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
Love when my comments get erased…. why bother participating .
I am not sure why your comment wasn’t posted, try again.
Dana from EddieTrunk.com 🙂
Ace and peter did drugs and drank they where from the streets playing in a rock and roll band in the 70’s man they were living the rock and roll life style living their life who are we to judge ? They were in kiss not the osmonds people are saying Ace can’t play his last album was better than kiss’es last two albums together just think if he could play! Have you heard paul sing lately?
Mercedes Ruehl, is that you?
That’s insulting to Mercedes Reuhl! Very funny ;=o}
Ace is the best guitarist in the world!!!!!!!
Paul is 100% right about Ace.
However, why bring it up AGAIN especially close to the RRHOF?
Paul normally choose is words carefully and is all with this “Live to Win” dream big crap…but here he comes across as a petty douche.