There seems to be no end to the KISS member's self-promotion efforts, and yes, a cartoon based on his family is one of them.

"My Dad the Rock Star" was actually based on a book of the same name (subtitled "Rebel without a Nose Ring") that he released in 2001, with the help of author Liam O'Donnell and illustrator Guy Vasilovich.

He co-produced and co-wrote the TV adaptation of it two years later.

The series is about a boy who struggles to lead a normal life while his dad is an eccentric heavy metal star. This, of course, sounds like it could be a biography of Simmons' son, Nick. And to some degree, it is.

Gene told CNN that the premise came about after a conversation he had with Nick about his school's career day.

"So you had people coming in with scissors, you know, 'my mom's a hair stylist,' or a toothbrush, 'my dad's a dentist,' and my son came in with a poster of me spewing blood and spitting fire."

That said, it doesn't aspire to be as true to family life as Simmons's more popular subsequent series, the A&E reality show "Gene Simmons Family Jewels." That show ran for seven seasons, following the real-life (and live-action) Simmons family, including Nick, who survived the embarrassment of career day.

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