or that his mom had been in the camps during the war & had most of her family killed by the Nazis. He & his mom immigrated to NYC when he was 9. And then he went to a yeshiva in Brooklyn! He was a good boy who did well in school. Gene explained that his decision to never drink or do drugs or smoke stemmed from not wanting to hurt his mother. She had been through so much and lost so much, who was he to break her heart by turning to drugs or drink?
I'm glad he never used, because it made his clear headed account of KISS much more interesting. I've read rock memoirs where the musician was such a complete & utter fuck up that it is hard to follow the story of the band. Looking at you, Keith Richards! And Ron Wood. And Vince Neil. And Belinda Carlisle. A memoir where the musician is so flummoxed by how the music industry works that they can't give any explanation or insight as to what was going on. It becomes a story about how "the suits" fucked him over and how he is a musician, man, not a square. And did I tell you about this celebrity I hung out with? Or the wacky high times I had destroying hotel rooms and blowing through money like water? Those memoirs are like reading a memoir written by a 12 year old with an IQ of 90.
Gene is nobody's fool. He got a BA in education before starting a band so he'd have something to fall back on if music didn't work out for him. A back up plan! Wow. He taught 6th grade for a while & worked in various offices(including Vogue) while attempting to build a successful band.He actually read contracts before signing them. He looked at bills before he paid them. He spent his money on practical things like houses for his family rather than gold toilets and marble statues of himself. He got to know people in the industry who could teach him things & give him opportunities. In terms of the band, I found it fascinating to read about why things were done the way they were. About the costumes & stage design & tours and the marketing & merchandise.
I think the one aspect he did not fully deal with was his incredible promiscuity. At the beginning of the book he writes that he has had sex with 4,600 women. I immediately wondered how he came up with that number - he must be rounding to the nearest even number, right? And estimating? Later in the book he talks about how he would take a photo of a woman after he had sex with her. Sort of like keeping baseballs cards but with pics of naked women instead. So I am guessing that he counted the photos. He does mention that several people told him he needed to be in therapy to deal with his intimacy issues. And he does admit that since he did not get drunk or high, his chosen vice was one night stands. I started thinking he might be slightly Asperger-ish. He doesn't understand small talk, he didn't really have close friends, he never got close with women, he is smart etc.
I think this memoir is worth reading even if you aren't a KISS fan. Anyone interested in the music industry would find his book engrossing.
jasond's review
3.0
Let me sum up: Money, poon-tang, more money, more poon-tang, I'm right about everything.
heatherreadsbooks's review
4.0
*Back-dating reviews based on snips I find*
So, I’m a huge KISS fan. For all the bands I have seen live, it really annoys me that they are not one of them – yet. I’ve always found KISS to be sell-outs, consumed with making products in every possible way and I’ve always found Gene Simmons relatively cocky. With this in mind, I read the first few pages of his introduction and complained that I felt this was going to be a self righteous, holier-than-thou book. I was, in fact, proven wrong… Sort of.
I had a vague idea of his Jewish background and I knew that he changed his name, but that was about as far as it goes. I have to admit I liked his family attitude. I liked how he spoke about his mother throughout the book and I liked the way he spoke about starting his own family towards the end. It was relatively surprising.
The less surprising element to this book was the sexual encounters detailed throughout. Although, with an alleged 4,600+ under his belt I did expect a little more. I was particularly horrified on the mother/daughter combo, not because he agreed to it but because the mother suggested it and the daughter consented… I just don’t understand it. While I’ve read countless biographies and autobiographies detailing rock stars and their sexual exploits, there was something about the way Gene told it that was different. It wasn’t necessarily more respectful than I’ve seen many tell their tale, but it wasn’t exactly graphic or too detailed. It was more a case of “We had our way with each other”. Maybe he’s saving the details for an encyclopedic endeavour later in life.
When he spoke of KISS, I felt myself battling the urge to complain to my boyfriend about how egotistical many of his comments came off. For the most part I failed. I was particularly interested in his frank comments on Ace. My particular favourite was a page that included “Ace did nothing” about three times. I had considered getting Ace’s autobiography at some point and after this I’d definitely like to hear his side of events… But, while I feel Gene might have given a strong version of events on one side, I honestly think I’d get annoyed reading Ace’s book purely because it would be full of excuses. Maybe he could justify some things Gene slammed him for, but I even grew annoyed at him just from reading how regularly he was late and how awkward he was over contracts and his face paint. Whether or not I bring myself to read Ace’s side of events is yet to be seen, but I definitely liked the first hand insight into the band.
Most importantly, and one that somewhat changes my view of the band’s sheer empire of merchandise, I am actually stunned at Gene’s business sense. First off, the fact he made money from comics at a young age astounded me. I always find young entrepreneurs interesting, mainly because as a child the last thing I had on my mind was starting a business. With his list of job exploits seemingly including the likes of Vogue, it added a whole lot more diversity to him than I had any idea of.
While I have always said KISS can make a product out of anything, Gene openly admits they sold out in terms of product. I thought the fact he said credibility is fleeting but you can’t deny a brand’s success was the most sensible thing I heard in the entire book, so much so I kept telling my boyfriend about it throughout the day – much to his annoyance. I think I would feel differently had he tried to justify it in some way, but by flat out saying he is creating a brand really impressed me.
I had no idea how smart Gene was. That’s the overriding thing I took from this book. He is actually insanely intelligent. He speaks various languages fluently, he has an unimaginable business sense and he knows how to market himself. The story of staging a popular KISS show for a record label made me laugh; it’s such a good idea yet few would have thought of it.
The band are a force, it’s undeniable and I now understand exactly why. I’m not saying it’s all down to Gene, but I can see how a large part of the money and success is down to him. I have a list of dream interviewees and while KISS have always floated around on it, this book has completely certified that I would give anything to talk to Gene Simmons for even just a few minutes. I really enjoyed this book. Onwards to the next…
So, I’m a huge KISS fan. For all the bands I have seen live, it really annoys me that they are not one of them – yet. I’ve always found KISS to be sell-outs, consumed with making products in every possible way and I’ve always found Gene Simmons relatively cocky. With this in mind, I read the first few pages of his introduction and complained that I felt this was going to be a self righteous, holier-than-thou book. I was, in fact, proven wrong… Sort of.
I had a vague idea of his Jewish background and I knew that he changed his name, but that was about as far as it goes. I have to admit I liked his family attitude. I liked how he spoke about his mother throughout the book and I liked the way he spoke about starting his own family towards the end. It was relatively surprising.
The less surprising element to this book was the sexual encounters detailed throughout. Although, with an alleged 4,600+ under his belt I did expect a little more. I was particularly horrified on the mother/daughter combo, not because he agreed to it but because the mother suggested it and the daughter consented… I just don’t understand it. While I’ve read countless biographies and autobiographies detailing rock stars and their sexual exploits, there was something about the way Gene told it that was different. It wasn’t necessarily more respectful than I’ve seen many tell their tale, but it wasn’t exactly graphic or too detailed. It was more a case of “We had our way with each other”. Maybe he’s saving the details for an encyclopedic endeavour later in life.
When he spoke of KISS, I felt myself battling the urge to complain to my boyfriend about how egotistical many of his comments came off. For the most part I failed. I was particularly interested in his frank comments on Ace. My particular favourite was a page that included “Ace did nothing” about three times. I had considered getting Ace’s autobiography at some point and after this I’d definitely like to hear his side of events… But, while I feel Gene might have given a strong version of events on one side, I honestly think I’d get annoyed reading Ace’s book purely because it would be full of excuses. Maybe he could justify some things Gene slammed him for, but I even grew annoyed at him just from reading how regularly he was late and how awkward he was over contracts and his face paint. Whether or not I bring myself to read Ace’s side of events is yet to be seen, but I definitely liked the first hand insight into the band.
Most importantly, and one that somewhat changes my view of the band’s sheer empire of merchandise, I am actually stunned at Gene’s business sense. First off, the fact he made money from comics at a young age astounded me. I always find young entrepreneurs interesting, mainly because as a child the last thing I had on my mind was starting a business. With his list of job exploits seemingly including the likes of Vogue, it added a whole lot more diversity to him than I had any idea of.
While I have always said KISS can make a product out of anything, Gene openly admits they sold out in terms of product. I thought the fact he said credibility is fleeting but you can’t deny a brand’s success was the most sensible thing I heard in the entire book, so much so I kept telling my boyfriend about it throughout the day – much to his annoyance. I think I would feel differently had he tried to justify it in some way, but by flat out saying he is creating a brand really impressed me.
I had no idea how smart Gene was. That’s the overriding thing I took from this book. He is actually insanely intelligent. He speaks various languages fluently, he has an unimaginable business sense and he knows how to market himself. The story of staging a popular KISS show for a record label made me laugh; it’s such a good idea yet few would have thought of it.
The band are a force, it’s undeniable and I now understand exactly why. I’m not saying it’s all down to Gene, but I can see how a large part of the money and success is down to him. I have a list of dream interviewees and while KISS have always floated around on it, this book has completely certified that I would give anything to talk to Gene Simmons for even just a few minutes. I really enjoyed this book. Onwards to the next…
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