In his most candid and self-analytical reflection to date, KISS icon Gene Simmons has opened up about the profound psychological impact the late Ozzy Osbourne had on him. Speaking on the Fail Better With David Duchovny podcast, Simmons revealed that Osbourne‘s genuine authenticity served as a “humbling” mirror to his own carefully constructed life of “armor,” a persona he admits he created to “appear stronger and more successful than I am.”
The rock and roll entrepreneur, known for his larger-than-life “Demon” character, shared a surprisingly vulnerable and self-critical tribute, explaining how Osbourne’s simple, down-to-earth nature was a powerful lesson.
“That was heartbreaking, ’cause I knew him for decades and decades. And there was a unique human being, a giant who, no matter what anybody said, was always Ozzy and treated you and the next door neighbor exactly the same. ‘Hey, how are you? Nice to see you.’ No airs about him. No anything,” Simmons said (as transcribed by Blabbermouth). “And it’s a good lesson for idiots like me who sometimes — guilty as charged — get full of themselves and say, ‘Wow, I’m Gene Simmons.’”
He contrasted Ozzy‘s simple “Hey, how are you? How are the kids?” approach with his own tendency to say “stupid things which you just meant to impress.” This led to a stunningly honest confession about the motivations behind his own famous persona.
“So it is humbling for someone like me who based my life on creating armor around me so that I wouldn’t be hurt — change my name, change my appearance, do whatever I have to do to survive and appear stronger and more successful than I am,” Simmons admitted.
He explained that even the public perception of his wealth is part of that protective shield. “People think I’m much richer than I actually am,” he continued. “I mean, I’ve done okay, but [they say], ‘Oh, you must have billions.’ No, I don’t. It’s just that thing. And I like that thing because it means you might not be hurt as much.”
For Simmons, the ultimate lesson came from observing how Ozzy‘s true self always shone through, even in the context of his menacing stage character. He pointed out the charming paradox of the “Prince of Darkness.”
“Strangely, the real Ozzy — he’s supposed to be the Prince Of Darkness, and yet in the shows he blows kisses to the fans and goes, ‘I love you.’ If you were the Prince Of Darkness, that’s like anti — that’s kind of like a good guy,” he observed. “He was a giant.”
