Q: How is it that 35 years after your first album, you’re bigger than ever?
A: I kiss the ground of the country I landed in, the United States of America. In totalitarian states, or religious states, or even in Europe, there are limitations, culturally and in other ways. The same guy, me, with the same talent and ambition, in Iran or Africa—it wouldn’t work. So it’s the right thing at the right time in the right place, and the rest of it is luck and hard work. I approach everything I do as if it’s the only chance I will ever be given and the alternative is complete destitution.
Q: Your Wikipedia entry says, “When Simmons was young, his mother’s long absences while working two jobs in order to make ends meet left emotional scars that gave him a strong desire for wealth.” Is that accurate?
A: I would urge all kids to see a single parent who not only provides but is thankful for the opportunity to provide. Emotional scars? That’s a point of view, not a fact. The person who wrote that is going to be wrapping fish next week. It’s a crime that Wikipedia lets anyone go in and alter information.
Q: Does being 60 feel the way you thought it would?
A: I don’t mean this to sound cornball, but I don’t really celebrate birthdays. I mean, yes, I eat cake—God help me, do I eat cake—but I celebrate every day above ground as the best holiday there is. I don’t wait for the calendar to tell me to celebrate. But I will tell you that it’s surprising how fantastic 60 is.
Q: What’s so fantastic about it?
A: I’m the king of the world. Are you kidding?
