KISS bass mogul Gene Simmons talked about his infamous ego, explaining on the Three Sides of the Coin podcast:
“I’m an only child, so maybe that helps me in my being the ultimate fan of me.
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“I know that sometimes sounds cocky and self-serving and stuff like that, but that’s really the only way I was able to overcome any kind of problems I had coming to America – not being able to speak English, just feeling like an outsider.
“Even if you’re not really comfortable with yourself or have some self-esteem issues – bluff. Pretend. That’s what I did.
“Because I didn’t have brothers and sisters, I spent a lot of time on my own and I collected everything about me. As soon as I had the good fortune of having a decent report card, I’d save it. If I got my first guitar, I’d save it. I haven’t thrown away anything.
“In 1964, I saw The Beatles on The Ed Sullivan Show, and within two years, I started writing songs. I taught myself how to play guitar – originally, before bass – and just started strumming.
“Over 50 years, from ’66 to 2016, I’ve written hundreds and hundreds of songs – some of them good, some of them not-so-good. Some would up on KISS records; the vast majority didn’t, because some of them didn’t even sound like KISS, because of the way I write. It’s not linear – it just kind of comes out.”