I don't really go to "narcissism" when talking about rock stars; they're all narcissists to begin with.
Yes, that's very true. I guess it's just a matter of degree, and there are definitely artists out there who step far enough over the line where it becomes unpalatable for me. Sammy also displays a fair degree of narcissism. It's just not to quite the level of quantity or quality of Dave's, at least in the way it strikes me personally. But that said, let me also say as a sidenote that I am somewhat of a hypocrite in that department, as are you, and as are most if not all music fans. We can't stand artist A because of his/her self-centered, narcissistic behavior, while we tolerate and minimize the same thing in artist B just because we like him/her or identify with his/her music more. Guilty as charged.
EDIT: Since you like to mention Simmons a lot, I'll add something about him to the discussion. First off, I'm not a Kiss fan at all. Never have been. But that aside, I put Gene and Dave in a similar category in a lot of respects. But here's the difference for me: Gene is a pure businessman, and to an extent, his public persona is an act, and he is not shy about that at all. Notwithstanding how long he has been a public figure, and that fact that he did a "reality show," I don't think anyone outside of Gene's close circle of family, friends, and bandmates
really knows the real Gene vs. the character. But he is self aware of two important things: (1) Gene Simmons
is a character, and he is playing a role whenever he is in the public eye; and (2) while he isn't shy about the fact that everything he does is to earn every last penny he can from the fans, he is fully aware that the fans are 100% his bread and butter, that he owes them everything when it comes to the life he has led, and he will give 100% to the fans because he is grateful. I don't really get either of those from Dave, at least not to the same degree as Gene. In that regard, whether or not I
like Gene, I have a certain degree of respect for him that I don't have for Dave.