Gene Simmons Therapy For OshawaKISS bassist demands apology from councillor
By Jillian Follert
By Jillian Follert
OSHAWA -- Until recently, Gene Simmons had never heard of Oshawa.
And as far as the tongue-wagging KISS bassist is concerned, that's a great reason to play here.
"We noticed that a lot of cities feel like second-class citizens. The Torontos and New Yorks of the world get first dibs and there are cities that we've never heard of that people still live in," he said during a phone interview with This Week. "That doesn't mean that people there aren't as cool as someplace else ... where you're born is where you're born."
Simmons said reaching out to smaller locales was the reason behind an online contest that let fans vote to land their city on the KISS Alive 35 Tour, which kicked off in Detroit on Sept. 25.
Oshawa snagged the top spot and the 70s glam rockers will be taking the stage at the General Motors Centre for a sold-out show Oct. 7.
Simmons said Oshawa fans can expect much more than the fireworks and tall boots that have become pillars of the KISS stage show,
"You're going to see the kind of show you've never seen, there's millions of dollars of technology and special effects that we've put into the show, brand new outfits ... new flying gags," he said. "The screen that you're going to see in back of us ... it literally spans from one side of the stage to the other, there's not a bad seat in house. You'll be able to see my nose hairs sticking out my nose."
There will also be special meet-and-greet opportunities for fans and the official launch of the band's first album in 11 years, Sonic Boom, which goes on sale Oct. 6 exclusively at Walmart.
Simmons said the band decided in the spring that a new record was in order, after being besieged with fan requests for fresh material. It was written over three or four weeks and recorded in six weeks.
"There are no ballads, no children's choirs, no symphony orchestras, nothing," Simmons said of the vibe on Sonic Boom. "Just meat and potatoes, two guitars, bass and drums. That's it."รข?¨ While Simmons is psyched to play Oshawa, he's still angry about the way the local tour date was unveiled. When the KISS Alive tour schedule was announced at the beginning of September, Oshawa was nowhere to be found. Fans immediately speculated that Oshawa had been cast aside in favour of Toronto.
Calling the hoopla "much ado about nothing" Simmons said KISS was always planning to play in Oshawa on Oct. 7 and simply wanted to announce it separately, to give the city some special recognition.
He blamed "rabble rousers," namely the media and Councillor Robert Lutczyk -- who spearheaded the campaign to get Oshawa residents voting in the online contest -- for blowing it out of proportion.
"Shame on you for upsetting all the people and making a big deal about nothing, I'm waiting for the apology," Simmons said, in a message to Coun. Lutczyk. "It's embarrassing that he didn't step up like a man and say 'you're right, I'm sorry I caused a big stir.'"
Coun. Lutczyk was surprised by Simmons' comments and said he believes the KISS bassist mistakenly attributed comments made by Mayor John Gray, to him.
"I never doubted Gene, I always said his word was gold," Coun. Lutczyk said.
