Gene Simmons recounts the time he took the ice in Saskatoon to stop penalty shots

(Getty Images/Gabe Ginsberg)

Luca Celebre: First and foremost, what can fans expect to see from the movie 'Kiss Rocks Vegas' May 25th?

Gene Simmons: On the 25th, around the world, from one corner of New Zealand to Russia to South Africa, North America, everywhere, we decided to do something because we can't be everywhere at the same time. Even though we're doing this summer from July to September, we're doing 40 cities, two in Canada, 38 in America, in America, there are cities that don't often get big bands, places like Mankato, which most people haven't heard of, but we're bringing the full, gigantore show because we care. While we were trying out the brand new technology and big screens and all that in Las Vegas, we decided to bring in cameras and film the event in front of fans. The idea behind the movie, 'Kiss Rocks Vegas,' is simply as close as you can get to being at a concert without actually being there. You won't feel it. Literally when our fireballs go up, they're so hot, you can actually feel it in the audience, the temperature rises. If you're within ten rows, you can really feel it. Also, you don't have 10, 000 to 100, 000 people in the back of you or surrounding you, so it's not quite that, but if you're in the middle of 500 people in a movie theatre, it is kinda exciting.

LC: That sounds very exciting.

GS: What I like about movie theatres and movies all the time, cause lets face it, we can watch movies on our handheld devices like cellphones, or laptops, but it isn't the same. You go into a movie theatre, the lights go out, the screen is huge, the sound system is big, I'd rather watch Star Wars in a movie theatre than an online cell phone, wouldn't you?

LC: Agreed, it's like you're waiting for a show to start at a movie theatre. It's like going to a sporting event.

GS: Yeah, also, the sound system is too loud for somebody to bother you, even if somebody is talking, the phone won't ring, there's nobody going to be at the front door yelling, "Delivery." All the things that get in the way of actually getting engrossed in something, so that's what I like about movie theatres. Everything is life interuptis now. People talk all over stuff so you can't really immerse yourself into something, which is why I like movie theatres.

LC: Well, very excited to go see 'Kiss Rocks Vegas' once it comes out. Now, from what I've read, you got into the sport of hockey not too long ago, we're big hockey fans up here in Canada, now that you've been watching it for quite some time, what do you enjoy most about the sport?

GS: Well, it's take no prisoners, isn't it? You can sing the Canadian national anthem all you want and smile at each other, but I mean it's as close as you can get to boxing where you knock somebody's block off their head. In fact, as you're trying to be sportsmanlike, if somebody bumps into you, the game stops and people start knocking the crap out of each other. 


(Getty Images/Scott Audette)

LC: It's true. It's a little barbaric, well maybe not barbaric but...

GS: Well it's serious stuff. It's not for everybody. You can clearly see the passion. It's not that they want to win, it's you just pissed me off, and it's turned personal. I love that about hockey.

LC: Have you ever played before?

GS: Actually, in Saskatoon, they invited me to not a real game, they invited me to guard the goal, so I put on the full outfit and they had six guys, you know, real hockey players, who I don't think were shooting shots at the top speed, but I stopped four out of six of them, and then shortly there after of course fell on my face.



LC: Oh man, that's really good, four out of six?

GS: I don't know that they were actually trying to make me look like a wuss, but I don't know if they were playing their best, how's that?

LC: That's okay, four out of six either way, you stopped them and that's good. A couple of years ago you played at Los Angeles' first ever Outdoor Hockey game, you and the rest of Kiss, what was that experience like and how did it differ from playing at an arena or other venue?

GS: It didn't have the same impact for me. We did it at Dodger Stadium where we had actually played a concert a few years before that and we did it day time. The NHL was trying to do something to reach out to new fans and, in fact, the head of the NHL, a guy named (Gary) Bettman and I had been talking a lot about branding and taking over the marketing for the NHL. We couldn't come to terms, but we're still pals, but Kiss decided to play for the NHL because it's just an exciting thing. It's not the same during day time when the sun is out and there's a frozen rink under your skates, it's not the same thing. In California, it's very bizarre. There's no snow and there's cold, it's now like the Great White North, so I think hockey is better, in California especially, when it's indoors, so you don't see the sunlight and you can really concentrate on the guys on the ice knocking the crap out of each other.


(Getty Images/Gregory Shamus)

LC: You also had a chance to play in the Super Bowl, what was that like in terms of preparing for that and going out there and rocking that stadium?

GS: Well the excitement level, as you can imagine is off the charts, although it's certainly not the biggest crowd we've ever played at. We did our own show in a place called Maracana in Rio, with a local opening band called 'Eyes,' a Brazilian band. Now Rio, soccer over there is religion, you know people get beaten up and sometimes killed if you root for the wrong team, literally, so the Super Bowl we played at was in Miami, so the attendance might have been 60 to 70, 000 thousand, but in Rio, it's over 200, 000, that's how big that place is. Three times the size of a regular stadium.

LC: That's insane. How far back could you see the crowd go?

GS: They looked like locusts from a biblical plague. You can't make out faces, especially when it gets dark and the spotlights from halfway down the field were hitting the stage, you could actually see the steam rising from people, the body heat. It was very strange.



LC: Athletes have their 'pump-up' music that they listen to before games. Do musicians ever do the same to get ready for a concert?

GS: All the time, we do it every show because it takes us hours to get ready. Just putting on the makeup is two hours and I always listen to music, all kinds of stuff. A Foot In Cold Water, Stampeders, Chilliwack, all the classics, they're pre-historic Canadian bands.

LC: So those are your go to bands?

GS: I listen to everything, anything from Sabbath to ABBA.

LC: What's it like being an owner of an arena football team?

GS: It doesn't suck, but also, you get passionate by it, you want your team to win. In a lot of ways, arena football, the AFL, is much more in your face, much more aggressive than the NFL because when the ball goes down on the ground and people are trying to figure it out, the clock is still running and the actual playing field is smaller, so most of the time, you've got a 350-pound guy coming at you full speed, so you don't have time to be defensive, it's much more offensive.


(Getty Image/Daniel Knighton)

LC: I've watched some games, we get some games sometimes here in Canada and it looks like a really enjoyable sport to go and watch.

GS: The fans have a ball, that's the main thing. Everybody loves it, and if anybody wants information, go to LAKissfootball.com.

LC: Would you ever consider owning another team, in terms of NFL, NBA, NHL, something like that?

GS: You know, I'm an owner in a restaurant chain called, 'Rock And Brews.' We're expanding to Canada shortly. We're all over the world, Mexico, America and everything. People love it, but there are only so many hours in the daytime.

LC: It's a lot, owning two things, I don't even own one.

GS: Well, I also own three separate film entities. One's a production company, two are film companies. We finance and make movies, the first one was just finished, so, there's so much that goes on besides touring and games and concerts and all that. Plus the other business', there's just not enough time to do anything else.

LC: Where do you find the time?

GS: Good question.

LC: I guess if you're passionate about something, you'll always find the time for it?

GS: Yeah, you'll make the time, and also, I don't have a lot of idle time, so you don't wind up doing stupid stuff. When you have time on your hands, you wind up doing stupid stuff.

LC: Have you ever been to a sporting event where you've heard one of your songs being played and how do you feel when you hear them?

GS: Every one, if I go to a football game or a basketball game or whatever, the Kiss cams, they find me very fast because I don't look like your next door neighbour, with or without makeup, and they immediately put on a Kiss song.


(Getty Images/Noel Vasquez)

LC: Is there one song they play more than the others?

GS: No. They'll put on 'Calling Dr Love' or 'Detroit Rock City' or 'Rock N Roll All Night' or 'I Was Made For Loving You' so all kinds of stuff.

LC: That must be an awesome feeling hearing your music at sporting events.

GS: Well sometimes you want to sneak in and enjoy the game, but that's not going to happen.

LC: Can you go BarDown?

GS: Maybe. Wouldn't it be cool if you wore your favourite team's colours with a hockey mask and went to the movie theatre on the 25th and catch the movie, that would be something. Some of the Canadian goalies have their helmets painted with Kiss images, very cool.

Jamie McLennan with the Calgary Flames


(kissonline.com)