Related: Steve Blank's hypothesis that dysfunctional families breed people for the chaotic world of startups: http://steveblank.com/2009/05/18/founders-and-dysfunctional-...

I find Gene Simmons' talks on this to be rather telling. Summary: With no father, his mother was working 2 jobs and was rarely home while he was asleep as a child. He said he'd wake up from a nightmare crying for his mom but she didn't come. He'd then be crying out of fear as he was helpless and alone. Then he'd cry himself out with anger because she wasn't there.

He said that was the thing he hated most growing up, the feeling of helplessness. He knew money brought security, so he's spent his life making sure he has security through money.

To say KISS isn't exceptionally talented, that I can list a few dozen bands off the top of my head that are far more talented... but barely any of them are as widely known, with as big a fan club, and with as much financial success.

Simply put; to say The Beatles are reputed to have sold a billion records (IE 10 times KISS' sales figures) it shows how little their company is marketed to say that the band's members net worths are estimated in the $600M range, but Simmons' is actually reported in the $300M range.