Gene Simmons claims he’s reclaimed the word “asshole”

nme.com:

Gene Simmons has said he’s fine with being called an “asshole”, even suggesting he’s “reclaimed” the word.The KISS vocalist attempted to compare it in an interview to “black people taking possession of the ‘n’ word”.“I would say there are some, could be a large number, could not, who think I’m an asshole.

In fact, I named my second solo album ‘Asshole’, which, I thought, was akin to black people taking possession of the ‘n’ word,” he claimed on Really Famous With Kara Mayer Robinson.“And fat people, overweight people, obese people, taking possession of that, so that you lessen the impact of that.”He continued: “I’m okay with being labeled or thought of as an asshole, because I know who I am.

And there are other people who think, ‘You only do this for money.’ And my response is ‘Of course’.“Why am I not salt of the earth when almost all the jobs on the face of the planet are performed by people who don’t like the job they have, and the only reason they’re doing that is to be able to earn money to feed their families and put a roof over their head?

Only for money.“Nobody wants to dig ditches on a highway. The building we’re in, somebody had to put up. They do that every day.