The Glossy According To Gene

Folio: The Magazine for Magazine Management, April 1, 2002

Well, that's not exactly accurate, says Tuller of Simmons' claim. But they're already looking ahead to issue two. "You really find out what you're made of after your second issue," says Tuller. "My job is to find out what's good about that first issue, see what works and what didn't hit."

He says at this point his biggest worry is that the "Kiss Army" - the bait on the hook for potential advertisers - won't like Gene Simmons Tongue. "What keeps me up at night is that people will look at it and go, 'Hey, this isn't a Kiss magazine.'"

If the magazine should fail, not all is lost. Tuller and Simmons can always fall back on comedy, fond as they are of classic Catskills jokes in the style of Henny Youngman. In a philosophical musing on the joys of being self-centered, Simmons told Folio:, "Gene Simmons Tongue is not a paint-by-the-numbers way to be happy. It's a personal journey. So get selfish and be selfish."

"But don't sell fish," Tuller chimes in. "You come home, you stink."

Ba-dum-dum.