Nov 19th-
GENE SIGNS AXE BASSES IN CHICAGO
Nov 16th-
GENE SIMMONS ROCKS MUSIC WORLD/
WITH SPECIALLY RELEASED BASS, NEW ALBUM
By
Andy Bockelman
Mon, Nov 16th, 2009
Gene Simmons, singer, bassist and co-founder of the rock band Kiss, has released his own piece of music memorabilia. The Gene Simmons Axe Bass is a specially crafted musical instrument reproduced from Simmons' own trademark design. Each copy is reproduced from the axe-shaped bass he uses in all Kiss concerts, hand-numbered and signed by Simmons. All the black and silver Axe Basses also come with leather cases bearing the painted likeness Simmons' stage persona, the Demon.
"This guitar is, by some accounts a piece of art - my instrument of choice on stage in Kiss: The Bass that slays them all." Simmons said in a press release. "I've used the Axe on stage and literally thousands of people have contacted me to ask, 'Where can I get one?'"
The Axe Bass comes at a price of $5,000 and includes a personal meeting with Simmons at a Kiss concert of their choice during the 2009 Kiss Tour, which marks the release of the band's newest album, "Sonic Boom," the first new studio album in more than a decade. "Sonic Boom" was released October 6.
Simmons said the release of the Axe Bass is his way of giving back to Kiss fans.
"When I was growing up, I was never able to get a piece of the Beatles," he said. "They weren't available, but they were still Mt. Olympus to me. I owe the fans everything because they made my life possible. My fans are not just buying any guitar, but a moment they'll never forget."
Aside from touring with Kiss, a nominee for induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, Simmons also stars in VH1's rock reality show "Gene Simmons Family Jewels." The tour for "Sonic Boom" is scheduled to be incorporated into the show's fifth season.
Nov 14th-
In Vancouver, BC.
Nov 11th-
ROCK GOD BY NIGHT/
BUSINESS GURU BY DAY
By Joe Hoover
Tues, Nov 10th, 2009
Gene Simmons is trading in his black and white makeup for a collared shirt and jacket Tuesday afternoon.
After rocking Credit Union Centre with the rest of KISS Monday night, Simmons is scheduled to address Saskatchewan's Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs.
"And he's going to talk about the business of rock'n roll and creative marketing," explains Janea Bellay, the president of SYPE's Saskatoon branch.
She says they simply lucked out.
"We invited him, we heard KISS was playing Saskatoon and now he's speaking at our luncheon."
Bellay says there's no end to the interesting ventures taken on by Simmons.
"He's an entrepreneur and he's going to talk about his success in business, which is something that our entire group is passionate about."
The KISS name is on practically everything, including belt buckles, pool cues and even diaper bags.
New letters posted...
More of Gene Simmons Family Jewels, ASAP, please! I'm in serious withdrawal, and I want to see how one of the country's functional families is doing.
Dr. Craig Merrell
Response from Gene:
Thanks.
Yes, indeed.
Season 5 of GENE SIMMONS FAMILY JEWELS is currently being filmed -- on the road (when I'm not playing concerts with KISS) and during off days... Look for us in the Spring.
Nov 5th-
I AM INDY
For those of you tuning in late, we have a marketing entity called SIMMONS ABRAMSON. Made up of myself and Rich Abramson.
We have worked with the largest corporations in America. Among them, INDYCAR (Indy Racing League).
We have marketed, branded, positioned.... and other big words like gymnasium.
I'm the guy who came up with the I AM INDY campaign that IndyCar began using years ago.
I also co-wrote (with Bag) the song, I AM INDY ("cause I love the way I feel, when I get behind the wheel... I AM INDY).
Needless to say, the I AM INDY campaign and branding was seen all over the place -- on TV (ABC, ESPN and elsewhere).... at every INDYCAR race (large I AM INDY grass and foliage designs on the racing field)... on stickers, in magazine advertisements, in co-branded ads with Firestone and.... well, all over the place.
The campaign was a ground breaker and an earth shaker!!!
Soon thereafter, we noticed (and so did the marketing world) -- the "personalization of large branded campaigns".
And this has not gone unnoticed by the media, incidentally.
NFL - "I Am The NFL"
DISNEY - "I Am Disney"
IAMS (pet food) - "I Am Iams"
JEEP (trucks) - "I Am Jeep"
The UN (United Nations) - "I Am Powerful"
C.A.R.E - "I Am Care"
KROQ (radio station) - "I Am KROQ
WOLVERINE (clothing) - "I Am Wolverine"
It goes further.
I flew down to Arizona to meet the CEO of the UNIVERSITY OF PHOENIX at their headquarters. (UNIV OF PHOENIX is a huge National entity that has an online component, as well as the usual campus component) -- an excellent organization, by the way. And told them point blank, my opinion was that their campaign ("UNIVERSITY OF THE MIND" and other variations on that theme) didn't work. We wanted them as clients, and they were about to hire SIMMONS ABRAMSON.
I told them that without the PERSONAL, EMOTIONAL connection, no one would care what you're selling. It doesn't even matter if it makes sense. It only matters if there is an emotional connection.... like our I AM INDY campaign.
UNIV OF PHOENIX, for whatever reason, chose not to hire SIMMONS ABRAMSON.
Except for the fact that their entire new campaign, (in print, on billboards, on television) is..... (you guessed it) I AM A PHOENIX.
Shame on them for not giving us credit, at least.
Good luck to them, anyhow.
There's more.
Not too long ago, I called up RELATIVITY MEDIA (they fund or co-fund, it seems, almost every major motion picture coming out of Hollywood, and have relationships with every major Hollywood studio). Again. An excellent organization.
I invited CEO RYAN CAVANAUGH, and the head of his TV operation.
We met at my home.
At that meeting, and after a long discussion about marketing, branding and (bottom line) maximizing profit potential.... Cavanaugh asked what I thought about their impending buy of ROGUE PICTURES (at a disclosed price). I opined that it was a great buy on the surface, but couldn't give a deeper comment, since I hadn't seen the books and knew little of the workings of the company.
An hour afterwards, Cavanaugh offered me the Presidency of ROGUE PICTURES.
I told him at the meeting I would consider it, and that he should come back to me with more detail.
No other discussions were ever held about this subject, and I never heard from Cavanaugh again about the Presidency of Rogue Pictures.
Except for the fact that (after I offered my assessment about a company not simply being a company, but potentially a BRAND....like DISNEY is a brand.... perhaps the only brand of its kind.... DISNEY is a company, but also a brand. They STAND FOR SOMETHING. Other motion picture companies stand for nothing. There is no "sense" of Paramount, Universal and others. They're simply... NAMES. Not Brands.)
And I offered that ROGUE could become a BRAND, if Cavanaugh looked at it DIFFERENTLY. Not just as a name place holder, but as something that could become more... I liked the name ROGUE, but it needed (you guessed it.... a PERSONAL connection).
I also told him I didn't necessarily feel the I AM branding would work in this case... but something not too distant from that.
The result?
The Rogue branding is -- I AM ROGUE.
I called Cavanaugh and wished him good luck with Rogue.... but also added, simply as a courtesy, I would have appreciated a "thank you, Gene Simmons" notation. And I also offered, that I thought I AM ROGUE was the WRONG branding for Rogue.... even though it was clear to me the I AM branding came from me.
Cavanaugh said he thought of it years ago.
No worries.
I stand by every word I said.
Bank on it.
I wish him well.
End of story.
New letters posted...
You know where this is,....yes it's NY city, crossing the busy streets....
Rob
Nov 1st-
Season 5 of GENE SIMONS FAMILY JEWELS continues, even as KISS is on tour.
Here's Young Nick babysitting in a new episode.... he's always had a real connection with little people. They take to him like the Pied Piper.
Here's Miss Shannon Tweed in front of our GENE SIMMONS AXE BUS RV at the Voodoo Festival in New Orleans, which KISS headlined.
New letters posted...
From my 8 year old Andrew. The master pumpkin carver of the family!
Jay Adkins
Oct 29th-
GENE SIMMONS TO SPEAK
AT SASKATOON BUSINESS LUNCHEON
By Cam Fuller
Wed, Oct 28th, 2009
He'll spend a night in KISS and then tell a Saskatoon audience about his success in business.
Saskatchewan Young Professionals and Entrepreneurs (SYPE) has landed Gene Simmons as a luncheon speaker the day after his band's concert in Saskatoon.
"We're pretty pumped about it," SYPE's Saskatoon president Janea Bellay said Tuesday.
"He knows business. He knows marketing. He's an entrepreneurial icon of our time."
The organization had Simmons on the wish list for its Leadership Series, then learned of the Saskatoon concert on Nov. 10.
"We thought, 'Now's our chance to do it,' " said Bellay.
SYPE got the booking with the help of tinePublic Inc. of Calgary, the same company that brokered the recent visit of George W. Bush. It's also handled Bill Clinton, Lance Armstrong, Donald Trump and the Dalai Lama.
"This is a real coup for them to have Gene Simmons at their event," said Andy McCreath, co-founder of tinePublic and a University of Saskatchewan alumnus.
"He's become an extremely successful businessman. He kind of covers all realms," McCreath added.
Simmons will speak on the power of creativity and branding.
McCreath and partner Christian Darbyshire have developed a connection with the long-tongued bass player, to the point where they were guests at his home in Los Angeles.
"It was pretty neat. We spent the day with him and it was lots of fun. He's a really down-to-earth, nice guy."
Bellay couldn't get tickets to the sold-out concert, but will be part of a VIP meet-and-greet with board members and sponsors before the luncheon.
"It's going to be very exciting," she said.
Local business sponsors pitched in to reduce the expenses for the organization, Bellay noted.
"The Saskatoon business community is fantastic when we put on events of this calibre."
In honour of Remembrance Day, the event will include a special tribute to Saskatoon's war veterans. Bellay expects to sell all 1,200 tickets.
"We've had phone calls from people I didn't even know were involved with SYPE saying, 'I can't believe there's tickets available.' "
The business luncheon runs from noon to 1:30 p.m. at TCU Place, with doors opening at 11:30 p.m. The event includes a question-and-answer session with Simmons. Tickets cost $75 plus GST. They can be purchased at www.sype.ca/Saskatoon/home.html.
New letters posted...
Hey Gene,
My son Stephen attended his first Kiss concert ever at the Wachovia Center in Philly and as you could see he was all decked out for the show. I last saw a Kiss show back in 1978 at the famous Spectrum which is soon going to close so I was glad I could be at his first show. You guys ripped the roof off the joint as usual.
Thanks,
Steve Arra
Oct 23rd-
Here's the back of our GENE SIMMONS AXE RV BUS in Tampa.
It's touring all over the country. If you see it, come up and say hello.
And, at the top of the page, you can order your own GENE SIMMONS AXE, or by simply clicking here.
New letters posted...
We are from St. Louis, and for my daughters 7th birthday she wanted to
see Kiss, and we ordered tickets for the Detroit show (Platinum Package)
flew to Detroit for the Saturday night show at Cobo. Her name is
McKenzie, she loves Family Jewels, especially Shannon, Snippy, and Gene.
You guys are the best !!
See ya soon,
Don, Cheryl, and McKenzie
Oct 20th-
A new fan of our GENE SIMMONS AXE BASS from Greenville, SC.
New letters posted...
This picture is from Philadelphia show which was so awesome I cannot find the words. The entire place was on their feet the whole time.
Thanks-- there's nothing like some good old fashioned Rock and Roll.................................
Margy Azevedo
Oct 12th-
Miss Tweed and my Beloved Mother, Florence at Nassau Coliseum show.
SIMMONS' DRUG-FREE CAREER SUCCESS
New York Post- Page Six
Oct, 12th 2009
KISS star Gene Simmons says the best way to survive in rock is to avoid booze and drugs -- and concentrate on sex. He told us as he prepared for tonight's sold-out concert at the Garden: "The only way to do it is no booze, no drugs . . . If you are not clean, you don't belong up there. I've never been drunk or high in my life. The only way to survive the long haul is to be straight-nosed. I've been here for four decades." Simmons, who romanced Cher and Diana Ross before settling with former Playboy Playmate Shannon Tweed, said, "The only temptation I've had in my career is of the female variety. And that's one you can enjoy."
Oct 11th-
Here's the lovely Shannon Tweed and yours truly in front of the GENE SIMMONS AXE BASS RV that's traveling and trailing the tour.
If you want to stand in front of it in your city and take a foto...please do. Send it to us.
And, if you want a GENE SIMMONS AXE BASS, CLICK HERE.
Oct 10th-
Here's a young fan from Nassau Coliseum in front of our GS AXE BASS RV VAN.... Cool, huh?
More Fans
Oct 8th-
Here's a shot taken by one of you fine people...sent to Shannon's site...
Which city?
Maybe Cleveland...maybe Detroit?
When you see our RV, take a shot...you in front of it....we'll post it.
Oh yes,...and if you want your own GENE SIMMONS AXE BASS...personally numbered and signed by myself, with it's own HAND PAINTED GS Axe Bass CASE....by Finis and me....
CLICK HERE
or dial 888 88 GSAXE
DRUNK KISS FAN MISTAKES FELLOW
CONCERTGOER FOR GENE SIMMONS URINAL CAKE
Idolator.com
Oct, 8th 2009
From Tuesday’s Boston police blotter comes this report of an “incident” at Boston Garden involving Kiss and a non-branded fluid: “According to the victim, she was inside the building attending the KISS Concert when she felt a warm feeling on the back of her leg.” Ewww. But wait, there’s more!
As a result of the warm sensation, the victim says she turned around to observe an individual urinating on the back of her leg. At this time, the victim promptly alerted security personnel of the incident. Consequently, security personnel escorted the suspect from the building. Officers noted the suspect appeared to be highly intoxicated given his slurred speech and the odor of alcohol emanating from his person.
Ah, drunkenness and concertgoing. Perhaps the always-entreprenurial Kiss bass player Gene Simmons can capitalize on this incident by rushing a band-branded TravelJohn to market?
New letters posted...
Gene,
I just got back from the Cleveland KISS show. All I can say is wow. You guys just keep raising the bar.
I wanted to personally thank you for the opportunity to pick up one of your Axe bass guitars along with a new custom case (they really look great BTW). I had been shopping around on Ebay for one, thinking that was the only way I could get one at this point. Then I read that you would be offering a limited number of the guitars to coincide with this new tour. In addition to getting the guitar, I would also get a personal, one on one meet and greet with you. I was sold. Who wants someone’s hand me down axe when you get your very own “real deal” from Gene himself? Everything was set-up at www.genesimmonsaxebass.com
Wow!!!
Thanks Gene!
Bill France
Oct 1st-
GENE SIMMONS STARRING
IN NEW CHRISTMAS MOVIE
KISS bassist Gene Simmons finished filming The Christmas Movie this summer, which is rumoured to be scheduled for release this November, however, there is no official date released on IMDB or Wonderstar Productions. The family film also stars Elliott Gould, Linda Gray, Lainie Kazan, Cloris Leachman, Della Reese, Oleysa Rulin, Cybill Shepherd, and Fred Willard. It was written and directed by Dan Gordon, who was responsible for screenwriting The Hurricane, starring Denzel Washington.
The Christmas Movie is the story of pregnant young Mary, who’s had all the trappings of an upscale life, but it’s only when she finds herself in a small New Mexico town, in a downtrodden trailer park, that she learns the real meaning of love, sacrifice and family. From the trailer, which we see Gene at the beginning of, it looks as if he has been cast as a Jewish truck driver and the father of the pregnant young girl.
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