KISS’ PAUL STANLEY SAYS ORIGINAL GUITARIST ACE FREHLEY “THREW AWAY INCREDIBLE POTENTIAL”
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
Paul’s entitled to his opinion, but it carries no more weight than anyone else’s. Paul has done a lot of self-elevating lately “Here is what I think about the lowly Ace, here is how he failed”. I don’t get it, he runs the show LITERALLY now, yet he still needs to stand on top of two other musicians to feel good about himself.
Wow.
You guys again are getting way too intense. This is about having fun and listening to great music. So I’ll say it. Look at Paul’s picture. That son of a gun is transforming into Sylvester Stallone’s mother Jackie.
Yes, Paul doe need to keep his makeup on !
Read Kiss & Tell by Gordon Gelbert for funny Ace tales. Sure the author is a moron and did the mountains of coke with Ace at the Aerosmith gig at Detroit’s in Portchester (I was at that show) etc. but he saw the implode. Leppard #2 on the shed tour…wonder what comes before? Ratt? Cinderella?
I agree that they should have given Eric and Tommy their own makeup as Vinnie and Eric Carr did. After all, Eric Singer said on the Konfidential video that he would probably wear hawk makeup. What I don’t get is why four grown men can’t put aside their differences for one night that honors those four. As far as I’m concerned they wouldn’t even have to play, just be there. It took a lot of convincing for the Hall to even to accept them, they can at least all show up and be civil to accept the honor.
Keith Richards did more drugs than both Ace and Peter, yet the Stones thrived. The sober ones didnt put down the addicts and lament on what they could of been. They just went out and rocked. They still prove they are the greatest rock and roll band, warts and old age and all. It’s a shame how Paul and Gene ruined what should have been a celebration of what the four of them overcame and accomplished
Who were the sober ones in The Stones? They were all using drugs. Do your research before you post and embarass yourself.
Well said, Frank! Ironically, the Stones were huge influences for Kiss in the beginning. Too bad that changed. The Stones could still teach them a thing or two.