Guitarist Ace Frehley was a recent guest on Australia’s Today show. Some quotes from the interview appear below.
On why he left KISS the first time around, Frehley said, “I quit because I started abusing substances and alcohol. And I also wasn’t agreeing with the direction of the way the band was going. You know, we had that big hit I Was Made For Loving You and I’m more of a blues-based rock guitar player…When I left, there was a sigh of relief, because I just felt like I was on a collision course with… I just thought I was gonna end up being a statistic…By the grace of God, I’m here today, clean sober eight years, and life’s never been better.”
When asked if it’s hard to stay sober, Frehley stated, “The first year or two is hard. Now it’s like… When I look at photos of me when I’m all bloated and I think about the days when I was looking at being in trouble with the law for drunk driving and all that crazy stuff… And health reasons too.”
Watch Ace’s interview here.
25 Responses
“In youth we learn, with age we understand.” It would seem Ace is finding his peace.
I love Ace but are we still asking him why he left Kiss??? Hasn’t he been asked this question a million times by now???
HERES a thought,ace has been clean and sober 8 years now,i have seen his last 2 tours,his playing was really great,prob the best he has been playing in years,so if the problem was acording to paul,and gene,that they did not want ace in the band anymore because of his sloppy playing and his abuse problems,well thats all in the past now right?he def can still play,and kill it,so whats the issue now?????why still have the imposter tommy t playing in the band,????many questions that would be great to have paul answer now,instead of all of the old ones about the past
Three reasons (at least): being Paul and Gene, 1) you earn much more money employing Tommy instead of Ace (even though even Ace was and would be a “hired gun”), 2) Ace cannot be controlled as he is a very, hm, headstrong character which will collide with the control issues the two have (one might call this another form a of addiction and abuse, but that is another topic of epic dimensions ….) , Tommy on the other hand seems to be a nice guy, too nice to say no to P & G’s decisions when the paycheck seems to be OK, 3) taking Ace on board again would contradict everything they have claimed about him (and Peter) for more than a decade now, it would destroy the fragile house of cards they built which is that they blame everything on the wrong attitudes, drug abuse and sloppy playing of the two former members; in essence: they would suddenly loose every argument for their lineup of 13 years and their haughty behaviour. that would be a disaster, personally and publicly. So three reasons: greed, no loss of control, no correction of self-congratulatory self-image.