Fire-breathing Kiss frontman to get a key to the city

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This article was published 15/06/2011 (5200 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

In a departure for a mayor who’s vowed to keep parties out of city hall, Sam Katz has decided to honour a man who wants to party every day.

The mayor’s office has chosen to give Kiss frontman and reality-TV star Gene Simmons key to the city of Winnipeg. With Katz out of the country, St. Vital Coun. Gord Steeves will make the presentation today at noon at city hall.

“Gene has spent his life and career overcoming challenges and creating success in business and family by remaining true to his roots and values,” the mayor’s office said in a statement about Simmons, the 61-year-old singer/bassist and star of Gene Simmons: Family Jewels.

There are similarities between Katz and Simmons, who were both born in Israel to Holocaust survivors before their families moved to North America as infants. Simmons was born in the northern city of Haifa, while Katz was born in the town of Rehovot, south of Tel Aviv.

The mayor is in Israel right now, attending a conference. Steeves, who plans to resign from city council this summer to run as a provincial Tory candidate in Seine River, will deliver the key in Katz’s place.

“My wife is a huge Gene Simmons fan. She just loves watching his show,” said Steeves, adding he was a big Simmons fan in the 1970s. “I kind of lost track of him for 30 years. It’s been 30 years since I paid attention.”

Previous key-to-the-city recipients during Katz’s time in office include Olympian Jon Montgomery, actor Henry Winkler, Winnipeg Blue Bombers receiver Milt Stegall and musician-activist Sir Bob Geldof. Katz also made wrestler Roddy Piper an honorary citizen and previous mayor Glen Murray conferred this honour upon actors Shannen Doherty and Shirley MacLaine.

Steeves said mayors must be choosy about who they choose to honour. “If you do it too gratuitously, to people who haven’t achieved a certain level, it does look opportunistic in my opinion,” he said, insisting Simmons is a worthy candidate for a key to the city. “This is a guy who arguably, for a period of time, was the biggest rock ‘n’ roll star in the world.”

Still, the Simmons honour prompted some criticism Tuesday. Within minutes of the announcement, zingers started flying on Twitter.

“I wanna cross the floor all night and flip parties every day,” quipped NDP supporter Liam Martin, referring to longtime Liberal Steeves’ decision to run provincially as a Progressive Conservative.

“What’s next?” added Winnipeg rapper John Smith. “Peter Criss gets an honorary doctorate from Red River College?”

 

talk and roll all night / D2

bartley.kives@freepress.mb.ca