During a recent interview with New York’s Q104.3 radio station, Gene Simmons discussed KISS‘s new A&E documentary “Biography: KISStory”, which is set to premiere with a two-night event on June 27 and June 28 from 9 p.m. ET to 11 p.m. ET. Asked if there are any “revelations in this movie that are gonna shock us,” Gene responded (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “In a very real way, when Catholics have a personal sort of confessional, they go and they say, ‘Father, please forgive me for I have sinned.’ Never mind the fact that he may have his own very young skeletons in his closet. You see what just I did there?
“This is a warts-and-all documentary,” he continued. “It is the story of an American Dream, of four knuckleheads off the streets of New York who decided to put together the band they never saw onstage. No holds barred, no rules, no nothing. Wear more makeup and higher heels than you ever did. And just a take-no-prisoners kind of approach. But also, because you respect and love the fans, you’ve gotta come clean; you’ve gotta tell the stories warts and all. And we pull no punches about how some of our guys succumbed to the cliché of clichés — drugs, alcohol, dysfunction, arguing about stupid stuff.
“I’m no different, by the way. Even though I’ve never been high or drunk in my life — literally — or smoked cigarettes, which is why, at 71, I can hold my hand in front of my face [and] it doesn’t [shake], because I’ve never used the stuff. As a personal choice, and as an homage to my mother, who survived Nazi Germany as a 14-year-old daughter, I know without her here, I would have veered to the dark side.
“So the documentary really does us a service instead of a disservice, which is we have to come clean… Before the game is over, you’ve gotta come clean with the fans who you love and respect, and thank for making our lives possible,” Simmons added. “You guys too — without your listeners, you wouldn’t be here. We just work here. We owe them everything — least of all is the truth. And that’s what the documentary does. It’s gonna upset some fans, but it happens in families too, when mom sits the kids down and says, ‘Okay, kids, your father’s a drunk. He’s a loser. He’s losing his job because he doesn’t love himself enough to get straight, and he doesn’t love the family enough.’ You’ve got to tell the truth. Tough love is the best way to be with your loved ones — by the way, and also with people you hate. Just tell the truth — good, bad or otherwise.”
Directed by D.J. Viola, “Biography: KISStory” chronicles the band’s five decades in the business as founders Stanley and Simmons reflect on their historic career. Current members Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer as well as guests Dave Grohl (NIRVANA, FOO FIGHTERS), Tom Morello (RAGE AGAINST THE MACHINE), manager Doc McGhee, music producer Bob Ezrin (ALICE COOPER, PINK FLOYD) and more tell the wild story of the most successful and influential band in the world.
“Biography: KISStory” is a Leslie Greif production, produced for A&E Network by Critical Content and Big Dreams Entertainment with Leslie Greif and Jenny Daly serving as executive producers and D.J. Viola serving as director. Elaine Frontain Bryant and Brad Abramson serve as executive producers for A&E Network. A+E Networks holds worldwide distribution rights for “Biography: KISStory”.
To promote the documentary, KISS took the stage on June 11 for a special performance at the 2021 Tribeca Festival in New York City. For the first time ever, the band played at the festival directly following the screening of part one of “Biography: KISStory”. The two-part documentary event was part of the festival’s 2021 TV lineup.
