ican than Chaim) Klein (his mothers maiden name), he assimilated into his new neighborhood-the Williamsburg area of Brooklyn- and overcame the challenges of living in a single-parent household and having only limited English skills. Gene attended yeshiva, where the first half of the day was devoted to the Old Testament, Torah studies, and Bible stories, followed by an afternoon of traditional academics, then Bible study until 9:30 P.M., and plenty of homework after that. This was young Genes routine, six days a week, and it fos- tered a disciplined lifestyle of hard work that was to characterize much of his later success. America represented many things to Gene, especially vast eco- nomic opportunity, but above all it meant entertainment. In his auto- biography, KISS and Makeup (Crown, 2001), Simmons explains, "So here I come, fresh off the plane, and theres a close-up of a mans face on the screen reading the news. I actually went around behind the fur- niture to see where the guy was. That was my first impression of tele- vision, which later bloomed into a full-fledged love affair."1 His life, and the future of rock and roll, would be forever changed on a Sunday night in 1964, when Gene and his mother sat together for their Sunday night ritual of eating dinner and watching Ed Sullivan.     When Sullivan announced that "tonight on our show, we have the Beatles," Simmons explains that for all he knew, it was going to be one of those novelty acts like a flea circus featuring bugs or cock- roaches. Then the Fab Four took the stage. His initial reaction was that they looked silly and dressed like girls, but when his mother ex- pressed her disapproval, he changed his tune, saying "No, Mom, I think they look cool." He recalls that as a moment of rebellion; a pro- found insight. At a time when a sense of rebellion was on the rise among American youth, he discovered and understood the cultural relevance of rock and roll and how it would capture and form a long- lasting grip on a new generation. It would be an insight that he would use to capture his bands place among music fans and in rock-and- roll history. At a far less cerebral level, something else would catch Genes attention that night-the hoards of screaming girls, hanging desper- ately on every note the Beatles sang. Simmons explains, "My first thoughts about pop music were born that night, and they were sim- ple thoughts: If I go and start a band, maybe the girls will scream for me. Dont let anyone tell you any different-that same impulse launched a thousand bands."2 Inspired by the impulse almost universal among teenage boys, Gene Klein started a band with two friends. He also learned that