Gene Simmons warned politicians to be wary of getting on the wrong end of the Kardashians as he praised their meteoric rise to fame.
As Taylor Swift pinned her support to Kamala Harris in the US election battle, former president Donald Trump blasted the singer and quickly posted: “I HATE TAYLOR SWIFT!” But, according to Kiss legend Gene, 75, it’s the celebrities that could have more sway in how the voting goes.
Gene Simmons praised the Kardashian family
Speaking exclusively to the Mirror, Gene was full of praise for the Kardashian-Jenner clan. Like the famous family, Gene once had a successful reality TV series called Gene Simmons Family Jewels and called The Kardashians publicity of themselves as “brilliant”.
Gene Simmons called the Kardashian family’s brand ‘genius’ ( Image: E!)
He told us: “In terms of brand, you have to understand they are self invented. They created their own brand. Over the top bling, bling, bling and lifestyle. Nobody works for a living. It’s not 9-5. But don’t kid yourself, it’s genius. The Kardashians brand started a long time ago before influencers became a thing. The socio-economic people in the business world woke up and saw influences make an enormous impact on people’s view points politically, economically, and all of those things.”
And he said with amazement in his voice: “And it’s worth noting too that TWO Kardashian women are billionaires. TWO! Did they go to business school? Nope. It’s ‘oh my God, Kylie has a new lip gloss! Quick, buy it!’ That only happens if you expand your brand to know who you are, what you need and how you communicate with your fan base. The Kardashians have a bigger impact than politicians do. The only thing bigger probably is Taylor. She could tip the election if she said ‘I’m for so and so’. It’s the cult of personality. And by the way, all power to her! There’s well, and then there’s Taylor Swift!”
The music guru certainly knows a thing or two about brand building. Kiss have become instantly recognisable due to the face paint they have donned since first breaking onto the scene in the 70s. And Gene admits it all started from a trip to an ‘all-in-one’ shop prior to their first concert.
He explained how he, along with original band members Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss “decided, for some strange reason, that all of us would buy clown make-up; black lipstick and red lipstick and cheap mirrors for $15″.
Gene went on: “We questioned, ‘What would we look like in make-up?’ The make-up we put on that afternoon in New York City is pretty much the makeup we wore, except for slight changes. But you’d recognise it right away.”
It’s a look that has been copied on many occasions, notably by Taylor Swift. He added: “Have you heard of Mount Rushmore. Yes? But could you name who was on it? These are monuments that have been around for hundreds of years. Everybody knows them [but can’t name them] – and everybody knows what Kiss’s faces look like, too.
“Even if you hate the band, people will go, ‘Oh yeah, the guy with the tongue’. Anywhere you go.”
