Gene Simmons’s Punisher Bass Guitar Played in Kiss’s Last Concert
Los Angeles, USA, 2020
Gift of Gene Simmons
Must Know
Gene Simmons is one of the founders of KISS, a heavy metal band famous in the US and around the world. The band was formed in the US in 1973. Simmons decided that the band members should have a hallmark, so they appeared in long black outfits with heavy make-up on their faces. Sticking out his tongue became Simmons’ unique hallmark. The band members were careful not to reveal their identities and the fans started to dress and to put on make-up like theirs.
Simmons was born as Chaim Witz in Tirat Carmel in 1949. His parents were Holocaust survivors who emigrated to Israel from Hungary. At the age of 7, his father abandoned the family and Simmons moved to the US with this mother. he studied a year in a Hasidic Satmar yeshiva in New York. A year later, he transferred to a regular high school in the city, changed his name to Gene Klein (to his mother’s surname), and hid all signs of his Israeli origin. he said that he decided to keep his culture and identity as a secret but to assimilate outwardly “dressing like a Briton and thinking in Yiddish”. he is married to former Playboy Bunny Shannon Lee Tweed and they together have two children. The family starred in a successful reality show about their lives.
More Info
Gene Simmons formed a band together with Paul Stanley in 1970. They recorded an album at a record company, but it became shelved and the two were kicked out from the company. They found a drummer and a guitarist through a newspaper advertisement and together founded the KISS. The band was among the first ones to create a much heavier type of rock than usual. The success came after releasing their first live album Alive! and then the following three albums were certified platinum. In 1977, the band reached international breakthrough in Sweden, Japan, and Germany. At the beginning of the 1980s, some changes in the lineup took place and the band decided to concentrate on the music and not on their outfit and make-up. The band returned to its original lineup and unique appearance in 1996 which brought them great success. Simmons has managed to make a fortune by leveraging the fashion, the make-up, and other accessories of the band, like for example a coffin with the band logo. he has starred in films, has created TV series, and has starred together with his family in a celebrity reality show for 7 seasons. In 2011, it was the first time he visited Israel after he had left as a child, and for the first time he met his half-siblings (from his father) who live in Kibbutz Eyal. he often speaks up about Israeli politics and American decisions related to Israel. he has been accused of sexual harassments by many women.
