Gene Simmons, The Demon, singer and bass player in KISS, is a shrewd businessman. His unique attitudes about marriage, rock and roll, and his band are the stuff of lore. But Simmons has been saying some things over the years that lead some to wonder if this “rock and roll all night, party every day” legend is lining up more with conservative Ted Nugent than with liberal Eddie Vedder.

Gene Simmons once said on Fox Business, when asked if he thought President Obama’s credibility was shot, “We’re all in trouble when you ask rock stars what they think about the political climate … I voted for [Obama], and I have a lot of concerns … I believe government should stay out of my way … the government doesn’t even know how to run government.”

Simmons said then, and at other times, that he did vote for Obama in 2008. He has since said that he regrets that.

“Because I voted because the man that was running was a moment in history. I, in the back of my mind, I wanted to show the world that America – the land of slaves, the land that tortured its black population for hundreds of years – is also the place of hope that could give an African-American a chance to lead the most powerful place on the face of the planet. However, if you take a look at the resume, you couldn’t find somebody, in retrospect, more unqualified – two years in public office, never ran his own company. So, I’m, after the fact, I was questioning the qualification.”

Recently Simmons tweeted about Fox News’ market share, particularly compared to that of CNN.

CNN/HLN have given up, and Fox, it seems, has won..CNN has quit hard news. It's all Bourdain food & Forensic File shows..Pathetic

— Gene Simmons (@genesimmons) July 1, 2014

Gene’s partner in KISS, Paul Stanley has said that he is embarrassed by Gene’s outspokenness on political matters.

“It’s absurd that a celebrity could speak out on the economy or politics with no more justification than a hit album or a movie. Not to deride Gene, but I just think he’s part of a symptom of absurdity where you’ll see somebody on television whose only criteria for being there is success in a field far away from what they’re being asked about. I really don’t know who is more ridiculous, the celebrity answering these political questions or the person asking them”

Image via YouTube