The change of name that Gene Simmons undertook is one which is almost as puzzling as that of Engleburt Humperdick, simply because neither name is particularly cool, nor is the one he ended up selecting overwhelmingly memorable. Simmons plumped for his stage name ahead of the much more traditional name of his native Israel, Chaim Witz. Whilst it's clear that the decision was made because apparently the world was not ready for an overtly Jewish rock star yet (see the same with Bob Dylan), the name "Gene Simmons" still sounds at least a little like it belongs to a Jewish family, so maybe KISS were breaking down the boundaries for Hebrew musicians in America, who knows? But for all Gene's name may not be anything spectacular on face level, his onstage theatrics and infamy offstage have combined to make sure that his pseudonym has become a synonym for the wild and raucous rock star. So well done to Mr Simmons, who has somehow managed to make the name "Gene" just a little bit cool. Not much, but just a touch.
