United Kingdom, April 4 -- Gene Simmons has declared it's better to be "rich and miserable".

The KISS rocker has confessed his humble beginnings helped him appreciate the trappings of wealth after shooting to stardom and he now acknowledges that making millions as a rock star has given him the "freedom to do stuff you actually like doing".

During an appearance on the UCR Podcast, Gene explained: "It's funny, I'm an only child to my mother and I grew up with the hard knocks of not being very romantic about what it all means.

"I developed a harder skin and for myself, realized that everything was about the search for power and money, which is not a very romantic notion. But I didn't want to be poor, because I know what that felt like.

"...