Gene Simmons admits he simply doesn't have friends. During a long chat with Goldmine, he touched upon his “lone wolf” persona, explaining,”I kept reading about what friends do. They hang out with each other. They call each other, 'Hey, I need a favor.' I never had any of that.”
He went on to admit, “Even today, as I sit here, other than Paul (Stanley), and we only get together when we do stuff with the band. How do I say this without sounding inhuman? I don’t have friends. Yeah, if friends means, 'Gee, I don’t know what I’m going to do this afternoon. Hey, you want to come over and hang out?' I don’t hang out. I’ve never hung out. I’m more interested in what I want to do, and I don’t want to pretend that I’m interested in what you want to do because I’m not.”
As Kiss winds down its career, Gene Simmons stands by his and Paul Stanley's decision to pack it in they way they are: “Considering we started in ’73 and we’re in the year 2022 now and probably by 2024 we’ll be done. That’s enough. 50 years is enough for anybody. And also out of respect and love for the fans, you want to get off the stage while the getting is good; It’s 'quit while you’re on top.' Of course, everything comes to an end at some point, and you’re lucky and blessed if that last lap around the track is your victory lap.”