Gene Simmons, bassist and co-lead singer of KISS, messaged the Hungarian fans in their mother tongue:

As LiveNation writes, “after an epic 45-year career that launched an era of rock n roll legends, KISS launched their final ever tour in 2019. Known for their trademark larger-than-life blistering performances, KISS has proven for decades why they are hands down the most iconic live show in rock’n’roll.  The Rock & Roll Hall of Famers, who have sold more than 100 million albums worldwide, have said this tour is devoted to the millions of KISS Army fans. The farewell tour will stop at Budapest Arena as well.”

KISS’s Budapest concert will take place on July 14th as part of the End of the Road World Tour.

sources (article; video): Hungary Today; KISS, Budapest 2022, Live Nation Hungary, Youtube

“Be there or be square”

Be there or be square is an idiomatic expression used humorously to mean that if you don’t attend or show up wherever “there” is – usually it is an exciting event – you aren’t very cool. In other words, you’ll be missing out; you won’t be in the know. (The phrase is in jest and not truly meant to imply that the inviter will think you boring or unfun.)

It’s used to encourage someone to attend a happening or to show up where they’re invited. The origin of be there or be square appears to be the jazz scene of the 1940s. It derives from the slang use of the word square, meaning conservative or conventional.

source: The Word Counter

The band are currently on a farewell tour, where they will also visit Hungary. What people might not know is that Simmons’ parents were from Hungary and he speaks Hungarian fluently.

Early life

Gene Simmons was born on August 25, 1949, as Chaim Witz. His parents were Jewish immigrants. His mother, Florence Klein was born in Jánd, Hungary, she and her brother were the only members of her family to survive the Holocaust and she was in Nazi concentration camps. His father, Ferenc “Feri” Yehiel Witz, was a carpenter.

The family were poor, and Simmons spent his childhood in Tirat Carmel, in a Jewish household. When he was only 7, he started picking fruit to sell on roadsides.

His parents split up and at 8 he went to live in New York City with his mother, he changed his name to Eugene Klein. His father stayed in Israel, where he later had other children.

He went to college in New York and took his stage name from the singer Jumpin’ Gene Simmons. He had a few jobs including teaching and typing work he also worked as an assistant at Vogue magazine.

He had decided he wanted to be in a band in middle school, after watching The Beatles on television.  Simmons said he thought, “If I go and start a band, maybe the girls will scream at me.”

KISS

Simmons was in a few bands including Wicked Lester in the early 1970s with Paul Stanley. Not happy with the band they left it to start the rock band KISS.

First to join them was Peter Criss as drummer, then Ave Frehley as lead guitarist. This was the original and best-known line-up. 

Stanley took on the role as lead performer alongside bass player Simmons with his “Demon” makeup which came from the design of comic book character Black Bolt. Simmons also learnt to breathe fire for his performances. The group played their first concert in January 1973 in New York. There were only three people in the audience!

In October 1973 KISS got a record contract and they released their self-titled first album in 1974. Throughout the 1970s, the band toured with wild stage performances and built a following of fans called the “KISS Army”. The band didn’t get popular until their live album Alive! in 1975 which included the hit single, “Rock and Roll All Nite.”

Their next successful albums were Destroyer and Rock and Roll Over, in 1976 followed by Love Guns and Alive II in 1979.  By the end of that year, KISS were the most popular band in America and doing well in the UK, Japan, Canada, Sweden and Germany.

However, Criss left the group in 1979, in 1982 Frehley also left and the band went through a few replacements before the new line-up of Stanley, Simmons, Eric Carr, and Bruce Kulick. This worked well and they began releasing more platinum albums in the eighties. The band had started performing without makeup from 1983.  Carr died in 1991 and the band took on a new drummer Eric Singer. They released the album Revenge in 1992.

There was a reunion tour of original members in 1996 back with full makeup and shows and an album Psycho Circus in 1998, their first album as the original group in almost 20 years. The original group split again, and Tommy Thayer replaced Ace Frehley joining as lead guitarist and Eric Singer replaced Peter Criss on drums. There have been farewell tours since, including the original band members in 2000.

Personal life

Simmons has been linked to Liza Minelli, Cher, and Diana Ross but now lives in California, with his wife, Canadian former Playboy Playmate and actress Shannon Lee Tweed. They have two children.

Simmons can speak Hungarian, German, English, Hebrew and some Japanese.Simmons gets involved in charities and is very vocal about politics.

Goodbye Tour

After an epic 45-year career which made them rock’n roll legends, KISS started their final ever tour in 2019 with sold-out shows across the world. The tour is again with band members Simmons and Stanley with Tommy Thayer and Eric Singer. The tour began in January 2019 in Canada and will finish in July 2021 in New York. 

On Thursday 16^th July 2020 KISS will perform at the Budapest Arena, HUNGARY!

Tom Jones – Kiss

You don’t have to be beautiful 
To turn me on 
I just need your body, baby 
From …………. till dawn 
You don’t need experience 
To turn me out 
You just leave it all up to me 
I’ll show you what it’s all about 

You don’t have to be rich to be my girl 
You don’t have to be cool ………………. my world 
Ain’t no …………………. sign I’m more compatible with 
I just want your extra time and your KISS 

You got to not talk dirty, baby 
If you wanna ……………………… me 
You can’t be too flirty, mama 
I know how ………………… me 
Let me be your fantasy 
Maybe, you could be mine 
You just leave it all up to me 
We could have a good time 

You don’t have to be rich to be my girl 
You don’t have to be cool to rule my world 
Ain’t no particular sign I’m more compatible with 
I just want your extra time and your KISS 

I think I’d better dance now….. 
Women and girls, rule my world 
I said they rule my world 
Act your age woman, not your shoe size 
Maybe we could do the twirl? 
You don’t have to watch Dynasty 
To have an attitude 
You just leave it all up to me 
My love will be your food 

You don’t have to be rich to be my girl 
You don’t have to be cool to rule my world 
Ain’t no particular sign, I’m more compatible with, 
I just want your extra time and your KISS

—————————————–

Tom Jones – Kiss

You don’t have to be beautiful 
To turn me on 
I just need your body, baby 
From dusk till dawn 
You don’t need experience 
To turn me out 
You just leave it all up to me 
I’ll show you what it’s all about 

You don’t have to be rich to be my girl 
You don’t have to be cool to rule my world 
Ain’t no particular sign I’m more compatible with 
I just want your extra time and your KISS 

You got to not talk dirty, baby 
If you wanna impress me 
You can’t be too flirty, mama 
I know how to undress me 
Let me be your fantasy 
Maybe, you could be mine 
You just leave it all up to me 
We could have a good time 

You don’t have to be rich to be my girl 
You don’t have to be cool to rule my world 
Ain’t no particular sign I’m more compatible with 
I just want your extra time and your KISS 

I think I’d better dance now….. 
Women and girls, rule my world 
I said they rule my world 
Act your age woman, not your shoe size 
Maybe we could do the twirl? 
You don’t have to watch Dynasty 
To have an attitude 
You just leave it all up to me 
My love will be your food 

You don’t have to be rich to be my girl 
You don’t have to be cool to rule my world 
Ain’t no particular sign, I’m more compatible with, 
I just want your extra time and your KISS

Amy:Why are you still here?

Sheldon:Excuse me. I think you’re being a little rude.

Amy:I’m being rude? You’ve been rude to me this entire evening.

Sheldon:How is that possible? I’ve hardly spoken to you since we got on the train.

Man:I’m detecting a little friction between you two, and I don’t want to be a third rail. Get it?

Sheldon:I get it.

Amy:Leave.

Sheldon:What is your problem?

Amy:It’s Valentine’s Day. We’re supposed to be having a romantic weekend.

Sheldon:Oh, really? Because I remember you saying that this trip was going to be something we could both enjoy. Did you mean that, or were you just trying to trick me?

Amy:Fine, it’s true. I deserve romance, and I didn’t know how else to make it happen.

Sheldon:Well, if you want romance, then let’s have romance. Oh, look, there’s wine. Mmm. Grape juice that burns. Uh, now let’s gaze into each other’s eyes, hmm? You blinked. I win.

Amy:Sheldon.

Sheldon:Let’s see. What’s next? Oh, kissing’s romantic.

Amy:That was nice.

Sheldon:Good. Um, the conductor said if I come back to the engine room, he’d show me how to bring the train through a crossing.

Amy:Okay, have fun.

Sheldon:Do you want to come with me?

Amy:Really? I do.

Man:Hey, guys, wait up.

Watch the episode again and fill in the gaps, please.

Amy:Why are you still here?

Sheldon:Excuse me. I think 1. _________ a little rude.

Amy:I’m being rude? You’ve been rude to me this entire evening.

Sheldon:How is that 2. _______? I’ve hardly spoken to you since we got on the train.

Man:I’m detecting a little friction 3. __________, and I don’t want to be a third rail. Get it?

Sheldon:I get it.

Amy:Leave.

Sheldon:What is your problem?

Amy:It’s Valentine’s Day. We’re supposed to be having a 4. __________.

Sheldon:Oh, really? Because I remember you saying that 5. __________ was going to be something we could 6. __________. Did you mean that, or were you just trying to 7. _________?

Amy:Fine, it’s true. I deserve romance, and I didn’t know how else to make it happen.

Sheldon:Well, if you want romance, then let’s have romance. Oh, look, there’s wine. Mmm. Grape juice 8. __________. Uh, now let’s gaze into each other’s eyes, hmm? You blinked. 9. ________  .

Amy:Sheldon.

Sheldon:Let’s see. What’s next? Oh, kissing’s romantic.

Amy:That was nice.

Sheldon:Good. Um, the conductor said if I come back to the engine room, he’d show me how to 10. __________ through a crossing.

Amy:Okay, have fun.

Sheldon:Do you want to come with me?

Amy: Really? I do.

Man:Hey, guys, wait up.

Key:

1.    you’re being

2.    possible

3.    between you two

4.    romantic weekend

5.    this trip

6.    both enjoy

7.    trick me

8.    that burns

9.    I win

10.  bring the train

It is well documented that owning a dog boosts a person’s wellbeing.

But the health benefits of sharing your life with a furry friend may not end there. 

Scientists believe the microbes lurking in a dog’s gut could have a probiotic effect on the owners’ body.

And to determine if their suspicions are true, the researchers at the University of Arizona, are recruiting volunteers to take part in a study to test the theory.

The research will focus specifically on the effect dogs have on the health of older people.

Kim Kelly, an anthropology doctoral student, and one of the lead researchers, said: ‘We’ve co-evolved with dogs over the millennia, but nobody really understands what it is about this dog-human relationship that makes us feel good about being around dogs.

‘Is it just that they’re fuzzy and we like to pet them, or is theresomething else going on under the skin?

‘The question really is, has the relationship between dogs and humans gotten under the skin?

‘And we believe it has.’

The human digestive system is home to more than 500 different types of bacteria, both ‘good’ and ‘bad’.

Probiotics, often referred to as ‘good’ or ‘helpful’ bacteria because they help keep the intestines healthy and assist in digesting food, are also believed to help the immune system. 

Foods such as yogurt, as well as supplements, can help enhance probiotics in the body.

Dr Kelly, along with researchers at the University of San Diego, will explore whether living with a dog encourages the growth of positive micro organisms in the human gut – enough to improve physical and mental health in older adults.

‘We essentially want to find out, is a dog acting like yogurt in having a probiotic effect,’ she said.

Existing research shows that dogs and their owners share much of the same gut bacteria over time.

In addition, some studies have shown that dogs enhance the immune system of children, reducing the risk of illnesses including asthma and allergies. 

Dr Charles Raison, principal investigator, said: ‘We think dogs might work as probiotics to enhance the health of the bacteria that live in our guts.

‘These bacteria, or microbiota, are increasingly recognised as playing an essential role in our mental and physical health, especially as we age. 

‘We know that not all bacteria are good. 

‘We can get very sick from the ‘bad’ bacteria, and modern medicine has done a wonderful job of protecting us from various diseases that are created by these bacteria. 

‘But unfortunately, by eliminating the bad bacteria we’ve started eliminating the ‘good’ bacteria, too.’

Participants in the study, which will be conducted with the Humane Society of Southern Arizona, will be paired with a canine companion from the humane society and live with the dog in their home for three months.

At the start of the research, scientists will evaluate the human participants’ gut bacteria, diet, physical activity and immune function. 

At the same time the dogs’ gut bacteria and physical activity levels will also be measured. 

Follow up evaluations will be carried out after one, two and three months to look for any positive changes to gut micro flora in both the dogs and human volunteers.

Researchers will also look for any changes in the mental health and emotional well-being of the dogs and humans. 

Study volunteers must be aged 50 or over, in good general health, not have taken antibiotics in the last six months, and not have lived with a dog for at least six months.

Participants will be able to identify what type of dog they would like and will be able to adopt the dog at the end of the study, but that isn’t a requirement for participation. 

Food and veterinary care for the dog will be provided during the study period. 

Let’s practice some of the words in the text. Fill the gaps in the summary of the story with them.

Scientists think they have discovered new health …………… (1) of owning a dog. They believe that the microbes in a dog’s gut could have a positive …………… (2) on the owner’s body. To prove their theory, they are recruiting …………… (3) for their study. They suspect that living together with a dog …………… (4) the growth of ‘good’ bacteria in the human …………… (5) system. It is really important as modern medicine often …………… (6) ‘good’ bacteria together with the ‘bad’. In the study people will have a dog as their …………… (7) for three months. Gut bacteria, physical activity and other factors will be …………… (8) by the scientists in the human …………… (9) and the dogs as well. The volunteers will be able to choose what type of dog they would like and also to …………… (10) the dog at the end of the study.

Key:

1. benefits

2. effect

3. volunteers

4. encourages

5. digestive

6. eliminates

7. companion

8. measured

9. participants

10. adopt