KISS bassist Gene Simmons recently spoke about the offers he received from figures connected to organized crime throughout his career. During an interview with Michael Franzese, Simmons shared some details about his interactions with the mob and the offers he turned down.
Simmons explained that over the years, he encountered several individuals from organized crime on both the East and West Coasts. He mentioned that these figures often extended offers of help, saying things like, ‘If there’s anything I can do for you.’ However, Simmons made it clear that he never accepted any of these offers. “I’ve known quite a few gentlemen East and West Coast. I have to say there have been many offers of ‘if there’s anything I can do for you’ kind. I’ve never taken that up because sometimes it means now you got to do me a favor, which is by the way only fair. I did you a favor now you got to do me a favor, but no nothing like that.”
While money was often offered, Simmons made it clear he never accepted any financial help from the mob. However, he did find the offers of protection interesting. “There were offers of money, never did that, but the other thing was which nobody else does if anybody bothers you kind of thing, that always struck me as interesting,” he said.
Simmons emphasized that, even though the offers might have seemed appealing, he chose not to get involved.
In other news, Simmons recently announced an expansion of his Spring 2025 U.S. tour dates. Originally scheduled for five shows in late April and May, the tour now includes additional dates in San Antonio, Texas, Bethlehem, Pennsylvania, and Rohnert Park, California.
Simmons’ band features guitarists Brent Woods and Zach Throne, along with drummer Brian Tichy. The band’s second concert of 2024 took place on April 26 at the Summer Breeze festival in São Paulo, Brazil, where they performed several KISS hits along with covers of Motörhead’s ‘Ace of Spades’ and Led Zeppelin’s ‘Communication Breakdown.’
