May 19, 2003
The legendary lothario of the rock band Kiss believes that the most important things in life are money, sex and more money—and he repeats variations on this theme in this highly entertaining book, which that covers much of the same autobiographical ground as his successful KISS and Make-Up, albeit with a different slant. Simmons readily admits that "just because I stick out my tongue a lot and spit fire doesn't mean I have any qualifications to advise anyone on relationship, money or career issues." What he does have is a highly successful rock band and, apparently, a highly developed ego, and he uses both to present a philosophy of work that is rooted, some would say ironically, in traditional Puritan virtues—work hard, save your money, don't smoke, don't drink, don't get high, equate time with money and know that being rich is better than being poor. His example of a successful man is his equally hard-working Kiss partner Paul Stanley; as in his first book, Simmons trashes the bad habits of his other bandmates. His view of the sexes, however, is Neanderthal: the "power of women is completely based on whether she can attract a man, biologically speaking," while "the power of man is in achieving wealth and 'killing things' so we can come back to the cave with a big piece of meat over our shoulder." This belief translates into Simmons's main financial advice: "The worst thing a man can do, financially and biologically speaking, is to get married." His messages are bound to resonate with the book's prime target audience: not-so-young professional guys. 24 pages of color photos; b&w photos throughout. (June)Forecast:Like Simmons's first book, this should become a bestseller, as it draws on, among other readerships, the huge number of Kiss fans who will buy almost any product related to the band. Sales will be pushed by a 33-city tour plus tie-ins to
Gene Simmons
Tongue, a monthly men's magazine. New Millennium plans a 250,000 first printing with, amazingly, the first 40,000 copies signed by Simmons. Simultaneous New Millennium Audio/Gene Simmons Audio.
August 4, 2003
Exhibiting an "abiding faith in self" and an ability to think outside the traditional parameters of ethics, religion, rituals and social mores, rock legend and Kiss founding member Simmons (KISS and Make-Up) offers his no-holds-barred life philosophy. Presenting the book as "access to the American dream" of money and happiness and warning that what he says is only "food for thought" and that he'll be painting with wide strokes, Simmons recounts his rise from an immigrant boy who didn't speak English until his teens and paid for college buying and selling old comic books, to his current music, recording, acting and publishing successes. Narrated in a distinctive, deep voice and peppered with expletives and frequent interjections of the word "baby" for emphasis, Simmons touches on a range of topics, including investment advice, his brief stint as a teacher and behind-the-scenes Kiss business negotiations, which fans are especially sure to appreciate in audio format. Simmons's humor, perfectly suited in translation from prose, begins with his "salute" to modern women, who he contends are ultimately slaves to biology, and a funny explanation of why men can't be monogamous (because "women are from Mars; men have penis."). Simultaneous release with the New Millennium hardcover (Forecasts, May 19).