Gene Simmons on turning 70 during KISS farewell tour: ‘I don’t care. Get over it!’

It may be The End of the Road for veteran rockers KISS — who just announced their two-year farewell tour of the same name after 45 years as a band — but singer-bassist Gene Simmons says he’s going out on top.

“I feel great!’ said rock and roll’s God of Thunder. “I feel blessed. I’m 69. The hand still doesn’t shake.”

Clearly, turning the big 7-0 next year doesn’t phase him.

“Terrific!” he said. “You know, we’re men, we don’t give a f—?’ I’ve never had a guy come up to me and say, ‘Gene, guess how old I am?’ I don’t care. We don’t play by those rules. Get over it. It’s going to happen anyway. Have fun.”

We caught up with Simmons while in Toronto recently to speak at The Money Show and promote his new book 27: The Legend and Mythology of the 27 Club and new soda line, Gene Simmons’ MoneyBag Sodas.

What does one discuss at The Money Show?

You know how to make it, what do you do with it, can you bathe in it, stuff like that.

CAN you bathe in it?

Oh yeah, it’s glorious. It’s like women and diamonds. You want to take a diamond bath don’t you?

Honestly, I’ve never thought about that.

Yes, you have. (Sings) You’re a woman!

Why did you — as a clean-living rock and roller — want to write a book about all those musicians who have died at the age of 27?

I’m hoping there’s going to be an upside to this. I’m hoping the book is going to open up the conversation (about why they died).

What is it though about that age?

I’ve asked scientists and sociologists and so on and nobody knows. But it is a mathematical curiosity that people haven’t yet figured out.