Gene Simmons once again challenged people who are extremely skeptical about Covid-19 vaccines, calling them "delusional" and "enemies" and saying that they represent a risk to themselves and everyone around them.
Kiss bassist and co-vocalist discussed his views on anti-vaxxers while participating in a live interview on Wednesday on the online sales social network TalkShopLive to promote deluxe versions of the band's 45th anniversary edition of Destroyer .
He commented on Kiss Kruise , which ended earlier this month. “It was truly a wonderful time. Unfortunately, our European friends and other friends around the world […] couldn't go on the cruise as easily because they weren't vaccinated,” he said.
He continued, saying that he didn't care about individual political beliefs, but he doesn't accept that someone can infect other people because they have "rights," a phrase used in his speech and argument against vaccination.
Gene Simmons made the following comparison: “You don’t have the right to run a red light; in fact, the government has the right to tell you to stop. You have to put on your seatbelt. If they say you can’t smoke in a building, you can’t smoke in a building. And it’s not because they want to take away your rights; it’s because the rest of us hate it. We don’t want to smell your smoke. I don’t want to catch your disease. I don’t want to risk my life just because you want to run a red light.”
“This whole idea, this delusional and evil idea that you can do whatever you want and the rest of the world can go to hell, is truly terrible. You have to identify these people and bring them to light, to know who they are,” he continued.
“Know who your friends are by how much they care about you,” Gene added, “that includes Covid-19. If you are willing to walk among us unvaccinated, you are an enemy.”
Furthermore, Simmons also mentioned conspiracy theorists and stubborn anti-scientists who think Covid-19 is a hoax. “For those who don’t believe this is real, more than five million human beings have died from the disease. I know there are people from the Flat Earth Society who believe all sorts of things, [who say] they died because they were fat or because they smoked. No, they died because they caught Covid-19. There are still many people who don’t believe this; we need to find out who these people are.”
"I don't care if you play football or not. Stay away from bad people who don't care about your health," he added.
Gene lamented the politicization of coronavirus vaccines, saying: “It has become political, unfortunately. The far left and the far right are evil; both spread all kinds of nonsense. I don't like either of them. Politics is the enemy. Humanism and humanity are what we should all be concerned about. Love your neighbor as yourself.”
In August, Simmons tested positive for Covid-19, despite having been vaccinated. His bandmate, Paul Stanley , also contracted the virus, leading the band to postpone some shows.
Late last month, Rolling Stone published a story in which a group of Kiss roadies suggested that the lack of Covid-19 protocols on the band's "End Of The Road" farewell tour led to the death of a longtime guitar technician, 53-year-old Francis Stueber.
Stueber died in his Detroit hotel room on October 17, just two days after being quarantined. Crew members alleged that the tour did not take strict enough safety measures, including not testing everyone regularly. Furthermore, some crew members allegedly concealed their illness and possessed fake vaccination certificates.
