With the election on the tips of everyone’s tongue, candidates will jump at the chance to get themselves a celebrity endorsement. But Gene Simmons from KISS feels a bit differently.
“They should all shut their pieholes,” Gene told Yahoo Music. “I really believe democracy doesn’t work well when celebrities butt their heads into places they don’t belong. And what I mean by that is because you’ve got fans – Katy Perry, Gene Simmons, Chubby Checker, I don’t care who you are – you’ve got influence, and you fans tend sometimes to do stuff they would normally not do just because they’re your fans. I think when celebrities tell you who they’re voting for, that rapes the democratic process.”
Fellow rocker Alice Cooper shared the same sentiment in August when he called out musicians getting political by saying, “We’re not smarter than anybody else.”
“Its worth noting that when you go into a voting booth there’s a curtain,” Simmons said. “It’s nobody’s damn business who you’re voting for. I’d like to think people that are voting are voting their conscience and for that reason I don’t think people should care who Gene Simmons is voting for.”
Simmons’ feelings have evolved since 2012 when he regretted endorsing Barack Obama for president on Fox and Friends, saying, “Hindsight is 20/20. I have some real issues with the economy and how it’s being done. America should be in business and it should be run by a businessman.”
Simmons’ fellow bandmate Paul Stanley has previously spoken out about celebrities involving themselves in politics. “I don’t know what’s more embarrassing, these musicians and actors talking about politics in interviews or the media actually giving them credibility about it,” said Stanley. “It’s absurd that a celebrity could speak out on the economy or politics with no more justification that a hit album or movie.” Stanley continued with, “I’m usually not at a loss for words, but this whole celebrity political thing always gets me. It’s so embarrassing to see people with absolutely no inside knowledge of anything they are talking about.”