In an interview KISS rocker Gene Simmons–who can put his giant tongue and his foot in his mouth at the same time–said when he sees somebody on the ledge he shouts “Jump!” Simmons, not known for his compassion or sensitivity, told Roger Catlin at Songfacts: “I’m the guy who says ‘Jump’ when there’s a guy on top of a building who says, ‘That’s it, I can’t take it anymore.'” Simmons’ former KISS bandmates know he means it. Original members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley don’t get any breaks from Simmons who says of them, “I don’t get along with anybody who’s a drug addict and has a dark cloud over their head and sees themselves as a victim.”
No direct word on what Simmons thinks of Robin Williams, who found the world dark enough to opt to leave it earlier this week. Simmons may or may not have yelled “jump” to the depressed comedian. But the KISS frontman does come by his harsh standards for difficulty honestly. “My mother was in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany,” he tells Catlin. “I don’t want to hear fuck all about ‘the world as a harsh place.’ She gets up every day, smells the roses and loves life.”
