Kiss rocker Gene Simmons gives blunt advice to Dem senator’s son who dreams of having a music career
Kiss frontman Gene Simmons handed a surprisingly blunt piece of advice to the son of Democratic Senator Alex Padilla during a Capitol‑side hearing.
Padilla called Simmons into a quiet corner and asked, “Mr. Chairman, if you’ll indulge me, for Mr. Simmons, not on the bill itself, but my youngest son. His name is Diego. He’s ten years old. He has quickly fallen in love — not with the bass, but the electric guitar,” Padilla said. “What advice do you have for him?”
Simmons deadpanned, “Have a fallback position,” and the room erupted in laughter. The comment, though sharp, set the tone for a candid conversation.
When the crowd settled, Simmons added, “And I say this seriously, because since the advent of downloading and file sharing, where artists are actually getting minuscule amounts, barely able to get by.” He then told the young guitarist that he had saved money to launch Kiss while juggling teaching, a job in real‑estate, and an assistant role for a Puerto Rican official.
“I was making $23,000 a year when that meant a lot of money. But doing the Jewish way of living with your mother, not paying rent, and so on. So I amassed a large enough amount so that I could support the band. We were forming together without managers and everything else,” Simmons explained, hinting at the struggles early on.
Later, he nudged Padilla, “What kind of music does your son enjoy?”
“He’s into heavy metal,” the senator replied.
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