Gene Simmons spent decades one of the most notorious womanizers in rock, which is why fans were shocked when the Kiss bassist married his longtime girlfriend Shannon Tweed in 2011.
During a recent appearance on the Steve-O’s Wild Ride podcast, Simmons explained why he finally decided to give up his philanderous ways.
“The first 29 years of Shannon’s and my relationship, we were unmarried. And I was doing anything you could imagine somebody who didn’t care about anybody else who was completely self-absorbed, arrogant and… You know, ‘Where are you going?’ ‘Where am I going? Who wants to know?’ That kind of thing.”
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Simmons’ sexual conquests were legendary, and the Kiss rocker gladly embraced his reputation.
“It was no secret that I was carousing,” he admitted. “Shannon, bless her, never backed away. I would have thrown my sorry ass out in a second.”
The Epiphany That Changed Gene Simmons’ Life
Simmons went on to explain that his whole life changed when he had a moment of clarity while in Belize filming his reality show, Gene Simmons Family Jewels.
“I had this epiphany. I’m probably going to die alone and a miserable old fuck. And the people that I love and care about the most – our kids especially, Shannon, who never tortured me about getting married – I don’t know if they’re going to be here,” the rocker confessed. “If I was Shannon, I’d remarry and try to find happiness while you’re alive instead of having this arrogant, self-absorbed guy doing whatever he wants to do and not caring about it.”
Simmons – who described himself as “not an emotional guy” – was overwhelmed by his epiphany. In the moment, he dropped to his knees and confessed his love to Tweed.
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“You are lucky if you find, as they say, your soulmate,” the bassist reflected. “You never think about those things when you’re younger, when you’re busy, bang, bang, bang, bang, bang, because it doesn’t mean anything and you’re having a lot of fun. That’s fine. But what does it mean? Do you miss those people? You never miss anybody. You just say, ‘That was good then. Tomorrow’s another day. I’ll have another salad, a doughnut and I’ll have that piece of ass over there.’”
“If you’re lucky and you find that soulmate, you don’t want to be around anybody else,” Simmons continued, admitting that his view on relationships totally changed from his younger years. “This sounds like a completely different guy than I ever expected to be. I think it’s called maturity.”
Kiss Solo Albums Ranked Worst to Best
Counting down solo albums released by various members of Kiss.
Gallery Credit: Matthew Wilkening
