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  • Biography Flash: Gene Simmons Storms Capitol Hill While Defending Trump and Booking New Solo Tour Dates
    2025/12/28
    Gene Simmons Biography Flash a weekly Biography.

    Gene Simmons has spent the past few days proving that retirement from Kiss does not mean disappearing from the headlines. The most consequential development for his long term biography is his full tilt dive into politics adjacent advocacy in Washington. According to LiveNOW from FOX video coverage of Capitol Hill, Simmons appeared before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property this month to testify in favor of the American Music Fairness Act, arguing that AM and FM radio must finally pay recording artists when their songs are broadcast. In carefully prepared remarks, he framed it as a generational issue, saying that todays pennies matter for tomorrow’s stars and for our children and our childrens children, positioning himself not just as a rock icon but as an industry elder trying to reshape the royalty system. ABC and other national outlets echoed that this puts Simmons squarely in the middle of a potentially major shift in how radio and artists share billions in revenue.

    That testimony fed straight into a fresh media blitz. Consequence and Fox News report that Simmons appeared on CNNs Inside Politics with Manu Raju, where he doubled down on two themes with real biographical weight. First, he urged Americans to shut up and stop worrying about their neighbors political beliefs, insisting that who you support is nobody’s business but your own. Second, he praised his long relationship with Donald Trump, at one point likening the way people argue about Trump to arguments over Jesus, a comparison that has fueled days of commentary and criticism. Paste Magazine and The A.V. Club describe this as part of an awful press tour, accusing Simmons of using controversy to keep himself in the spotlight, a characterization he has not responded to publicly but that reinforces his long standing image as an unapologetic self promoter.

    On the business and touring front, Simmons continues to treat Gene Simmons the brand as a going concern. Blabbermouth, BrooklynVegan, Ultimate Classic Rock and Consequence all detail new 2025 U.S. solo dates with the Gene Simmons Band, including shows in Tallahassee, Beaver Dam, Red Bank, Dallas and Houston in late April and May. The reports emphasize his stripped down but highly lucrative touring model: local promoters provide gear and logistics, while he shows up with little more than a bass and a guitar pick and pockets a six figure fee per night. In the longer view, that cements his post Kiss narrative as a case study in rock star capitalism, milking the Kiss catalog and his own persona without the expense or physical strain of the old makeup and arena production.

    On the home front, Metal Wani and other rock outlets picked up a more personal story with a tabloid edge. Simmons wife, Shannon Tweed Simmons, posted security footage on Instagram showing an unidentified thief stealing Christmas packages from their property, gifts their son Nick had sent for the holidays. The clips went viral, with fans flooding the comments to express sympathy and to joke nervously about anyone being brave enough to steal from Gene Simmons. So far there has been no public update on an arrest or recovery of the gifts, and neither Gene nor Nick has commented directly, but the incident feeds into the ongoing social media portrait of the Simmons household as both celebrity compound and surprisingly ordinary family dealing with the same porch piracy plague as everyone else.

    Taken together, the last few days have seen Gene Simmons in three modes that will matter to any future biography: policy advocate in Washington fighting for artist royalties, media lightning rod stoking debates about Trump and political privacy, and still active touring businessman rolling out another round of cash efficient solo dates, all while his family life plays out in real time on Instagram. Thank you for listening, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update on Gene Simmons, and search the term Biography Flash for more great biographies.

    And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Gene Simmons. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."



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    5 分
  • Gene Simmons Biography Flash: Trump Defense, Capitol Hill Testimony, and Kiss Kennedy Center Honors
    2025/12/24
    Gene Simmons Biography Flash a weekly Biography.

    Gene Simmons has spent the past few days doing what he does best mixing show business, sharp opinion, and shrewd business in a way that feels like a new chapter in his biography, not an epilogue. CNNs Inside Politics aired his recent sitdown with Manu Raju, where Simmons defended his long relationship with Donald Trump, even likening Trumps polarizing status to that of Jesus in American life, and bluntly told Americans to shut up and stop worrying about their neighbors politics, stressing that political choices are private and nobody elses business, as covered by CNN and amplified by outlets like Fox News, Exclaim, and the AV Club. Those remarks triggered a mini media storm, with Fox News, Paste and AV Club all dissecting his comments and framing them as part of what some critics call an aggressive new press tour, a reputational storyline that could stick to his image for years.

    At the same time, Simmons has been positioning himself as a policy advocate and elder statesman of the music business. LiveNOW from Fox and Bloomberg Television carried his testimony and follow up interviews from Capitol Hill, where he pushed hard for the American Music Fairness Act, arguing that U.S. terrestrial radio makes billions while paying recording artists nothing, calling it an injustice and warning that with AI on the horizon, it is urgent to modernize how performers are paid. In these appearances, he repeatedly thanked Trump for signing the earlier Music Modernization Act and cast himself as a defender of future generations of artists, a stance with clear long term biographical weight.

    On the business and touring front, Blabbermouth, Ultimate Classic Rock, BrooklynVegan, and local outlets in markets like San Antonio report that the Gene Simmons Band has added more U.S. dates for spring 2025, from Florida and Kentucky to New Jersey, Texas, and beyond. Simmons boasts in interviews that his stripped down solo business model flying in with just a guitar pick while promoters supply everything has made these gigs more profitable than his days in Kiss, underlining his long running persona as a rock star who thinks like a CEO.

    Meanwhile, coverage of this months Kennedy Center Honors on CBS and in outlets like Fox News and the North Dallas Gazette has spotlighted Simmons and his Kiss bandmates being honored alongside other cultural heavyweights, with images of Simmons at the White House and on the Kennedy Center stage reinforcing his transition from fire breathing shock rocker to institutional icon.

    There are no credible reports in the past 24 hours of major new scandals or surprise business deals beyond ongoing chatter about the planned Kiss avatar show and documentary projects, which remain in development and not yet dated, according to recent rock press coverage. Any social media buzz tying Simmons to fresh political schemes or secret Kiss reunions this week appears speculative and unconfirmed by primary outlets or by Simmons himself.

    That is your Gene Simmons Biography Flash for today. Thanks for listening, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update on Gene Simmons. And if you want more quick hit life stories of icons like this, search the term Biography Flash for more great biographies.

    And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Gene Simmons. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."



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    4 分
  • Biography Flash: Gene Simmons Testifies to Congress While Planning Solo Tour After Kennedy Center Honors
    2025/12/21
    Gene Simmons Biography Flash a weekly Biography.

    Gene Simmons has been everywhere in the last few days, blurring the line between elder statesman of rock and headline machine. In Washington, he stepped squarely into public policy, testifying before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee on the American Music Fairness Act, arguing that artists deserve to be paid for radio airplay and blasting broadcasters for keeping what he framed as billions in ad revenue while performers get nothing, as shown on coverage from CBS News and LiveNOW from FOX. Bloomberg Television’s Balance of Power then featured him expanding on that theme, likening current radio practices to being run over by a truck and insisting Congress and the president must act to protect the next generation of musicians.

    Those political and economic moves came on the heels of a major cultural milestone: Simmons, alongside Paul Stanley and Peter Criss, reunited in tuxedos at the Kennedy Center Honors in Washington, D.C., where Kiss was celebrated as part of the 48th annual class in a ceremony hosted by President Donald Trump, as reported by Blabbermouth and DC Theater Arts. The official Kennedy Center recap video underscores the emotional weight of that night, shadowed by the recent death of original guitarist Ace Frehley and Simmons’s own public comments that Ace heartbreakingly did not live long enough to sit in that hall and hear luminaries praise Kiss.

    At the same time, Simmons is plotting his next business and touring chapter. Ultimate Classic Rock and BrooklynVegan report that he has announced U.S. solo dates for 2025 with the Gene Simmons Band, starting April 28 in Tallahassee and moving through Beaver Dam, Red Bank, Dallas, and Houston, a continuation of the post–farewell-tour strategy that saw Kiss sell their catalog and IP to Pophouse and develop an ABBA-style avatar show expected to launch in 2027. In interviews flagged by rock media and Eddie Trunk’s site, Simmons has also been weighing in on artificial intelligence in music and boasting that his solo gigs, minus the iconic makeup, are both more comfortable and more lucrative than his old Kiss paydays.

    On social media, the biggest Simmons-related flashpoint this week was his apology on X for earlier comments tying Ace Frehley’s death to “bad decisions,” which Metalsucks reports he now calls wrong and hurtful, stressing that he has always loved his late bandmate. That walk-back, along with public defenses from figures like Dee Snider noted by Alternative Nation, shows Simmons still understands the fine line between blunt honesty and legacy-threatening backlash.

    Thanks for listening, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update on Gene Simmons. And if you want more sharp, fast bios like this, search the term Biography Flash for more great biographies.

    And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Gene Simmons. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."



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    3 分
  • Biography Flash: Gene Simmons Announces 2025 Solo Tour While Fighting for Artist Rights in Congress
    2025/12/17
    Gene Simmons Biography Flash a weekly Biography.

    Gene Simmons has spent the past few days doing what he does best polishing the legacy of KISS while making sure the Gene Simmons brand stays loud, visible, and very profitable. The biggest concrete news is on the road front. Ultimate Classic Rock and Consequence report that Simmons has announced a run of solo U.S. dates for spring 2025 under the Gene Simmons Band banner, with shows locked in for April 28 in Tallahassee, May 3 in Beaver Dam, May 5 in Red Bank, May 22 in Dallas, and May 24 in Houston. BrooklynVegan adds that these shows follow a year of festival and overseas dates, underscoring that while KISS the band is retired from touring, Gene Simmons the performer very much is not. Multiple outlets also note that these dates sit against the backdrop of KISS having sold their catalog and IP to Pophouse and developing an ABBA style avatar show slated to debut in 2027, a long tail business move that could define the late chapter of his career.

    On the public affairs front, Simmons has been unusually visible in Washington. Bloomberg Television and LiveNOW from Fox carried his appearance on Capitol Hill, where he testified before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property in support of the American Music Fairness Act, arguing that legacy and emerging artists alike deserve radio performance royalties. That testimony and a follow up Bloomberg studio interview have repositioned him not just as a rock relic but as a vocal industry advocate, potentially an enduring note in his biography as recorded music economics continue to shift.

    Not all of his recent headlines have been flattering. MetalSucks and The PRP report that Simmons apologized on social media for his earlier comments to the New York Post about the late Ace Frehley, in which he suggested Frehley’s bad decisions contributed to his death. After backlash, Simmons posted an unequivocal apology, saying he was wrong for the words he used and affirming his love for his former bandmate. That walk back is now part of the historical record of the often‑fractious but ultimately bonded original KISS lineup.

    On the lighter side, American Songwriter just published a fresh interview where Simmons looks back on the early KISS makeup days and his mother’s reaction, feeding the nostalgia machine that keeps his origin story alive for new fans.

    There are also new booking notes: Effingham Radio and other regional outlets report that Simmons has been added to the lineup for comedian Dean Delray’s final Bon Scott era AC DC tribute show in Hollywood on February 3, 2026, sharing the bill with Josh Homme and a who’s who of hard rock players. That appearance, while one night only, reinforces his standing as a go to rock elder statesman for high profile tribute events.

    Speculative and less substantiated chatter in the past day largely circles social media recycling of old myths and memes about his onstage persona and image; those items have not been verified by major news organizations and do not appear to rise to long term biographical significance, so they should be treated as fan level gossip rather than fact.

    That is your Gene Simmons Biography Flash for this week. Thank you for listening, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update on Gene Simmons. And if you want more quick hit life stories of the worlds most fascinating figures, search the term Biography Flash for more great biographies.

    And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Gene Simmons. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."



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    4 分
  • Biography Flash: Gene Simmons Storms Congress, Kennedy Center Honors, and Apologizes for Ace Frehley Comments
    2025/12/14
    Gene Simmons Biography Flash a weekly Biography.

    Gene Simmons has spent the past few days moving from the halls of power in Washington to the bright lights of the Kennedy Center, all while plotting his next act on the road. According to CBS News coverage of his testimony before a Senate Judiciary subcommittee, Simmons appeared in Congress to back the American Music Fairness Act, arguing that performers deserve to be paid when their recordings are played on terrestrial radio. In characteristically fiery fashion, he framed unpaid radio play as a long running injustice and pushed lawmakers to fix it for what he called our children and our childrens children. Vice reports that his rhetoric turned controversial when he compared the treatment of performers to being worse than slaves, a remark that drew heavy criticism and guaranteed headlines far beyond the music press.

    At almost the same moment, Simmons was being celebrated at the Kennedy Center Honors as part of KISS, recognized as American performing arts icons. In an interview with CNN, transcribed by Blabbermouth, he admitted that he had always dreamed of this kind of recognition, describing himself as an immigrant kid still in awe of America and getting visibly emotional about climbing what he called Mount Olympus of culture. Yet the night carried a sting. Blabbermouth notes that Simmons called it heartbreaking to be honored without original guitarist Ace Frehley, who died in October, stressing how much the award had meant to Ace and crediting his irreplaceable contribution to the band.

    That grief spilled into controversy when, as Metalsucks recounts, Simmons earlier told the New York Post that Frehleys bad decisions played a role in his death. The backlash was swift enough that on December 10 he issued a public apology on X, saying he was wrong for the words he used and insisting he never intended to hurt Ace or his legacy. The apology itself is now part of the evolving biographical record, showing a rare moment of public backtracking from a man famous for never blinking.

    Business wise, Simmons continues to underline that KISS may be retired but he is not. Ultimate Classic Rock and Consequence report that the Gene Simmons Band has announced a short U.S. run for spring 2025, with dates in Tallahassee, Beaver Dam, Red Bank, Dallas, Houston, and, as News 4 San Antonio adds, a newly announced stop at San Antonios Tobin Center on May 23. Local coverage emphasizes that the Rock and Roll Hall of Famer is still bringing the fire to new audiences even after Kiss final bow at Madison Square Garden in 2023.

    On social media, the dominant Simmons mentions in the last few days have centered on clips of his Senate testimony and shares of his Ace Frehley apology. While fan speculation continues about additional tour dates or new projects, no major new releases or business deals have been confirmed beyond the 2025 shows already announced.

    Thanks for listening. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update on Gene Simmons, and search the term Biography Flash for more great biographies.

    And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Gene Simmons. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."



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    4 分
  • Gene Simmons Biography Flash: From Capitol Hill Testimony to Solo Tour Plans and Comic Con VIP Dinners
    2025/12/10
    Gene Simmons Biography Flash a weekly Biography.

    Gene Simmons has had a very busy few days, and some of it may end up being genuinely historic in the long arc of his biography. According to PBS NewsHour and CBS News, the KISS co founder left the concert stage for the political arena, testifying before the Senate Judiciary Committee in support of the American Music Fairness Act, a bipartisan bill to ensure recording artists are paid when their songs are played on AM FM radio. In his prepared remarks and exchanges with senators, he framed it as a basic matter of American fairness, invoking icons like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra who never saw a cent from terrestrial radio spins, and pointedly telling both parties that if you work, you should get paid. That appearance followed on the heels of a White House briefing room visit described by MetalSucks, where he previewed his message and tied it to the future livelihoods of his own children, Nick and Sophie, and of young artists everywhere. For a man long known as rock’s most unabashed capitalist, this very public role as an artists rights advocate could age as a defining late career chapter and will almost certainly be cited in future retrospectives of his life.

    On the business and touring front, Gene is doubling down on life after KISS. Ultimate Classic Rock, BrooklynVegan, and bass site No Treble all report that he has rolled out and then expanded a run of Gene Simmons Band tour dates across the U.S. for spring 2025, hitting House of Blues rooms, casinos, and theaters from Anaheim and Miami Beach to Niagara Falls, Dallas, San Antonio’s Tobin Center, and Houston. The coverage notes that the set lists lean heavily on KISS classics with some solo and cover material, and that Simmons has openly bragged in recent interviews that these stripped down solo shows are more profitable for him than full scale KISS productions, thanks to promoters covering production costs. No Treble adds that he used X to solicit fan song requests, a small but telling sign that even at this stage he is still actively curating his image and engaging his base on social media.

    Looking slightly further out, Alternative Nation highlights a very Gene Simmons style fan experience: a high priced VIP dinner and appearance at Albuquerque Comic Con in early 2026, complete with paid photo ops, autographs, and an intimate dinner package limited to about 50 fans. While that event is months away and details could change, it fits a long established pattern of premium access offerings that blur the line between fandom, commerce, and lifestyle branding.

    There are no widely reported scandals or personal bombshells tied to Gene Simmons in the last few days beyond these official appearances and announcements, and any online chatter about his finances, family, or health remains in the realm of unconfirmed speculation rather than reliably sourced news.

    Thank you for listening to this Gene Simmons Biography Flash. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update on Gene Simmons, and search the term Biography Flash for more great biographies.

    And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Gene Simmons. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."



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    4 分
  • Biography Flash: Gene Simmons Takes Capitol Hill - From KISS Legend to Music Rights Crusader
    2025/12/07
    Gene Simmons Biography Flash a weekly Biography.

    In the past few days Gene Simmons has stepped out of rock legend status and into the role of industry power broker, turning Washington D.C. into his latest stage. Music Business Worldwide and ABC Audio report that Simmons is headed to Capitol Hill to testify before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Intellectual Property Subcommittee in support of the American Music Fairness Act, a bipartisan bill that would finally force AM and FM radio to pay recording artists when their music is played. According to the musicFIRST coalition and coverage in Relix, this will be the first Senate hearing on closing the so called radio loophole in more than a decade, and Simmons joins more than 300 artists who signed a letter to Congress demanding fair pay for airplay.

    Blabbermouth and Entertainment Now describe Simmons dramatically seizing the White House briefing room podium, flanked by his wife Shannon Tweed and son Nick, to sell this cause directly to reporters. He name checked icons like Elvis Presley and Frank Sinatra as artists who never saw a cent from radio spins, calling it an injustice in a business that generates billions. That impromptu appearance also doubled as a preview of his upcoming Senate testimony and as a media moment tying his advocacy to a broader defense of working musicians, including his own children.

    At the same time his legacy is being formally enshrined. Lakes Media Music News and Entertainment Now note that Simmons and his KISS bandmates are in Washington to receive the prestigious Kennedy Center Honors for lifetime artistic achievement, with the gala set to air nationally later this month, a milestone that will sit permanently in any future biography.

    On the business front, Ultimate Classic Rock reports that Simmons has announced a run of solo tour dates for 2025, a lean operation where he tells interviewers he now pockets more from his own shows than he did with KISS, thanks to stripped down production and promoter covered costs. Bass site No Treble adds that after the initial announcement he expanded the tour and jumped on social media platform X to ask fans directly which deep cuts they want to hear, a small but telling glimpse of an artist who built an empire now using modern fan engagement tools to fine tune his next chapter.

    There are scattered online rumors about behind the scenes political deals and reality projects tied to his D.C. visit, but as of now those remain unconfirmed and should be treated as speculation.

    Thanks for listening, and be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update on Gene Simmons. To hear more fast moving life stories like this one, search the term Biography Flash for more great biographies.

    And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Gene Simmons. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."



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    3 分
  • Biography Flash: Gene Simmons Takes Senate Stage for Music Rights While Launching 2025 Solo Tour
    2025/12/03
    Gene Simmons Biography Flash a weekly Biography.

    Gene Simmons has had quite the week in the spotlight, making major moves both on the political stage and the rock and roll circuit. The Kiss bassist is set to testify before the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee on Intellectual Property next Tuesday, December 9th, giving his star power to a renewed push for the American Music Fairness Act. This legislation would require AM and FM radio stations to pay performers when they broadcast their songs, a move supporters argue closes a major loophole in how the music industry compensates artists. Simmons will appear alongside Michael Huppe, president and CEO of SoundExchange, the nonprofit that collects digital streaming royalties. In a statement, Simmons emphasized that artists must be properly compensated for their creative work, and he plans to meet with both Republican and Democrat senators to outline his support for the bill. This marks a pivotal moment in what's been a long-running battle to bring traditional radio in line with digital streaming platforms.

    The timing couldn't be more significant for Simmons personally. Just two days before his Senate testimony, he and Kiss will receive the Kennedy Center Honors, cementing the legendary band's cultural legacy. Meanwhile, the rock icon continues his solo momentum with an extensive 2025 North American tour launching in April with nineteen dates spanning from California to Texas, with stops across Florida, the Northeast, and into Ontario, Canada. Simmons will be joined by guitarists Brent Woods and Jason Walker and drummer Brian Tichy for this spring run.

    On the business front, Kiss recently completed their final farewell concert exactly one year ago at Madison Square Garden on December 2nd. The band is currently developing a five-part documentary about their End of the Road tour, though no release date has been announced yet. Additionally, Kiss is working on an ABBA-style avatar show expected to launch in 2027 at a yet-to-be-revealed location, following their sale of their catalog, brand name, and IP to Pophouse Entertainment back in April.

    Simmons has been actively engaging with fans on social media as well, taking song requests for his upcoming tour dates and soliciting fan input on what tracks he should perform live.

    Thanks so much for listening to Gene Simmons Biography Flash. Be sure to subscribe so you never miss an update on Gene Simmons and search the term Biography Flash for more great biographies.

    And that is it for today. Make sure you hit the subscribe button and never miss an update on Gene Simmons. Thanks for listening. This has been a Quiet Please production."



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    3 分