Gene Simmons Family Jewels Episode 2: Gene and Nick in Memphis
At the beginning of the first of two new episodes tonight of Gene Simmons Family Jewels Gene mentions how hard it is to step in your father’s footsteps – especially when it’s someone as famous and successful as Gene Simmons. Nick is an aspiring musician – Gene says he has a better voice than he does. I guess according to the comments that are made at the beginning of the show Gene is a stage dad. He joins Nick in the recording studio. Nick says that the musician in him respects Gene, but the son in him finds him annoying. Gene mentions that he and Doc are going to Memphis on business. Nick sys that he would love to go with him – so Gene decides to take Nick with him on the trip.
When they get to Memphis Doc takes Gene and Nick to see some historic sites (in terms of music). The first place they go is to Sun Studio, which they refer to as the Mecca of Blues. It is the recording home of Elvis, Carl Perkins, Johnny Cash and Jerry Lee Lewis. After that Doc arranges for them to have a private tour of Graceland. The ropes are removed for this VIP tour, but Gene keeps getting yelled at for touching things – Elvis’ chair, bar stool, lamp, and so on.
Doc and Gene have a business dinner that night so Doc arranges for Nick to go and hear this young blues guitarist Jacqueline play at a club. She’s 17 years old, but her voice is so much older and soulful for a girl this young. Nick calls her impressive. After her set she and Nick go out while Gene calls him to tell him the dinner is over, come and meet me at the big red rooster. Nick either ignores or doesn’t hear the call (don’t remember which). Nick tells Jacqueline that he wants to go and see the crossroads where legend has it that Robert Johnson sold his soul to the devil to become a blues legend. She tells him that if you bring your guitar the devil will come and play with you, and if he tunes your guitar you have automatically sold your soul to him. Jacqueline agrees to take him there, even though according to her it’s not that impressive of a place (just crossroads). Gene calls again, and again Nick does not speak to him.
They go to the crossroads, and Nick admits it’s not all that exciting. He makes a joke that you can sell your soul there AND go across the street to the chicken place to get a bucket of chicken. Jacqueline says that since they are there they should take some picture. Nick said you can’t come to the home of the blues and not visit this place. As they are taking the pictures this man walks up to them. He takes Jacqueline’s guitar, tunes it, and starts to play and sing. Nick is obviously freaked out, and points out the guitar belongs to Jacqueline. He sings something like “when you sell your soul, there’s nothing more you can do.” Finally Jacqueline admits this is a set up – the man is Bill Perry a blues musician. Nick admits that they scared the crap out of him.
The next day Jacqueline takes Nick to a store where they run into a musician friend of hers. She recounts the story of the night before, and this friends tells Nick that he is singing at a place called Ground Zero that night and that he should come and sing with them. Nick is nervous but they say that he should come to their rehearsal later that day.
Gene meets up with Nick when he is eating with Jacqueline and asks where he was last night. Then Gene tells him that he missed out on time with him because of a good reason – a girl. He calls Nick aside and starts insinuating that there was more than just friendship going on. Nick keeps on telling him that they are just friends but the rock star in Gene was probably hoping that Nick got lucky the night before.
Nick runs into Doc and Doc mentions that he knows Nick is going to be playing at Ground Zero that night. Nick is amazed at how small of a community the music world is in Memphis. He makes Doc promise not to tell Gene, because he is afraid his father will make a big deal about it. When later on Gene asks what they are doing that night. Nick said that his new friends want to take him out to show him the sites. Doc offers to take Gene to hear Alan Jackson, but says they have to make a stop first. They stop at this hotel or building where ducks live in the fountain. Someone from the building said they are celebrating the 75th anniversary of having ducks living in the fountain and that they sometimes have an honorary duck master and that day it was Gene Simmons. Gene gets a rubber ducky as a souvenir and says that Nick would have loved it. Doc then tells Gene that Nick is playing at Ground Zero that night but didn’t want him to know about it. He tells Gene he’ll get him in on the sly to hear Nick play.
Gene and Doc sneak in and hang out in the back of the club while they get to hear Nick sing. Gene said that he never thought that he would get the kind of satisfaction he did when he saw Nick perform and be the center of attention. (Gene said that he is the one who prefers to be in the spotlight.) But he said that Nick was really good and you could tell he was so proud of him. He said with pride “that’s my son” and you could tell he was pleased and happy for him. The next day he asked Nick what he did the night before. Nick fesses up that he performed at the club (one song) and that he didn’t tell Gene because it would have been awkward. Gene tells him that as long as he had a good time it was enough for him right now but wanted to know how soon would it be until he could see Nick perform. Nick said soonish. Then Gene said the big thrill for him used to come from getting up on stage and performing. He also told Nick that having fun was what performing was all about.
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