Read Online Me, Inc. by Mr. Gene Simmons - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: Mr. Gene Simmons
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and Redondo Beach, California. We have another site in the Delta terminal at Los Angeles International Airport, and one opening in Kansas City soon.
My schooling and experience for this business? None. I donât even cook.
I published my own magazine, called Gene Simmons Tongue , which lasted for five issues. It was published by Sterling/Macfadden. My partner was Allen Tuller. Hugh Hefner gave us an exclusive cover story for the first issue, and I interviewed Sir Richard Branson, Marvel Comicsâ Avi Arad, and the great Snoop Dogg (who was kind enough to wear an inverted version of my KISS makeup for the interview).
My schooling as a magazine publisher/editor? None.
Simmons Books was a co-venture with Michael Vinerâs Phoenix Books. Mostly, it was a way for me to write and publish my own books. I had always been interested in stories that resonate today, but have a long historical backdrop. Like, the oldest profession in the world. Itâs referenced in the New Testament with Mary Magdalene, and Mata Hari and the courtesans of Europeâs Renaissance, the geishas of Japan, all the way to the Wall Street and Hollywood call girls of today. Despite what the subject matter might imply, I approached my book with a historical, nonjudgmental approach. If you can get your hands on a copy, you may enjoy reading it. It became a Los Angeles Times bestseller.
My experience? Minimal. When I was fourteen years old, I used to self-publish my own magazines from home. I wrote, edited, and produced the zines via mimeograph, Rexograph, and eventually photocopy machines.
In 1999, I coproduced the motion picture Detroit Rock City for New Line Cinema. My partners were Barry Levine and Christine Haas.
Iâd been trying since 1977 to get a KISS movie made. When I was growing up, I used the Beatles as my template for what I wanted to achieve. And the Beatles didnât just make records, they made moviesâand good ones at that. Butâaside from a lovably campy, made-for-TV movie weâd done in the seventies called KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park âgetting a KISS movie made was easier said than done. Agencies couldnât make it happen. Managers couldnât make it happen. But I pushed forward, anyway. Eventually, a script called Detroit Rock City âabout four teenagers who try to scam their way into a KISS concertâcame into my hands from Barry Levine (whom you may remember from elsewhere in this book as our rock photographer; Barry would soon try his hand at making movies, and went on to make many including Oblivion with Tom Cruise and Hercules with The Rock). Before long, it was set up at New Line Cinema. Written and directed by Adam Rifkin, the movie featured almost everyone we knew, including Shannon. Although it was a KISS movie, we actually didnât appear in the movie till the very end.
However, behind any single success are a multitude of stillborn or endlessly delayed ventures. I had twenty other movie projects being developed around this time, but I failed to mount them. I had the story of Casablanca Records head Neil Bogart at Paramount, with the Bogart family as partners. It was never made, though as of this writing, it is now finally a âgoâ picture with Justin Timberlake as Bogart. Originally, Mike Myers had been set to star.
My schooling to become a movie producer? None.
My experience? Minuscule.
My qualifications? Minimal.
And these are just two of many. It doesnât matter that I failed, a million times over. The only reason I was successful at anything was this same mentalityâI jumped into the deep end, qualifications and naysayers be damned. You have to believe this about yourself. Iâll go into this more later.
I am cofounding partner in LA KISS, our Los Angeles arena football team, after our manager, Doc McGhee, and AFL veteran Brett Bouchy started talking about KISS doing some cross-promotion with the AFL (Arena Football League). One thing led to
My schooling and experience for this business? None. I donât even cook.
I published my own magazine, called Gene Simmons Tongue , which lasted for five issues. It was published by Sterling/Macfadden. My partner was Allen Tuller. Hugh Hefner gave us an exclusive cover story for the first issue, and I interviewed Sir Richard Branson, Marvel Comicsâ Avi Arad, and the great Snoop Dogg (who was kind enough to wear an inverted version of my KISS makeup for the interview).
My schooling as a magazine publisher/editor? None.
Simmons Books was a co-venture with Michael Vinerâs Phoenix Books. Mostly, it was a way for me to write and publish my own books. I had always been interested in stories that resonate today, but have a long historical backdrop. Like, the oldest profession in the world. Itâs referenced in the New Testament with Mary Magdalene, and Mata Hari and the courtesans of Europeâs Renaissance, the geishas of Japan, all the way to the Wall Street and Hollywood call girls of today. Despite what the subject matter might imply, I approached my book with a historical, nonjudgmental approach. If you can get your hands on a copy, you may enjoy reading it. It became a Los Angeles Times bestseller.
My experience? Minimal. When I was fourteen years old, I used to self-publish my own magazines from home. I wrote, edited, and produced the zines via mimeograph, Rexograph, and eventually photocopy machines.
In 1999, I coproduced the motion picture Detroit Rock City for New Line Cinema. My partners were Barry Levine and Christine Haas.
Iâd been trying since 1977 to get a KISS movie made. When I was growing up, I used the Beatles as my template for what I wanted to achieve. And the Beatles didnât just make records, they made moviesâand good ones at that. Butâaside from a lovably campy, made-for-TV movie weâd done in the seventies called KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park âgetting a KISS movie made was easier said than done. Agencies couldnât make it happen. Managers couldnât make it happen. But I pushed forward, anyway. Eventually, a script called Detroit Rock City âabout four teenagers who try to scam their way into a KISS concertâcame into my hands from Barry Levine (whom you may remember from elsewhere in this book as our rock photographer; Barry would soon try his hand at making movies, and went on to make many including Oblivion with Tom Cruise and Hercules with The Rock). Before long, it was set up at New Line Cinema. Written and directed by Adam Rifkin, the movie featured almost everyone we knew, including Shannon. Although it was a KISS movie, we actually didnât appear in the movie till the very end.
However, behind any single success are a multitude of stillborn or endlessly delayed ventures. I had twenty other movie projects being developed around this time, but I failed to mount them. I had the story of Casablanca Records head Neil Bogart at Paramount, with the Bogart family as partners. It was never made, though as of this writing, it is now finally a âgoâ picture with Justin Timberlake as Bogart. Originally, Mike Myers had been set to star.
My schooling to become a movie producer? None.
My experience? Minuscule.
My qualifications? Minimal.
And these are just two of many. It doesnât matter that I failed, a million times over. The only reason I was successful at anything was this same mentalityâI jumped into the deep end, qualifications and naysayers be damned. You have to believe this about yourself. Iâll go into this more later.
I am cofounding partner in LA KISS, our Los Angeles arena football team, after our manager, Doc McGhee, and AFL veteran Brett Bouchy started talking about KISS doing some cross-promotion with the AFL (Arena Football League). One thing led to
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