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Drummer Vinny Appice, Ronnie James Dio's bandmate in Black Sabbath, Dio, and Heaven & Hell, spoke in a podcast interview about Gene Simmons' recent attempt to commercially trademark the heavy metal "devil horns" hand gesture.
Simmons initiated legal proceedings seeking trademark rights, but after harsh criticism from the metal community, the Kiss musician dropped the lawsuit last week. Ronnie James Dio is frequently cited as the artist who popularized the gesture.
When questioned about Simmons' action, Appice commented: “Ronnie's gesture is an old Italian tradition. It's called maloik. It was his grandmother who showed it to him, she used to make the sign, and the older people in my family did too. And it exists to make 'horns' at people and it exists to wish good luck. So Gene couldn't have invented it, it's an old Italian thing. And if Ronnie were alive, man, he'd be pissed. Yes!”
In a 2001 interview, Dio was asked about inventing the gesture and replied: “That's like saying I invented the wheel. I'm sure someone else did it first. You can say I made it fashionable. Gene Simmons will tell you he invented it. But also, Gene invented breathing, shoes, and everything else.”
