GENE SIMMONS: Hitting The Beavers

In a brand-new interview with The Monitor, KISS bassist/vocalist Gene Simmons compared his rise to that of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The current California governor probably wasn’t the ideal person for any of the goals he set for himself — Mr. Olympia, super action hero actor and then governor. It didn't stop him, though.

"He was a wimp when he was a kid but decided to build his body and ends up being Mr. Olympia and all that …" Simmons said. "Then he wanted to go into movies and here was this guy who couldn’t act, he couldn't speak and nobody could spell or say his last name. Then he does it and the next thing he does is say, 'I think I want to be governor.'

"I was born in Israel, had a funny last name and couldn't speak English. Everyone has something to say about a dream you have — screw them and just do it. Nike has a good idea. It doesn't matter if you fail. Think of one of those guys with a big club at a fair who has to hit those beavers coming out of a hole. Just keep swinging. You'll hit a few. You don't have to be good. Just shut up and swing. You will hit something. The idea is to hit those beavers."

Nobody else has been quite like KISS — something that's rare in today's music industry made up of many copycats, Simmons said.

"It just feels more comfortable for groups to copy others — like a white rock band that sticks rap in the middle of a song and suddenly they feel relevant. We never wanted to be relevant. We wanted to be unique.

"Part of the reason we've been successful is that we were in the right place at the right time. KISS is an anomaly. We don't look like the friendly next door neighbor band. We're not in style or in fashion. That has nothing to do with it. Be an individual. Be who you are.

"We're KISS." Read more.