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
So now please tell me that except for the 3 songs on Alive II, what other Kiss records besides Paul’s solo record did Bob Kulick play on? before and including The Elder? I know who played what on just about every Kiss song, and I know from my ears not what somebody trying to make a name for themselves says in some book, I guess you just believe everything you read, or hear, rumour, innuendo. Your attack ad on Ace is what’s known as the straw man fallacy by the way.
Vinnie Vincent: he is either the greatest guitar player on the planet or the worst, I can’t tell. Eric Carr: great for Kiss at the time, he cleaned up Kiss’s sound, his drum solo was innovative, plus I just liked his stage presence, it worked for Kiss. Peter Criss: he does part drumming, part orchestration, I love his crazy fills, they add so much to their sound, the way he ends songs, it’s abrupt, volatile, combustible. Plus he that back-beat which is from 1950s rock’n’roll which IS KISS, that hop, that bounce, which all of these very precise guys can’t do, they physically don’t have it. OK, I had fun on here, DR have fun reading those very intelligent books which told you Bob Kulick played on all of the 70s Kiss records. Hear that kids? It’s true because DR READ IT IN A BOOK! ….
Well at least I show that read Ms. Shannon Patrick Mehaffey, if that still indeed is your real name. Enjoy the liner notes on Destroyer this evening while you color your Ace Frehley Doodle Art poster for your room. ‘Eric Carr: great for KISS at the time’….priceless. Back to the kids table you go.
Paul Stanley should have been a politician. He likes to put a spin on the original KISS’ Legacy as if anyone could be one of the iconic characters, and if he really believes that, why doesn’t HE step aside and let Dave Grohl play star child?
In all seriousness, the thing that is concerning me the most is his hair in that photo. That’s creeping awfully close to Weird Al Yankovic era shit right there. What happened on the set of that shoot? Who authorized this? That’s like Phil Collen wearing a shirt for a photo – it just doesn’t happen. Every photo with Collen wearing a shirt is photo shopped. Seriously, if Bea Arthur put on a Weird Al wig and was told to pout, that would be her in that photo. I mean Geoff Tate’s wig on that new post is the King of bad photos. But Paul is hitting honorable mention status with that pic. That’s not the Mr. Speed that I know. And why did the ladies call him Mr. Speed anyways? That’s not exactly a good nickname to have with the ladies when you think about it. I know where he was going with that tune, but didn’t he ever read the lyrics back to himself and say ‘shit I can’t say that. They’re going to think I’m a 2 minute kind of guy, and that will ruin my cred’. As you can see, that pic stirs up a lot of questions for me. Keep posting everyone, we’re getting really close the eddietrunk.com record for posts. I can’t do it alone. I’ve got work to do.
DR likes to make himself feel better by hiding behind his computer screen and throwing personal insults. Yeah, that’s my real name. New Kids on the Block? that is pure nonsense. Page, Clapton, George Harrison…I’ve never even heard one of their songs all the way through. So no more Bob Kulick then I guess huh? Now it’s just Ace didn’t play rhythm guitar…Ace plays bass on some stuff, so does Paul, they got session guys to sub for Vinnie, Eric Carr, Singer, and Bruce Kulick too.
DR I am sorry, you are right, what was I thinking challenging a brilliant mind such as yours.
Paul also wasted a great opportunity to do something for the fans. Just check your egos at the door and do the show for the fans.
Adam West will always be the one and only Batman!