KISS’ Gene Simmons visits Rhinelander to promote his Wisconsin-made vodka

Gene Simmons, the co-founder and bassist of the rock band KISS, visited Rhinelander on Saturday to promote the Wisconsin-made Money Bag vodka brand he launched in 2022.

Simmons was in the area because KISS performed during their “End of the Road” farewell tour the previous evening in Crandon. The event was held at the Rhinelander Brewery, where Simmons signed bottles of his vodka and posed for photos with invited fans.

He also answered a few questions from the media and talked about what he finds important in life.

Simmons said his mother, who survived the Holocaust and died in 2018, was his moral compass and taught him to be grateful and humble.

“Oh, you’re talking about everything that I am, everything that I could be or should be, I owe it all to my mother,” Simmons said.

“She was always my moral compass. And she taught me an important lesson. Yeah, you can have a lot of money, you can have fame, and riches and all that kind of adulation, but, unless, and if and when you appreciate every day above ground, you’ve got nothing. So there are very well-off people who are famous and everything, who are miserable, and, some folks who don’t have all that much who are just, you know, happy-go-lucky. Yes, you can be rich and famous and be happy and you can be non-rich and famous and be happy as well, but it all comes down to [the] principle. It’s the small things in life,” he stressed. “It really is, you know, a good burger that’s tasty and all that — with Money Bag vodka, I might add — a bloody mary at the right time, whether you have oodles of money or don’t, it better taste good, your taste buds don’t change. You don’t sleep differently. No matter how much you’ve got in the bank, it’s always about the important things in life.” Simmons said.

He also praised the Northwoods of Wisconsin and said he enjoyed being here, not because he was a hunter or a fisherman — he’s not — but because he enjoys people and wants to be where people are having a good time.

When The Lakeland Times pointed out the area has more animal wildlife than people, Simmons explained that he wasn’t talking about the quantity of people.

“Well, you know, there’s a misunderstanding. People who are in the heartland of America believe that New York and Paris and London are the cool places, because of the buildings. And it’s never about that. Because you could be walking down the streets of London or New York or Paris, and nobody will say anything to you. You’ll feel alone surrounded by millions of people, but if you come to the heartland, strangers will walk up to you and you’ll feel like, ‘gee, have I met that person. Hey, how are you?’ ‘Nice to see you, where you from, where you going?’ It’s always people, and the social condition that makes something memorable. It’s always people that make a party fun, not how cool the building is,” Simmons said.

The 74-year-old rock legend repeated his earlier thought that everyone is lucky “if you’re another day above ground.” His parting words were “Anything is possible in life, it doesn’t mean it’s probable, but anything is possible.”

KISS is scheduled to perform their final performance of their “End of the Road” world tour on Dec. 2, at Madison Square Garden in New York. 

Money Bag vodka is distilled at Minhas Distillery in Monroe and is available in a decanter shaped like a money bag that Simmons designed.

Dean Hall may be reached via email at [email protected].