KISS’ Gene Simmons on criticism from ‘Reagan’ movie: “I don’t give a squat”

nme.com:

KISS’ Gene Simmons has responded to critics of his involvement in the recent Ronald Reagan biopic, saying he “doesn’t give a squat”.The bassist and singer recorded a cover of Harold Arlen and Ted Koehler’s 1933 standard ‘Stormy Weather’ for Reagan, which was directed by Sean McNamara and released in the US in August.The film, which stars Dennis Quaid as the former President, as well as Penelope Ann Miller, Jon Voight, Mena Suvari and Creed frontman Scott Stapp as Frank Sinatra, received mostly negative reviews, and in a new interview, Simmons has hit back at anyone that took issue with his involvement.During an appearance on Bill O’Reilly’s No Spin News, he was asked if he had received any pushback from his role in the movie. “How do I say this as nicely as I can?

I don’t give a squat.”“Everybody’s entitled to an opinion,” he continued. “It falls off your back… I think it is the bastion of a certain political leaning of the thing, but that’s okay. [Outspoken Donald Trump supporter] Jon Voight and I hang out, we trade stories and everything else, and some people agree with his politics, some not.

But everybody gives to charity, everybody loves children, and so think about the stuff that we agree with instead of the stuff that we don’t.”Asked if he admired Reagan, he added: “I did.

I was much younger, obviously, when he was president, and I knew nothing, almost nothing about the body of politics. But interestingly, in hindsight, it bears noting that the political and pop culture figures of any age were always about the impression, the ability to communicate a feeling.