Rock god Gene Simmons

Sep 1, 2010, 5:00 GMT

Gene Simmons feels like an "Olympian god".

The Kiss bass player and singer said the feeling he gets onstage is better than that felt by the most powerful people in the world, including religious figures and politicians.

He said: "The most important thing is getting up on stage. It's electric church, there's no experience like it. Popes, presidents, prime ministers, even kings - none of them get to feel like I do. Only maybe Olympian gods would."

The 'Rock 'N' Roll All Nite' singer also told how the band's fanbase is very broad and he is constantly surprises by the people who reveal themselves as fans.

He added: "The strangest people grew up on Kiss - Denzel Washington, Russell Crowe.

"We snuck into the Grammys one time, and Luther Vandross was like, 'Oh my God, it's Kiss!' "

The 60-year-old rocker also explained his life philosophy, which was influenced by his mother, who experienced life as a Jew under the Nazi regime.

He said: "My mother, at 14, was in the concentration camps of Nazi Germany. And saw her whole family incinerated in the ovens. Her philosophy has always been: every day above ground is a good day. Life is a gift, not a birthright. Don't waste it."