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
OK team. Lets see if we can get it up to 250 comments this time. I know we have it in us. Paul has given us the ammo, lets not let it go to waste! And oh yeah, he’s completely right.
“Oh, yea. He’s completely right. ” ……Maybe a few sexual orientation comments and the fact that Gene is the Danny Bonaduce of bass players should garnish at least 100 comments alone there DR. Love. 🙂
The issue isn’t whether he is right. The issue is that he can’t get over what happened more than 30 years ago. No need to keep repeating yourself. The issue is we’ve heard it all before a thousand times and after 30 years, its time to change the subject. Obviously you like hearing it again and again and….
No Rich. I like hearing you again and again and again….
I need some Advil. Paul needs to just zip it. Paul, all you need to do at this juncture, just before the HOF ceremony, is to keep it simple, stop airing dirty laundry and talk about only the positives of any previous Kiss member and wish them well – especially if they (like Ace and Peter) have turned the corner. However, you just can’t seem to do it. Your comments make you appear to be a small and petty man. People like Gene would have you believe that Ace and Peter are still drug addicts and alcoholics. He always seems to mention drugs or alcohol when referencing Ace and Peter – even still in 2014. I don’t like it.
They are still addicts and alcoholics. You never stop being one. They are in recovery and hopefully both will always stay that way for themselves and their families. Nobody ever stops being an addict. But I get your point. Remember that Gene and Paul worked with these two in their worse conditions and hid it quite well back in the day. Clearly they’re still bitter about that and can’t move on. It happened in the 70’s, and again when they re-grouped in ’96. I wouldn’t talk about it either if I were Gene and Paul. But I also get where they are coming from and why they can’t let it go. I think that’s also ultimately why they can’t get back together for just one night either. Way too much water under the bridge. In a lot of ways, I don’t blame them.
Paul thinks that if he keeps Ace & Peter’s past issues in the present than the rest of the fans and followers will follow suit. It’s all about separating fact from fiction and trying to maintain the makeup as a separate entity from the people who created them.
.. because this separate identity is still making Gene and Paul millions a year while Paul’s own musical strength left today would soon make him play clubs like many other old stars whose voices and musical powers are gone …
Good point Rich. So during the next interview when Paul is asked about his relationship with the Ace and Peter, he should say, ” I won’t comment because Rich told me to zip it.” You are not that important and neither are all of the others who will only accept the 4 original members. You people are a very small sect in the Kiss Fan population.
I wouldn’t be bitter if someone’s chemical dependencies hurt my career and affected my livelihood…..
@Brian B.
Really Brian? Who’s livihood did it hurt more? Ace and Peter paid their price. Gene and Paul seem to be the one’s who keep beating a dead horse and neither of their pocketbooks took a hit.
I have a hard time believing that not once did Gene or Paul ever dabble either. Addicts, no, but saints….I ain’t buying it. Not the generation they came up in.
Also these guys saying Ace sounds like shit nowadays because of drugs he did in the past are idiots.
Please.
Good one. The fact ACE was so wasted and still played kick ass shows and as far as I know never missed a show because of it makes him look even better. Also, ACE And Peter, rather than hurt their pocketbooks, made them have to go buy a bigger one. Reunion tour….remember? But I guess that was just a big mistake on Gene and Paul’s part, because we all know the carnival of souls tour would have made them superstars again. NOT! Please people.
KISS was effected by change in music not ACE, KISS became irrelevant with NEW WAVE then poppy hair bands, Speed metal then RAP. KISS boxed themselves into a musical style and when it attempted to come out is was not met well by hard core fans and the songs were not good enough to carry them into a new fan base. MTV fan fare kept them afloat barley but there glory days were behind them. No ones fault just he cycle of the beast. Blaming Ace is just silly.
Good points!
Ace’s guitar playing is magical every time I’ve seen him which was all during mid 90s and later. Thayer does a good impersonation but nothing like the one and only Ace. A lot of people did drugs and boozed… who cares. Gene appears to me to be 10 times the pain in the ass that any drunk can be.
All I can say to that sir is………..I AGREE!
Sure Ace can’t play like Steve Via but come on. Monster and Sonic Boom sucked compared to Anomaly. I’m a true KJiss fan from way back but this constant Ace bashing from Paul is rediculous.