The bitterness between the current and former members who founded Kiss will not be quelled anytime soon. It’s been a little over a week since the group announced that it would not perform “in any lineup” at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame induction ceremony, following Ace Frehley’s comment that he would not perform with current guitarist Tommy Thayer wearing Frehley’s sometime makeup. Now, in a new interview with Guitar World, vocalist-guitarist Paul Stanley has questioned Frehley’s talent.
“What we had at the beginning was magical. . . Ace and I played great together,” Stanley said. “But in my mind it’s a crime what Ace did: He threw away incredible potential and talent. The Ace I played with when the band first started out was a comet – and not [Frehley’s late-Eighties band] ‘Frehley’s Comet!’ But he was burning bright and really had the ability – and this would rub him the wrong way – to be a real contender. But he stopped practicing. He got involved with a whole lot of things that really diluted and diminished his craft. I saw that comet grow dim.”
Stanley added that after KISS fired drummer Peter Criss in 1980, he decided the band needed to reinvent itself, and that’s why they removed their makeup in 1983. It’s a decision he now feels hurt the band. “Rather than saying, ‘We’ve built these iconic figures together and we’re going to continue on with what we built,’ we bought into the idea of, ‘We have to have a new character,'” he said. “That watered it down. Some people may argue with me, but I feel that Batman is Batman whether he’s played by George Clooney, Christian Bale, Val Kilmer and on and on.”
additional source: Rolling Stone
238 Responses
Dear Shannon Patrick Mehaffey,
My reference was not to connect Elvis Presley to ASYLUM. No, I was referencing the act of Simmons taking a dump while recording his vocals. If true, that is classless and vulgar but also hysterically funny. If not true, that visual speaks for itself but is also hysterically funny. As far as THE KING OF ROCK N’ ROLL goes, rumor has it that he died while trying to unsuccessfully deficate in his shower. Also classless and vulgar, but hysterically funny as well. The connection was the act of taking a dump by a vocalist. Nothing more.
HAPPY ST. PAT’S-THE RICHMAN (half Irish).
I interviewed Bill Baker a friend and guitar tech of Ace Frehley. He told me about his over the phone but we did not bring it up on the 70s Kiss podcast. Since the waves have been made about who owns Aces makeup, I think all Kiss fans need to read this. Bill Baker just posted this on his facebook group page.
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One story I left out of my book (because I felt it was Ace’s personal business) is when “KISS MY ASS” came out, and Ace’s makeup wasn’t used on the cover. Ace was livid, and so upset, that he called me at my parents house. gene was using that, saying “Well we can’t use your makeup because the corporation doesn’t own it – we can’t have a reunion until it does.” I told Ace, “That’s your creation, and if he owns it, he could put someone else in your costume.” Ace replied, “But I’m Ace Frehley.” I said, “Yes, but if you no longer own it – it’s out of your control.” I told him, never let it go. I hope he took something out of what I said and he really does still own it……..Bill Baker
One of the eye opening things that also rings true is Paul says that Ace never missed Peter as a friend, but only as someone Ace could manipulate into voting his way in band votes. Paul says Ace demanded to make more money during the reunion years because he “…was more famous.” What does Peter say in his book? That Ace betrayed him but getting more money than him. Peter thought they were a team against Gene and Paul, but Ace only used Peter to get more for himself. Paul is telling the sober truth.
So whats the verdict? Does Ace own the Spaceman makeup or not? Did he just lease the right to use the makeup to G&P and that lease soon terminates?
We saw Ace use the makeup in a commercial some years back.
So much smoke and mirrors with all this….