Israel Matzav

Kiss bassist blasts 'fools' who boycott Israel

Kiss bassist Gene Simmons - nee Chaim Witz of Tirat HaCarmel - has blasted fellow musicians who boycott Israel as fools.

Simmons had harsh words for musicians like Elvis Costello and the Pixies who have recently canceled concerts to protest Israel's policies toward the Palestinians. Pink Floyd's Roger Waters has gone further, joining an organized movement dedicated to boycotting Israel and its exports, though he appeared in Israel in 2006.

"The countries they should be boycotting are the same countries that the populations are rebelling," he said. "People long to be free ... And they sure as hell don't want somebody who's a ruler who hasn't been elected by them."

Simmons, 61, is visiting Israel as part of his reality show, "Gene Simmons Family Jewels," which follows the adventures and musings of the rocker, his longtime girlfriend, Shannon Tweed, and their two children.

While situations on the show are generally lighthearted, he said his stop in Israel has deep personal significance. "Coming back to Israel is a homecoming," he said.

Simmons was born Chaim Witz and spent his childhood in northern Israel before moving to America. The normally extravagant musician, known for his extended tongue, demonic makeup and stage pyrotechnics, grew subdued as he described his early life in the hardscrabble town of Tirat Carmel.

He recalled his father, a carpenter, taking his assault rifle and heading off to military service on weekends. He said his mother, a survivor of the Nazi Holocaust, taught him that "every day above ground is a good day."

The family was "dirt poor," scraping by on meager bread and milk rations available in what was then an underdeveloped country. He earned money by selling fruits he collected from cactuses.

Simmons moved with his mother to the United States when he was eight. Although he has climbed to the highest levels of the entertainment world and lives with a former Playboy Playmate of the Year in Beverly Hills, he said he still considers Israel his home.

Hmmm. I can think of some people who don't read this blog to whom I am going to send this article.

Labels: BDS, Elvis Costello, Gene Simmons, Kiss, Roger Waters

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 12:58 AM