Eddie Trunk interviewed KISS guitarist Ace Frehley for his podcast. Quotes from the interview, courtesy of blabbermouth.net, appear below.
Frehley discussing what he thinks about current KISS guitarist Tommy Thayer wearing his makeup:
“[Tommy is] not Ace Frehley by any stretch of the imagination, number one. Number two, what bothers me the most is that I know the new fans that KISS are getting don’t know it. A lot of people that see Tommy up there think he’s the original guy that created the makeup, that wrote great songs and wrote all those solos that he’s performing, but he’s not. He’s just a guy up there copying me and trying to move like me and trying to sing like me and trying to play like me. And that’s what bothers me the most. I mean, the real hardcore fans know. But the new fans, a lot of them don’t know.”
On the fact that he played with drummer Eric Singer who was wearing Peter Criss’ Catman makeup:
That was okay. I mean, Eric’s such a solid drummer, he’s a pleasure to play with, because you know the beat’s always gonna be there.” When asked if it was weird seeing someone else play in Criss’ makeup Ace said, “Well, you know, I don’t see as good as I used to, so when I look back, I can’t tell the difference. [laughs] Just like a lot of fans don’t know…I can’t tell you how many times I get phone calls and people say,’ Hey, Ace, I heard you’re playing here, I heard you’re playing there. Can you get me tickets?’ I go, ‘I’m not in the band anymore.’ Some people, still, are oblivious to that whole thing.”
To listen to Eddie’s podcast with Ace Frehley, please click here.
additional source: blabbermouth.net
137 Responses
I haven’t read all the posts, but Ace is spot on. What else is Tommy Thayer doing other than copying Ace in every way? Nothing. That doesn’t make Tommy a bad person, just that Ace is correct. Ace knows Paul and Gene and it is a business decision. Tommy does little to stir the pot. P & G just want Tommy to play the game and do as they ask. Nothing illegal about that but Ace is right. When it is all said and done, all Tommy Thayer really is doing is copying the essence of Ace’s character, trying to keep the Ace space them with guitars Thayer promotes and Tommy’s written songs with space themes and related titles. Outside of Kiss, Tommy has his own personality but in Kiss, he is an Ace copy cat. Nothing more. It says more about Paul and Gene than it does about Tommy.
On a side note, Black N Blue sucked….big time!!!
That first Black N Blue record was pretty awesome I think, even though I don’t have any respect for Thayer.
Black N Blue were underrated. “Without Love” is so much better than “Slippery when wet”, but because Jon Bon is better looking, there you go. I saw BNB open for Kiss in ’85, they rocked the house. Even my buddy, who hated all things Los Angeles, admitted they were great. In fact, the first few BNB albums are better than the schlock Kiss was releasing at the time. Songs like “Bombastic Plastic”, for example, very cool. “Lonely is the Hunter”? “I’m Alive”? Kiss were releasing hurried up garbage back then, and copycat sounding to boot. They blended in with the lousy 80’s bands. At least BNB didn’t sound like anyone. Everybody talks about what a great singer Jani Lane was, and he was…but the dude was mimicking Jaime St. James.
I should also mention…and then Gene Simmons got ahold of BNB, and the album wasn’t half as good as the prior ones. Everything Gene touches goes sour. Wendy O, House Of Lords, Virgin…after his Van Halen thing, he couldn’t get it together. I felt really bad for BNB when I heard he was producing them. I was like UH OH…and I was right.
I agree most of the mid 80’s KISS stuff is pretty worthless when you listen to it now. Asylum and the stuff that came after it is all pretty forgettable. Even “Revenge” which most people consider to be the best nonmakeup record to me is a bit overrated.
Interview Doc. Funny how I got to read an Eddie interview about a Joe Holmes Farm sumthin group great iTunes trax and CD coming since no airplay I’ve heard. Radio sucks cept Serius. If Joe Holmes gets buried like Cali Breed did I give up, he’s a mother on guitar.
Why not have Tommy wear “Vinnie Vincent” makeup?
I have to admit… I love Ace, Vinnie, Mark, Bruce, Tommy, Peter, Eric, and Eric. Each one’s tenure with the band marks specific periods in our lives. I get what Paul and Gene are doing. I get how Ace feels. I get how Peter feels. I also can’t blame Tommy or Eric for taking the gig. but growing up with posters of them wallpapering my room, there’s no way I, or any KISS fan, would turn down a dream gig like that. “Hired gun”, “Employee”, “Impersonator”, Damn right! Really… Just imagine, putting on the makeup WITH the guys, as ONE OF the guys, the outfits, the boots, listening to Nick jokingly insult his Dad about whatever, strapping on the iconic smoking Les Paul, or taking your seat on the sacred throne behind the baddest set of drums, on any stage, surrounded by cymbals, with lights reflecting off of them, smoke rising from the stage floor, with the lights of that legendary KISS logo, silhouetting you from behind, AND TO BE PAID WELL FOR IT!!! Yep, count me in..