Gene Simmons, bassist for the legendary rock band KISS, recently shared his thoughts on receiving the Kennedy Center Honor. On Sunday, the band was among the honorees at the ceremony where President Trump became the first president to host the awards.
Simmons told Breitbart News that being among the honorees at the Kennedy Center “doesn’t suck.” He also shared his positive impression of the updates Trump has made to the Oval Office, telling Breitbart the changes were terrific. Simmons described the Trump Oval Office as an improvement when compared with previous administrations.
“It used to be drab,” Mr. Simmons said. “I’ve been here through Mr. Clinton and Mr. Bush and it used to be a pretty drab place.” Simmons praised Trump for bringing a new energy to the White House. “It’s coming alive. I think it’s great,” Simmons said.
The show was the first since President Trump’s appointment as Chairman of the Board for the Kennedy Center. Trump’s received rare favorable coverage from the mainstream media for hosting the awards, with major outlets praising his performance. Overall, the show focused on personal tributes to the honorees rather than politics.
Simmons’ KISS bandmates, Paul Stanley and Peter Criss, also expressed their gratitude for the recognition. “It’s an incredible honor,” said Paul Stanley. “It’s surreal, and as a kid who grew up with nothing, the idea of being in the White House, the Oval Office, receiving accolades from the president, that’s beyond anything that I could have ever fathomed.”
Stanley shared his appreciation for the American ideal that hard work can allow people to achieve their dreams. “That’s what makes America Great,” Stanley said. “Achieving something is determined by how hard you’re willing to work for it, and that’s what gives it value.”
President Trump officially presented the award winners with medals at the White House on Saturday. Peter Criss shared his bandmates’ thoughts, noting the award’s historic nature and the sense of historical significance he felt while in the White House.
“You could feel the vibes in the room,” Criss said. “When you see it in motion pictures, they always make it – you think it’s going to be this ginormous room. It’s tiny. It’s a really little room, but the history that went on there, the paintings of Lincoln and Washington on the wall, and it was dynamite. It was really cool.”
