Gene Simmons

Exactly how self-important must Gene Simmons be to have released Speaking In Tongues? The DVD is marketed as a sort of self-help video, à la Tony Robbins and other shills that prey upon the insecure. In truth, what comes out in Speaking In Tongues is a portrait of a man who is hopelessly narcissistic, self-important and vain, crossed with an episode of MTV Cribs. Simmons opens his home and life to a viewing audience in a cock-eyed attempt at saying "thank you" to his fans and to show what they've given him. The obvious question is, "who cares?" No one needs to see that they've been fleeced in order to provide a palace for someone else. It's the same reason people don't like politicians. No one needs to see or hear someone brag about how well he/she is doing. The other significant portion of this DVD is footage of Simmons's speaking engagements in Australia. Where is the logic in listening to a man that has enough money to be as perverse and self-important as he wants tell you how to live life? Outside of the obvious bits of advice ("work as much as possible to make your dreams come true"), Simmons simply shows that if you have enough money, you can live however you want and do whatever you want, including release a DVD showing you doing exactly that while laughing all the way to the bank. It would be nice to think that the only reason Speaking In Tongues came out is to try and bolster the abysmal sales of Simmons's sophomore (an ironic term in this case) solo album, Asshole. The fact is that Simmons may actually believe that people actually care about what he has to say. I guess, because he sold Kiss, he figures he can sell anything. (Sanctuary/EMI)