Gene Simmons has said he’s fine with being called an “asshole”, even suggesting he’s “reclaimed” the word.
The KISS vocalist attempted to compare it in an interview to “black people taking possession of the ‘n’ word”.
“I would say there are some, could be a large number, could not, who think I’m an asshole. In fact, I named my second solo album ‘Asshole’, which, I thought, was akin to black people taking possession of the ‘n’ word,” he claimed on Really Famous With Kara Mayer Robinson.
“And fat people, overweight people, obese people, taking possession of that, so that you lessen the impact of that.”
He continued: “I’m okay with being labeled or thought of as an asshole, because I know who I am. And there are other people who think, ‘You only do this for money.’ And my response is ‘Of course’.
“Why am I not salt of the earth when almost all the jobs on the face of the planet are performed by people who don’t like the job they have, and the only reason they’re doing that is to be able to earn money to feed their families and put a roof over their head? Only for money.
“Nobody wants to dig ditches on a highway. The building we’re in, somebody had to put up. They do that every day. They go to work, do the same thing every day, nine to five, five days a week. Join the union or not, and break their backs and never get rich.
“That’s the salt of the earth. Why can’t I be salt of the earth? The fact that I make more money?
“But I also give to philanthropy. And by the way, it’s none of your fucking business who or what or where. I’m not trying to impress you or not. I know who I am. And maybe that’s the best thing to do in life, is to just be comfortable in your own skin.”
Simmons has made plenty of choice comments about other figures in the entertainment world. He recently said that Oasis fans unhappy with the use of dynamic pricing are “entitled to fuck off” and also weighed in on the prospect of a reunion of The Smiths.
In an interview with Forbes, he said: “Get rid of the guitar player and get somebody else. Nobody cares. They just want to hear the songs. I keep saying this over and over again. If you go down the street, and with all due respect to Johnny Marr, you go down the street and ask the general person, “Who’s Johnny Marr?” they won’t know who you’re talking about.
He was, however, more positive about Linkin Park’s new singer, Emily Armstrong.
“It’s great. I listened. I saw some videos. The new female singer, great. She fits the band. She sounds great and good luck to them. Life is short. Go out there and live it up, enjoy it. Linkin Park got fans, they want to hear the songs and the music. Why not? There are bands that tour, Lynyrd Skynyrd, lots of bands that barely have any original members or no original members. People want to hear those songs.”