An October 2021 clip from “Good Morning Brittain” recently re-circulated online in which Gene Simmons, one of the founding members of the legendary rock group Kiss, bemoaned the then-burgeoning skepticism to official narratives surrounding Covid-19 shots.
Simmons’ comments, while incredibly stupid, are what should be expected from someone in his position. Since amassing immense wealth and celebrity, he has likely never been seriously tested by life or compelled to reflect in any meaningful way, so upon meeting serious resistance to his lifestyle and health for the first time with the advent of Covid-19, he has lost the ability to assert his will on the people and environments around him. You probably know several people like him; the world must conform to their perception of reality.
“We’re not concerned if you’re breathing it or not; we’re concerned if you’re getting us sick. So get your godd-mned Covid shot,” the 73-year-old rock legend insisted.
When prompted by the show’s hosts to elaborate on Kiss’s policy of encouraging people to wear facial coverings to “stop the spread” while attending live-music shows at spacious outdoor venues — the only kind Kiss performs in — Simmons insisted people wouldn’t even be able to board the then-upcoming “Kiss Kruise” (an all-ages, hard-rock, nostalgia-fueled music festival held aboard a cruise ship) if they didn’t provide proof of having received a Covid shot.
Simmons, who is infamously known for bedding nearly 5,000 “groupies,” wants to regulate what other people put into their bodies.
When encountering resistance about his pro-coercion stance on Covid immunization, the formerly anti-establishment rockstar — who, while on stage, dons a battle-axe bass guitar and demon face paint, and wags around a six-inch tongue dripping fake blood — became ideologically indistinguishable from establishment stalwarts like Treasury Secretary Janet Yellen.
“That’s right; the government is telling you what to do. Shut up, be respectful of other people, and get a [Covid] vaccine. … Stop being selfish,” Simmons whined.
There are countless other examples of popular musicians shilling on behalf of leftist narratives. After all, if they can help complete the Democratic Party’s wish list piece-by-piece, they will further ingratiate themselves among the specials — Taylor Swift told people not to vote for Marsha Blackburn in 2018, and John Legend campaigns for any Democrat with a pulse and deep enough pockets. Frankly, these things are to be expected; their fan bases, and their sponsors, demand it from them.
This phenomenon is pervasive and present in all aspects of corporate entertainment — look at Trevor Noah’s activist-heavy tenure at, and recent exit from, “The Daily Show.”
But what about Gene Simmons? What does he gain from telling massive portions of his fan base that they aren’t welcome to his concerts unless they inject their bodies with experimental medicine? Heavy metal music festivals aren’t called “red state rock shows” because they’re annually held in Vermont. Simmons telling his fans they can’t come around unless they’re vaxxed would be like Kid Rock telling people they couldn’t show up if they brought dip; it wouldn’t make sense, and it would be incredibly lame.
Simmons is an aging celebrity who probably, with the advent of Covid, seriously contemplated human mortality for the first time in a while. An ever-observable phenomenon among the famous is that they tend to lose their grip on reality when they encounter something they cannot control with their vast wealth or cultural influence. Gone are the days when Simmons and his bandmates could “rock and roll all night and party every day.” They’re old men, and the prospect of death probably scares them. They can’t charm the universe into giving them a mulligan; oblivion is universal. Tempus Fugit, Momento Mori.
But Simmons is a performer, and since it doesn’t appear he plans to retire anytime soon, he probably thinks if he can force his neurotic control upon others, he can prolong his life. But given his statements on the matter, he clearly doesn’t prioritize his fans’ well-being, health, or individual agency. And that’s fine; he reserves that right. But simultaneously, the people who have been longtime fans of Simmons and Kiss, such as myself, reserve the right to stop supporting his music and other endeavors.
There are far better things to do with your life than letting the guy with the tongue from Kiss dictate how you live.
Samuel Mangold-Lenett is a staff editor at The Federalist. His writing has been featured in the Daily Wire, Townhall, The American Spectator, and other outlets. He is a 2022 Claremont Institute Publius Fellow. Follow him on Twitter @Mangold_Lenett.
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