Gene,
My wife and daughter have been in Girl Scouts for forever.
They are in a local troop 357 here in Seymour, Connecticut and wanted me to pass this along to you and your fans.
"When you are making out your Christmas Card list this year, please include the following.."
A Recovering American Soldier
C/O Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue, NW
Washington, DC. 20307-5001
All thru the year, we take many freedoms for granted. This will let those fighting for us know they are thought of year round.
My Dad served 2 years in the Army as well.
Thanks
RF
CT
I am a huge fan of you mr. gene simmons. I also have a huge crush on your son.
Is he still single?
Response from Gene:
Yes. Nick is single. He's 18.
Gene:
The other day I heard Cher, Diana Ross, KISS, and Van Halen on XM Radio's 70's channel--all in the span of 20 minutes time. Gene, you had a hand in all of these performers...literally in some cases (lol). Do you think the XM programmer was playing some weird Gene Simmons "6 degrees of Kevin Bacon" game?
Thanks,
Mark in Kokomo, Indiana
Response from Gene:
No. Just coincidence.
Hello Gene,
I know ho you hate someone just taking money out of yuour pocket- I feel the same way....
Yesterday I was at a mall near where I live in AUrora Il and saw a kiosk displaying three KISS logo belt buckels, being a fan I asked to see them. Nowhere on any of them was a KISS copyright mark to be found... I asked the young lady at that point if her company was in the bussiness of ripping off logos and images from people to earn a living. She was rather flustered that someone realised what was going on . <G>
If you are interested in finding out the location etc just let me know- will be happy to give details.
JW
Response from Gene:
Please do. Our lawyers are very hungry. They need to be fed.
Hi Gene,
During my morning browse of the Cycling websites, I saw this link to a
Cyclo-cross racer who must definitely be a fan too!
http://www.cyclingnews.com/cross.php?id=/photos/2007/
nov07/singlespeedcx07/20071111_sscxwc-01414
I hope Kiss comes back to Germany again one day!
God Bless!
Kevin Hausauer
Dear Gene:
I hope all finds you and yours happy & healthy. Happy holiday's to you.
You may or may not be aware of a recent movie called "Redacted" funded by Marc Cuban (owner of the Cleveland Cavaliers of the NBA) and directed by Brian DePalma. The film re-counts a true story of a few misguided American servicemen in Iraq who rape and kill innocent Iraqi's and basically commit horror after horror (these soldiers are now in prison for life). In my view, all this film will do is continue to fan the flames of what I see is a more common and almost accepted practice of insulting our brave men and women and further incite terror recruiters and would be terrorists from all over the globe. On a lesser note, another movie named "Lambs & Lions" starring Meryl Streep & Tom Cruise has also been released. While the latter movie hasn't made all of that much one here in the States, it is doing well in Europe and other countries around the world.
Being you're closer to the Hollywood "scene" and probably know some of these people but have an obvious love and respect for the soldiers fighting what I consider to be one of the most important battles in American history, what are you're views on movies such as these and the people who make them? It absolutely blows my mind that after the way soldiers were treated following the Vietnam War that we haven't learned a thing about respecting the men and women in uniform. In fact we seem to have regressed because hardly anyone of note seems to be sticking up for them. How about you?
KISS fan since '77.
Steve K
Berwick, ME
Response from Gene:
I agree with you and it's no secret Hollywood has obviously been smoking something. Patriotism seems to be a word of the past, sadly. It's up to all of us, you and I both, to uphold the dignity and respect our service men and women have EARNED. Talk is cheap. Personally, I'm not in favor of foreign policy being decided by people on the beach in Malibu.
Dear Gene,
I just read your November 12, 2007 Q&A interview posted on Billboard.com.
I want to applaud and thank you for having the courage to plainly speak the truth about what unauthorized free downloading of music from the Internet really is - stealing.
As far as I am concerned, your creations belong to you, and you have the right to distribute the recordings of those creations on whatever terms and at whatever price you choose: free per song, 99 cents per song, or $1 million per song.
Please know, Gene, that whatever morally bankrupt claims are made against your music, I will stand beside you.
Sincerely,
Kevin A. Pollak
Avondale, AZ
Response from Gene:
This has caused a firestorm from people who think it's ok to download music for free, because the people making the music are rich. A crook is a crook. No matter how you try to validate it.
Gene...
I read the interview you did with Billboard magazine, and I have to tell you... I am SHOCKED and DISGUSTED! How DARE you call people who download music off the Internet for free - CROOKS!
Gene, I have not bought a CD in over 12 years... but I have purchased 100's and 100's of CD-R's to download what I want from the Internet.
When a person goes into a store, takes a CD, puts it down the front of their pants, and walks out without paying for it - THAT is a crook!
When people like me, who download music from the Internet for free - it's called "FILE SHARING" - there is nothing wrong with sharing information!
And while I am on the subject... I read in Lydia Criss' new book "Sealed with a Kiss" - that back in the early days, when KISS was just starting to become successful - Lydia says in her book, that you once STOLE the comforter off the bed at the Sahara Hotel & Casino in Las Vegas, and Paul would steal the toilet paper! So don't you tell ME that when I share information from the Internet, that I am a crook!
If downloading bothers you so much, maybe you should come out with KISS CD-R's!! I would buy them!
Troy Ternes
Bismarck, ND
Response from Gene:
I've gotten quite a few emails from disgruntled fans. The simple point here is that the law states file sharing is a criminal act. Period.
If I create something and own it, I want to be the only one who decides what people do with my work. Not you. You may feel ok with file sharing, downloading and bypassing the owner of the work, but it's criminal. In either case, so may people have decided to do this, the record industry, as a result has simply died.
This doesn't effect me. This kills any chance for a new band to be able to be born.
Gene,
I just read an article stating that you said the “The kids aren't alright. They're music thieves." If this is how you feel than why aren’t you bitching up a storm about revenues you receive from record sales. I guess because "No one -- and that includes the Beatles and Elvis -- can touch our (KISS') merchandising and licensing." you really don’t care how much you make off your record sales so then why the f-#%* do you care if kids are stealing songs. The way I see it it’s six in one hand and a half dozen in the other. I think you should rethink how you feel about those kids who steal music and then go out and purchase hats, cds, t-shirts and other merchandise from you!
Regards,
Scott
Response from Gene:
The answer is simple: it's not up to you to decide much of anything. ...since it's not your property. It's up to the owner of the property -- the songwriter, publisher, group and record company. But all this talk is really besides the point. The fact is, an entire generation has decided to steal the music and the result is, over a million people are losing their jobs in the record industry. Literally.
Hello Gene,
The Bulgarian KISS Army hasn't stopped praying and hoping for KISS to
do the greatest rock 'n' roll show in our country! In 1996, KISS came
to Belgrad, Serbia, and some of my older friends went to the show, but
I was very little and my parents did not let me go. If and when you
decide to tour Europe again, please see into the opportunities for
Bulgaria. You have lots of fans here who have been waiting for you for
years and years! I know that it does not always depend on where you
want to play, and that the touring business is rather
complicated...but still...We want KISS!!! Attached you'll find my
eternal dedication to my most favorite band in the whole World.
Regards,
Alex Kolev
*THE BULGARIAN KISS ARMY*
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