Kiss bassist and vocalist Gene Simmons has offered a blunt assessment of celebrities who publicly voice their political beliefs, suggesting that actors and musicians should refrain from discussing politics entirely.
While numerous figures in the hard rock and heavy metal community—such as Tom Morello of Rage Against The Machine, Randy Blythe of Lamb Of God, David Draiman of Disturbed, Wes Borland of Limp Bizkit, Kid Rock, and Ted Nugent—have actively encouraged their peers to speak out on cultural and political issues, the 76-year-old Kiss co-founder holds a sharply contrasting view.
During a today’s, March 10 interview with TMZ, Gene Simmons fired back at number of musicians and actors who have issued statements regarding their political beliefs, particularly in response to the unauthorized usage of their work by political campaigns. He responded with a harsh critique of the entertainment industry’s political involvement (as transcribed by theprp):
“Everybody in the world should listen to what actors and comedians say, because they’re so qualified. Basically shut the f**k up. Do your art and shut up. Nobody’s interested in your opinions, that includes me. Who I vote for, who I like. Who the f**k do you think you are?”
He added: “People in America work hard for their living and they don’t wanna be lectured to by people who live in mansions and drive Rolls-Royces. It’s time for everybody in the entertainment industry to shut their piehole and just do you art. Nobody cares what you think. I don’t. What will Mark Ruffalo — however the f**k he pronounces his name, Ruffalo, buffalo — what does Mark think about politics? I don’t care.”
He concluded his point with a sarcastic jab, adding: “go to Kylie Jenner and see what she thinks about the war so far.”
This stance directly conflicts with the views of other prominent musicians who feel a moral obligation to use their platforms. In a recently published interview with Kerrang!, Lamb Of God vocalist Randy Blythe strongly pushed back against the frequent demand for entertainers to “stick to music.”
Addressing the backlash he received after publicly commenting on the Epstein files, Randy stated:
“To those people, I say ‘Go f**k yourself.’ I’m an American citizen and a world traveler. More than that, I’m a human being. I’m not some dancing monkey put here for your entertainment. If you have any sort of moral compass at all, it’s irresponsible to not exercise your right to speak up. If people are willing to compartmentalize something like a child s*x trafficking ring because they think it might better their bank account, they’ve lost a component of their humanity. They’ve lost an integral part of what it is to be a righteous human being. At that point, it’s time to stop and reassess and reevaluate. You’re not going to be able to carry your money into the grave, motherf**ker, but you will be able to carry the memories of silently going along with people that enabled child s*x predators. How are you going to feel about that on your death bed?”
