Gene Simmons Offers the Ultimate Selfie Op

With most rock stars, you’re lucky if they stop to take a selfie. But Gene Simmons, Amazonian frontman of Kiss, is not most rock stars. On his ongoing “Gene Simmons: The Vault Experience” tour in support of the Kiss Vault, a massive box set chronicling his five-decade career, Simmons offers full immersion into a piece of the rock ‘n’ roll hall of fame. The Vault, a $2,000, 40-pound safe-like object, comes hand-delivered by Simmons himself at designated meet-and-greets around the world, where Simmons performs and invites patrons to spend 10 to 15 minutes asking questions, swapping stories, and yes, snapping selfies—tongues out and devil horns up, of course.

Enshrined in the safe is a mix of fundamental rock history and Simmons-esque curiosities. In addition to 167 unreleased tracks, including never-before-released demos with Bob Dylan and Van Halen, cargo includes an action figure, a coffee table book, and a gold coin inscribed with the phrase, “If it’s too loud, you’re too old” in Latin.

And while these artistic relics may seem like something assembled to please the rock gods, Simmons is not interested in being memorialized. “I’m not a big fan of words like ‘posthumous,’” he says. “You’re supposed to die, and then after you die, the stuff comes out. Who made up that rule? Why can’t you throw a party and be there?”