KISS‘ Gene Simmons has spoken about his net worth and how much money he has made over the course of his career.
The bassist and singer appeared on The HoneyDew podcast, where he was asked about his relationship with money, how he manages it, and how music stardom impacted how he navigates his finances.
He started by explaining that he learned to be responsible with money because of his mother. He said, as transcribed by Blabbermouth:
“It’s interesting. Different cultures think of money in different ways. If you’re not Jewish, per Benjamin Franklin, a penny saved is a penny earned — by the way, now a penny saved is two pennies earned, ’cause that was before taxes, before America had taxes, federal included — so if you are not Jewish, people say, ‘Oh, you’re frugal.’ If you’re Jewish, ‘You’re fucking cheap.’”
He later said: “When somebody says I’m cheap, I say, ‘Thank you. I’m smart, bitch. I’ll see you at the end.’ And revenge, for all the people that had something to say about you, the best revenge is to have them work for you. That’s the best revenge. Keep your nose right on the grindstone. Work hard, work harder than your next-door neighbor. Amass your fortune, whatever that is. And living well is the best revenge.”
Simmons said that he taught his own children about the value of money and working hard for it, but nonetheless, he ensured that he had made enough money and had managed it well enough so that the next few generations of his family would be comfortable.
He said, “I’ve got my finances in such order that the next two to three generations are taken care of. That’s why you have to diversify… So I’m in crypto, real estate, stocks, bonds, futures, commodities.”
Simmons made headlines earlier this year when he announced that he would be offering a fan the chance to be his roadie for a day at the steep price of $12,500 on top of the original ticket price.
For the experience, Simmons would join the fan-turned-roadie for a meal, help set up for the gig and introduce them during the show and maybe even sing with the musician. The fan – who is allowed to bring a friend along – will also receive an autographed bass guitar from Simmons himself.
The fan who paid the $12,500, a 52-year-old retired corrections sergeant from New York named Dwayne Rosado, said the experience was “absolutely worth” the price. Rosado and his 13-year-old son Zach were shadowed by The New York Times to chronicle the process.
Speaking to the outlet, Rosado said: “You only live once, and I want to experience life. I’m not going to die with a lot of money. I’m going to die happy.”
During the live show, Simmons invited Dwayne and Zach onto stage, introducing them: “My father wasn’t there when I was growing up, so I’ll tell you, it means the world to me to see a good father who stays with his family and makes sure his kids are raised right.”
Also earlier this year, Simmons claimed that the sale of KISS‘s catalogue was not about the money, saying that it felt like the “natural thing to do.”
In April, the global entertainment and music investment firm Pophouse announced that it had concluded an agreement with the rock veterans – acquiring their music catalogue, brand name, trademarks and likeness, which includes their signature face paint designs.
In an interview with PEOPLE, Simmons explained that the sale of the band’s catalogue was the “natural thing” to do, insisting that they “weren’t looking for it” initially.
He said: “Life happens while you’re busy making important plans. We were planning our respectful, proud walking off into the sunset, because we’ve been touring, we had been touring for half a century.” Simmons added that he didn’t want to continue touring until they couldn’t anymore, joking “I don’t want to go out there with my walker.”