Kiss icon Gene Simmons has been recently famed for his arrogant and obnoxious approach to social situations, not being able to restrain himself from proving some irritating remarks. Some people love him for it, but he might have seriously crossed the line with his latest comments about depression…
A few days ago comedy legend Robin Williams sadly took his own life as a sufferer of chronic depression, and only two weeks earlier Gene Simmons put his two cents into the topic of drugs, alcohol and depression. Simmons indicated that people with depression should ‘kill themselves’, because they are too priviledged to be depressed. The full statement is below:
“‘The world is a harsh place.’ My mother was in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany. I don’t want to hear fuck-all about ‘the world is a harsh place.’ She gets up every day, smells the roses and loves life. And for a putz, 20-year-old kid to say, ‘I’m depressed, I live in Seattle.’ Fuck you, then kill yourself.”
The interview itself was about alcohol and drug addiction, but could not have come at a worse time for Simmons to be Simmons. Motley Crue bassist Nikki Six responded by looking at Simmons arrogance in the wider picture and made valid points:
‘It’s pretty moronic because [Simmons] thinks everybody listens to him, that he is the God of Thunder. He will tell you he is the greatest man on earth, and to be honest with you, I like Gene. But in this situation, I don’t like Gene. I don’t like Gene’s words,’ Sixx said.
‘There is a 20-year-old kid out there who is a Kiss fan and reads this and goes, “You know what? He’s right. I should just kill myself.”
I think we’re all getting sick of the Gene Simmons act, and he really should just put his efforts into Kiss rather than try and be remembered for being a social deity. Obviously now the act is catching up with him as the internet exploded in response to his comments, forcing an apology over Facebook:
“Depression is very serious and very sad when it happens to anyone, especially loved ones.
“I have not commented on various allegations made in the media, but I want to make this statement for the record and to clarify.
“I deeply support and am empathetic to anyone suffering from any disease, especially depression.
“I have never sugarcoated my feelings regarding drug use and alcoholics.
“Somewhere along the line, my intentions in speaking very directly and perhaps politically incorrectly about drug use and alcoholics have been misconstrued as vile commentary on depression.
“Unkind statements about depression was certainly never my intention.
“And I do not intend to defend myself here and now by listing the myriad charities and self-help organizations I am involved with.
“This is not about me. This is about clearing up misconceptions and being clear. My heart goes out to anyone suffering from depression.”
Too late Simmons. Too late. Hopefully we hear less about this general thoughts in the future and more about Kiss.
