Anybody who picks up a guitar and tells you that there's some inner message that they're trying to convey . . . it's nonsense. They're not being honest. The reason they're doing this is they wanna get lots of chicks and they don't want to work for a living.
About this quote
- What does it mean?
- Simmons claims musicians claiming deep inner messages are dishonest, motivated by desire for attention and money rather than artistic integrity.
- In plain terms
- Musicians who say their music has deep meaning are lying to get attention and money.
- What can you take from it?
- Be skeptical of artists who claim profound depth without substance.
Where it applies
Putting it to work
Questions to consider
- Do artists owe audiences honesty about their motives?
- Is commercial success incompatible with art?
Another view
This view ignores genuine artists who do convey meaningful messages.
More from Gene Simmons
Prostitute yourself. As far as I'm concerned, that's even braver than waiting for the public to catch on.
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