Happy Birthday Gene Simmons!

He blows fire, he spits blood, he plays a bass shaped like an axe, and it's his 66th birthday! Happy Birthday Gene Simmons of KISS.I grew up a huge KISS fan, and was always a Gene Simmons guy. He was The Demon, the scary one of the four and as a kid the best thing ever!

I had a chance to briefly meet Gene Simmons at a KISS Convention in Chicago back in 1996. He was friendly, had a laugh or two and then autographed my friends poster on top of Peter Criss's face.

Another time I spoke with him on the phone years later and he was pretty rude and I laughed as him. He asked me what I did, so I explained. He cut me off and said, "Son, that's too much information". I laughed and said, "well DAD, you asked"....Silence, and then a deep Gene Simmons laugh.

In the video below, Gene Simmons is NOT laughing. his is from The Tom Snyder Show in 1979. This is my favorite KISS interview ever. Ace is bombed, and Gene Simmons is not amused. Even with the face paint on, you can tell how uncomfortable The Demon is. Happy Birthday Gene Simmons!