It was a very exciting notion, to actually meet and interview the infamous Gene Simmons, and this was back in 1990 before he had achieved TV fame with his notorious “Family Jewels.” The highly energized “Hot In The Shade” tour had arrived in Erie, PA, a fact which had generated local controversy.

Kiss’ performance in Erie, PA spawned a censorship debate over what is decent and what is not, which prompted various local politicians and citizens to engage in heated challenges of words. Thus it was with great anticipation that I awaited my chance to ask Simmons for his feisty opinion on this sweet and salty topic.

He entered the room, and it was immediately clear that he possessed the key quality of “presence,” which is a combination of nonchalant charisma coupled with a strongly emanating and deeply sensed magnitude of sorts. Before his undeniable arrival, another female reporter and I had removed two of the stackable back-stage chairs and arranged them for a face-to-face interview: one for him and one for each of us, facing him.

Simmons silently surveyed the surroundings, then took unexpected action. He seized a stack of chairs, thrust them upon the single chair we had set up for him, and then took his aerial seat. He stretched out his legs, and placed one foot on my chair, and his other foot on my colleague’s chair.

From his perch high above us, he smiled and exchanged greetings. My initial reaction to hearing his refined-sounding voice was surprise for I had never heard him speak previously. And just for the record, Simmons articulated his words with clarity and eloquence during the ensuing interview.

We asked Simmons about the local outcry to censor and/or stop the show from going on. His reply was as brilliant as his foot-to-chair setup.

I don’t recall his exact verbiage, but he brought up the Bible and mentioned that in this holy book, “everybody begat everybody else” so he wasn’t sure what all the fuss was about.

As the interview continued, it became clear that Simmons’ opinion on the whole censorship controversy in Erie didn’t bother him in the least. He talked about his excitement at the upcoming show, and didn’t give any credence or acknowledgment that any of the negative publicity about the censorship even existed.