27: The Legend and Mythology of the 27 Club

by Gene Simmons

Beginning in the summer of 1969, a slew of major rock stars all died in quick succession: Brian Jones, Janis Joplin, Jimi Hendrix, and Jim Morrison, all hugely influential musicians of their time, passed away, under tragic circumstances, and at exactly 27 years old.

This is how the rumour of the "27 club"--the idea that there is something fateful, myth-worthy, or even cursed about turning 27--began. Since then, the morbid pantheon has continued to grow, now including art prodigy Basquiat (d. 1988), legendary Nirvana frontman, Kurt Cobain (d. 1994), and nu-Blues heroine, Amy Winehouse (d. 2011), among other unforgettable figures. Becoming a member is a perverse privilege, but the cost of entry is dangerously high.

In 27, rock legend Gene Simmons of KISS fame, a man with over 100 million album sales and many-a-story to his name, will serve as our guide to the enigmatic 27 club, examining sex, drugs, and rock' n' roll from the inside, and answering our enduring questions... Why do we find ourselves obsessed with the untimely deaths of the famous and the infamous? Is the 27 club just a compelling urban legend? What does age 27 really mean for our most beautiful and damned?

Genres: Nonfiction, Music, Biography, Rock N Roll

268 pages, Hardcover

Published September 12, 2018

About the author

Librarian’s note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.

From genesimmons.com

Gene Simmons was born in Haifa, Israel in 1949, and is the only child of his mother, a German Nazi Concentration Camp survivor. He has always attributed his ethics, morals and drive to his mother's notion's about life. "Every day above ground, is a good day," his mother is apt to say.

He came to America at eight and a half years of age. He graduated State University (NYSU) and City University (CUNY) and got a Bachelor of Education degree. He taught sixth grade in Spanish Harlem in New York City.
He then became the Assistant to the Director of the Puerto Rican InterAgency Council, a government funded research and demonstration project. He worked at Glamour and then at Vogue, as the assistant to the editor, Kate Lloyd.

Gene speaks a few languages: English, Hungarian, Hebrew, German and is getting better at Japanese every day.

Gene Simmons has never been married.He has had live in relationships with Cher and Diana Ross. He has been happily unmarried for 25 years to Shannon Tweed, the mother of his two beautiful children.*

*Simmons and Tweed finally wed on October 1, 2011

Reviews

[J.J. Lair · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought this would be a cash grab. A vanity project to make some money between albums. I was wrong. This was researched, edited, and full of analysis. I thought this would be a collection of quick bios saying what I already know. The essays are short, but there is bio, study of what happened and analysis of merchandising after death. Simmons doesn’t take this macho guy stance on things and when he does, he calls himself out on it. These people didn’t take the easy way out like someone would just say. Simmons learned about depression and mental issues. He admits he learned while writing this.
The interview with his son at the end is very interesting.
I got more out of this book than I ever thought i would.

[Lance Lumley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kiss fans will know how outspoken bass player Gene Simmons has been in the past on many topics, including musician's deaths. However in his new book, he looks at the 27 club ( where artists died at age 27), and shows a new outlook into the deaths of these artists. This book may surprise you on his overall look at these topics.
For an in depth review, go to my page at: https://lancewrites.wordpress.com/201...

[Frank Murtaugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gene Simmons hasn't exactly been sympathetic to those who suffer the damage caused by excessive alcohol and/or drugs. Until now. This is a compassionate collection of tributes, really, to some extraordinary human beings we lost too soon. Merely coincidentally, it should be emphasized, at the infamous age of 27. Simmons acknowledges his change of mind and view, much of it during the research and writing of this book. Makes for the right tone, if you ask me. It's easy for those of us who haven't fallen victim to addiction to rationalize the "weakness" in others. "Lucky me." Well, it could happen to any of us. Particularly at the still-tender time in our lives (up to 25, as our brains are still developing) if fame becomes a new dance partner.

I finished the book wishing, more than ever, that we had more Joplin, more Morrison and Hendrix, more Cobain and Redding. Simmons aims for that take, and less mythology over the tragedy of young death itself.

[Jennifer Fennell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think maybe Gene Simmons is the wrong person to have explored this topic, with his, as he said in his own words, not always understanding. I am really fascinated by the topid of the 27 Club and probably for my the best part was with James Fallon who kind of debunks the myth with science, but at least his piece is origional and interesting to read. The pieces written by Simmons are basically just a huge compilation of quotes from other bios, ect with a comment here and there from Gene. Definately not on my list of reccomendations sadly as I really looked forward to it. A very dry read.

[Cormacjosh · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was Gene Simmons' latest book, written on the mythology of the 27 Club, which consists of the number of rock stars, artists and creative people who have had the misfortune to die at the age of 27 mostly by drugs or excessive drink. It is a pretty standard collection of mini biographies of some well known people from bluesman Robert Johnson to pop singer Amy Winehouse. In that regard, there isn't all that much one wouldn't expect but I think the purpose of this book was so that Gene Simmons could express his evolving views on mental health and drug addiction. I can understand his lifelong frustration with people in this situation, but having had to deal with these kind of people myself in life, I am glad to see him soften a bit and try to understand the underlying causes of addiction.

One of the problems I had with the book is that it is so depressing. I think some of that feeling is amplified by current events so I hesitate to paint a negative view of the book on that basis; it was more of a timing thing for me, I think had I read it at another time, I might not feel so strongly about that aspect of it.

It was indeed well done, with footnotes and an index !!! The pencil sketches of each artist ( including Gene Simmons himself ) were very well done.

I can't imagine anyone who wouldn't know the names in this list but if you are curious for a one stop shop on the topic, or a fan of Gene Simmons, I can recommend this book.

[Magali Najarian · Rating 2 out of 5]

There is some merit to this book especially in humanizing artists in the 27 Club but it was riddled with spelling mistakes and to me, his writing was so pretentious. The title of the book is also misleading since throughout the whole book he keeps on criticizing this view of the 27 Club. I honestly felt like most of the information in this book could have easily been found on Google.

[Eric Wroblewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good look at an over romanticized topic in a way meant to remove myth and legend from fact

[Sandy · Rating 2 out of 5]

No! Bad Gene, bad!

I was really looking forward to digging into this book, and thought that it being written from the perspective of very successful musician who did not fall into the trappings of fame and money that seem to contribute to the deaths of so many young celebrities would be give it an interesting twist. Apparently he was entirely the wrong person to approach this, but the worst part is that it's literally nothing but a tiny biography of each person with Gene's sometimes ignorant and usually unnecessary commentary thrown in. It's nice that at least he somewhat changed his mind about some things while researching it, but that's one of the reasons why he should never have been the person writing the book to begin with. I was expecting some sort of actual analysis, something more than a regurgitation of the already well-known stories about the celebrities involved. Disappointing. It was also annoying that he included everyone's birth year after mentioning them, even though it was hardly pertinent to what was being said.

Also, it's wasn't Patrick Thrall who played guitar with Nirvana and Foo Fighters, it was Pat Smear. I'm sure there are other errors that I just did not have the knowledge myself to catch, maybe a bit of fact checking might have slightly improved the book. I'm giving it two stars simply because it wasn't readable enough, and overall the writing itself wasn't horrendous.

[David Basora · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was fascinating, and not entirely for the reasons I thought it would be. I had heard about the supposed 27 club before, and although it must obviously be a coincidence of statistics, it nonetheless seemed remarkable that such figures died at this young age, typically at the peak of their abilities. The biographies were wonderful, if brief due to the number of subjects being covered. I still think the shadow cast by Robert Johnson might be the most influential in music history, simply because it seems clear that if there was more known about him today, and if he lived longer, he would have had an even greater impact on American popular music than already exists. I learned a lot from these stories, but I think I learned more about who was telling them.

In the end, I suppose even a biographical collection about other people written by Gene Simmons can still be more about Gene Simmons than anyone else. I thought his introduction to the book was the perfect way of explaining why the bassist of KISS would take the time to complete a project like this, and the fact it seems he grew from accomplishing it made the read more enjoyable.

Fun book for music fans.

[Arnie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I will be honest. I am a huge Gene Simmons fan. However, that does not mean I automatically agree with his views. In fact, I began reading this with a cynical eye because I am keenly aware of Gene’s earlier views of musicians who do drugs... That is why I was quite surprised by the deeply thought out content and research put into this book. This is NOT Mr. Simmons opening his mouth to wag his tongue and spew his personal opinions. This is something else all together. It is a well researched and well thought out book on a dark topic...depression and drug addiction and the myth surrounding the 27 “club”. I discovered things about several artists I never knew. I discovered things about the brain I never knew...I discovered things about Mr. Simmons that I never knew... He is not the super superficial guy some might believe....Gene Simmons has a mind and a heart and ..... a soul.

[Sharon · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting and enlightening look at the so called 27 club. Artists and musicians who have died under tragic circumstances at age 27. Kiss bass player, Gene Simmons explores the biographies of several musicians including Janis Joplin, Jim Morrison, Jimi Hendricks and Amy Winehouse and others who tragically died at age of Twenty Seven. Many suffered depression, alcohol and drug abuse. Some lives ended tragically by suicide including Kurt Cobain. An interesting analysis in the final chapters from a psychiatrist about depression and the effects of instant fame.

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

What is it about the age of 27 that has such dark myths to it? It is the dreaded quarter life crisis, do people become too exhausted and just give up? Or is there really something dark to the number?
Gene Simmons approaches this with compassion and facts. You can hear the pain in his words as he writes about certain people he has been affected by.
14-year-old me was especially touched at how Jonathan Brandis was included. A talented actor who just wanted to escape the teen heartthrob image.

[Steven Streeter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well edited, inciteful. It was not gushing, but looked at them all realistically. If there was one complaint, it was that it featured too much Gene. But the research and insights into these people was brilliant. Not a long read, quick and easy. Recommended.

[Marc Daly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A surprising book because I expected it to be full of details and conspiracy theories about the deaths of young artists. Instead, it was filled with a detailed, foot-noted, explanation of the lives of artists and the potential issues causing their death.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 stars
Interesting take on the "27 club" with nice background info.

[Brett Thurbon · Rating 3 out of 5]

Fascinating read about all those famous people.

[Felicia · Rating 5 out of 5]

A unique perspective on a classic topic.