Robin Williams tragically took his own life on Monday August 11, 2014, and statistics now reveal that for the first time in the US, suicide is the leading cause of death by injury surpassing car accident deaths,
So why would a rock icon suggest that people who are depressed should kill themselves and that alcoholics and drug addicts “sees themselves as a victim”?
Here’s what Gene Simmons of KISS told Roger Carlin of Songfacts.com just a few days before Robin Williams (who admitted he was an alcoholic) killed himself:
“No, I don’t get along with anybody who’s a drug addict and has a dark cloud over their head and sees themselves as a victim. Drug addicts and alcoholics are always: “The world is a harsh place.” My mother was in a concentration camp in Nazi Germany. I don’t want to hear fuck all about “the world as a harsh place.” She gets up every day, smells the roses and loves life. And for a putz, 20-year-old kid to say, “I’m depressed, I live in Seattle.” Fuck you, then kill yourself.
I never understand, because I always call them on their bluff. I’m the guy who says ‘Jump!’ when there’s a guy on top of a building who says, “That’s it, I can’t take it anymore, I’m going to jump.”
Are you kidding? Why are you announcing it? Shut the fuck up, have some dignity and jump! You’ve got the crowd.”
Should people who are victims of violence, living in Israel and Gaza and whom are depressed also kill themselves? Should returning US servicemen suffering from PTSD and depression also kill themselves? Should a woman who was raped and is now depressed and suiicidal go ahead and kill herself? Should all alcoholics and drug addicts everywhere kill themselves?
What would Gene Simmons say to parents of children who have committed suicide because of depression?
What would Gene Simmons say if he were to learn that Robin Williams had read Simmons’ comments days before taking his own life?
In response to Gene Simmons words, Triple M radio network in Australia has banned and removed all KISS songs from their playlist nationwide and appealed to other radio stations in Australia and the US to do the same and ban Kiss’ songs.
“Depression and suicide are not topics he should be using to further his notoriety or sell records. His desperation to use mental health issues to find relevancy in a modern age is sickening.” – Mike Fitzpatrick, Group Content Director Triple M Network, Australia. Mike Fitzpatrick also called Gene Simmons a “dickhead”
Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx slammed Simmons on his radio show, Sixx Sense:
“It’s pretty moronic because [Simmons] thinks everybody listens to him, that he is the God of Thunder. He will tell you he is the greatest man on earth, and to be honest with you, I like Gene. But in this situation, I don’t like Gene. I don’t like Gene’s words…There is a 20-year-old kid out there who is a Kiss fan and reads this and goes, ‘You know what? He’s right. I should just kill myself.’For people who are depressed, there is a way out. There are many, many ways out. And I don’t want people to listen to an interview from a rock star, who’s telling you the only way out is out.”
Australia, similar to the USA, has a tragically high suicide rate, with suicide killing three times more Australian males aged between 15 and 45 than all car accidents combined. What would Gene Simmons say to the families and loved ones of these people who committed suicide?
IN AUSTRALIA: If you are concerned about your own emotional wellbeing, are experiencing a personal crisis or are concerned about someone else, contact Beyond Blue at www.beyondblue.org.au or 1300 22 4636
IN THE US: Call National Suicide Prevention line – 1-800-273-8255
Anointed “The Woman Expert” by WGN Chicago, Patrick Wanis PhD is a renowned Celebrity Life Coach, Human Behavior & Relationship Expert who developed SRTT therapy (Subconscious Rapid Transformation Technique) and is teaching it to other practitioners. Wanis’ clientele ranges from celebrities and CEOs to housewives and teenagers. CNN, BBC, FOX News, MSNBC & major news outlets worldwide consult Wanis for his expert insights and analysis on sexuality, human behavior and women’s issues. Wanis is the first person ever to do hypnotherapy on national TV – on the Montel Williams show.