Kiss frontman Gene Simmons has never been one to keep his mouth shut, but it seems now that has gotten him into some hot water. The veteran rocker recently did a Q&A with SongFacts, and based on a couple of lengthy comments he made about those with depression, there's been quite a bit of backlash –– one coming from Motley Crue bassist Nikki Sixx.
To the question, "Do you still get along with the original guys," Simmons commented, "No, I don't get along with anybody who's a drug addict and has a dark cloud over their head and sees themselves as a victim. Drug addicts and alcoholics are always, 'The world is a harsh place.' My mother was in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany. I don't want to hear f*ck all about the world as a harsh place."
The Family Jewels star continued, "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.' F*ck you, then kill yourself."
And if that wasn't enough, he continued, "I never understand, because I always call them on their bluff. I'm the guy who says 'Jump!' when there's a guy on top of a building who says, 'That's it, I can't take it anymore, I'm going to jump.'"
For more of Simmons' comments check out the Q&A because it goes on and on ... and on.
Sixx obviously read the interview and chose to speak about it on his Sixx Sense radio program, stating, "Gene is basically saying he has no sympathy for drug addicts or people who are depressed. I'm a recovering drug addict. If I had done what Gene Simmons said, and that is to jump, so many wonderful things would not have happened in my life."
The rocker equated these comments to the recent loss of famed comedian Robin Williams. "We've just lost Robin Williams," he said. "He dealt with drug addiction and mainly depression. When I was young, I was depressed, drugs helped me suppress that. I came from a messed up situation not unlike a lot of people. There's almost 15 million Americans that are depressed. Gene Simmons says I should have just killed myself ...15 million people should just kill themselves?"
"To be honest with you, I like Gene," Sixx continues, "but in this situation, I don't like Gene. I don't like Gene's words, because ... 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.'"
The Motley Crue member concludes that Simmons' statements were rather "moronic." Would you agree?
