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
Get the damn ceremony over so we don’t have to listen to this garbage anymore. Gene and Paul see the anger from the fans and continue to try to justify their decision, yet they keep digging their hole even deeper!
Jason, this garbage has been going on for years, it won’t stop.
In regards to Ace and Peters books; it is safe to to say that it was a reaction. Paul and Gene went on the offensive via books and media long before Ace and Peter said a word.
Actually Brendan, you are wrong about that…nobody really said anything bad about either party until the original contracts ran out. If you remember Pete and Ace were still on the payroll several years after being fired or quitting. The first salvo’s were fired by Ace in the guitar magazines, namely Guitar World…Gene and Paul finally responded and didn’t shut up until the Reunion tour. Once Ace fell off the wagon…and the same for Peter after being given a second chance then Gene and Paul went full throttle on them. Can’t blame them.
Peter’s book really got Star Girl upset that is plain to see.
I’m not sure Gene cares one way or the other really as long as people talk about him.
Paul and Gene were pissed because they would not sign contracts not about booze. Ace and peter were upset over money and lack of control and direction of the band. If Ace and Peter would have agreed to work as employees and not ask for equal shares and control they would have turned a blind eye to the substance stuff. don’t be stupid it is always about money first, KISS has lied to it’s fans over the years about everything why would now be any different. Contrary to what they say the fans are a resource.
Jeff oh for sure. I always youtubed those old classic KISS video’s. They were fearless, they were energetic, they were explosive & they were a band that was extremely hungry & wanted it all. And Ace & Peter lived the rock & roll lifestyle that their heroes lived, AND SURVIVED! God Bless them both. Gene, Ace, Paul & Peter were a nuclear bomb that wasn’t afraid to detonate in your city. Thank the good lord for youtube where at anytime I can see KISS….. Joe in The Cuse.
Set with Paul at this moment. If Ace is so worthless, why dress someone up like him and mimic his riffs? I know why…. cause Aces playing is a HUGE part of the Kiss sound. Paul..take a lesson from mick jones and Lou gramm. They played together at the songwriter HOF last year for one night and foreigner went back to its current line up. Couldn’t do one night for the fans cause it wasn’t the way Paul wanted it. Paul and Gene know best….elder and all the classics they wrote for psycho circus. Nice voice now by the way!
I don’t really see an insult here. In a band known more for image and marketing, Paul is accurately stating that Ace could have been an all-time great guitarist. Ace has a solid resume for sure but he really had talent that transcended what KISS was doing. I think of Ace as a top 75 guitarist, but had he stayed the course the sky would’ve been the limit. Ace is by far the most talented musician in KISSTORY. Eric Carr was also a great drummer. Sorry Peter but CREATURES OF THE NIGHT may be KISSes strongest line-up musically.
The talent in the band at the time of COTN was at Kiss’s highest level. All 4 players could sing, all 4 could write. It’s simply too bad Vinnie couldn’t keep his ego in check to stay with it long enough. But by far that is the most talented lineup…and IMO, not even close. As I’ve always said…the COTN was musically the high point of Kiss and the tour that followed could be argued as one of their best…musically, it was without a doubt. I really feel sorry for Kiss fans that didn’t see it…it was powerful.
Agreed. COTN is the only record that can challenge anything the original 4 did. That line up was by far KISS’s best line up. I agree with JB on Vinnie. What could have been indeed. That goes down as the one of the best shows ever seen. KISS were at their nastiest and had something to prove back then. Wish that line up could have stayed together longer than the two records it did. Even Lick it Up, if you can get past the title track was a heavy record that had a lot of power to it. But COTN is still their #1 or #2 album in my opinion.
On the money, as always.
You rock Dude.