J. Bennett of Noisey spoke with original guitarist KISS guitarist Ace Frehely about the band’s Rock Hall induction and all the controversy surrounding it. The interview appears in entirety below.
Noisey: This whole Hall of Fame thing has turned into a real fucking soap opera, hasn’t it?
Ace Frehley: [Laughs] That’s a good word for it. I haven’t been paying too much attention to what people are saying on the internet, no matter who it is. I’m trying to finish my new record, so I can’t let that rent a lot of space in my head.
Noisey: It seems like every day Paul Stanley has a new disparaging comment to make about you and Peter Criss.
Ace Frehley: Well, I’m appalled at Paul. [Laughs] I’m appalled at the whole thing.
Noisey: One thing he’s been saying that makes a lot of sense is that the Hall of Fame has basically been shamed into inducting KISS. They don’t really want to do it, but the demand from fans has been overwhelming for the past 15 years. Do you agree with that assessment?
Ace Frehley: There’s been a lot of pressure on them to induct us over the years, and they resisted. We could’ve been inducted 15 years ago. You’re eligible after 25 years as a band, but they waited 40. Sooner or later, it doesn’t matter to me. As far as I’m concerned, it’s a big honor and I plan to have a good time. Paul’s been getting involved with the politics of who’s being inducted—who should be, who shouldn’t be, as far as the people who joined the band after me and Peter left—but I try to stay away from all that stuff because it’s politics. I’ve always tried to keep music and politics separate.
Noisey: Do you think the guys who came after you and Peter—Eric Carr, Vinnie Vincent, Eric Singer, Tommy Thayer, Bruce Kulick—deserve to be inducted as well?
Ace Frehley: I don’t know what the rules are. Supposedly there are certain guidelines that the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame has, and obviously they didn’t meet those criteria. I know for a fact—the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame told me—that the reason they refused to induct Tommy and Eric [Singer] is because they’re not contributing anything original to the band. They’re just copying stuff that Peter and me did during the first ten years of the group. So they’re just actors, basically.
Noisey: Do you have any sort of relationship with Tommy and Eric?
Ace Frehley: I’m friends with those guys. I really like Eric—on the last Kiss tour I did, I’d hang out with Eric and have a few laughs when we were in Australia. At the time Tommy was our road manager, which is kinda bizarre. I mean, you can’t make this stuff up. What rock supergroup has a dynamic lead guitarist who leaves the band, and they replace him with the tour manager? You can’t make this shit up. If somebody wrote that as a script for a rock ‘n’ roll film, nobody would believe it. But Tommy’s not a bad guitar player. He’s got his chops. Not very original, but it is what it is.
Noisey: There’s been a huge pissing match over which members of Kiss should play at the ceremony. The Hall of Fame wanted you and Peter to play, but Paul and Gene said they’d only play with Tommy and Eric, because they’re the current members. Some folks are saying that all of you should play. As it stands now, there will be no Kiss performance. What do you think about the whole debacle?
Ace Frehley: I don’t have a problem with Tommy and Eric playing. The problem I have is that Paul and Gene shot down the idea of playing with Peter and me and wanted to perform with just Tommy and Eric—in makeup, too. That’s makeup I designed. I’m supposed to sit there while I’m being inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and I gotta watch some other guy playing in my costume and makeup? That didn’t sit very well with me because the Hall of Fame requested that just the four original guys perform.
Noisey: You recently said that the reason Paul and Gene don’t wanna do that is because the fans will want a full-blown reunion tour afterwards.
Ace Frehley: Well, that’s what a lot of people say. They’re afraid of history repeating itself. When we did Unplugged in 1995, Peter and me came out and did two songs and the place went crazy. Paul and Gene had to buckle to public opinion, and the fans wanted a reunion. They had just done an album with Bruce and Eric that they had to put on the back burner. But it was the most successful tour that year. We grossed over 250 million dollars. It was insane. So they don’t wanna open a can of worms. Outside looking in, as an unbiased person, I don’t blame them. But it’s been 40 years. I was in the band, I left the band; I rejoined in ’96 for five years, left in 2001 and the fans have always been there for me. They really want the reunion. Ever since the announcement that we were being inducted, that’s all I hear from fans. All they want is for me and Peter to perform two or three songs and that’d be the end of it. But Paul and Gene shot it down. They can’t give the fans ten minutes for supporting us for 40 goddamn years?
Noisey: Do you think it would be unfair to Tommy and Eric if you and Peter performed at the ceremony?
Ace Frehley: What do you mean unfair? They’re not even being inducted!
Noisey: What I mean is that Tommy and Eric are current members of KISS. It’d be kinda shitty of Paul and Gene to ask them to sit out a performance so they could play with you and Peter.
Ace Frehley: A lot of people are being honored at the ceremony. Some people are getting up to do a few songs, and some people aren’t. We’re only talking about a couple of songs. It’s not a concert. If I was in charge of the whole thing, we could just get up there in Italian-cut suits or something—we wouldn’t even have to wear the makeup.
Noisey: Paul’s book recently came out. Have you read any of it?
Ace Frehley: I haven’t read it, but I’m sure he threw me under the bus in one way or another. [Laughs] Although I heard he threw Gene under the bus more than anyone.
Noisey: Apparently he thinks you and Peter are anti-Semitic.
Ace Frehley: That’s absurd. I’m engaged to a Jewish lady! I’ve been with her for five years. Her name is Rachael Gordon and she’s a singer-songwriter. I met her in San Diego on my 2008 tour. And my whole life I’ve been in the music business. You know the music business is controlled by Jewish people: My attorney, my accountant—everybody’s Jewish. [Laughs] I’m anti-Semitic? Are you out of your mind? You know what the problem is? Paul’s cranky because he can’t call me a drunk or a drug addict anymore. He can’t say I’m unemployable. He can’t say I don’t show up, because I do these days. So now he’s grasping at straws just to grab headlines for his goddamn book.
Noisey: After 40 years, KISS made the cover of Rolling Stone for the first time this month. Did you see the article?
Ace Frehley: Yeah.
Noisey: At one point, both Paul and Gene acknowledge that they think about you and Peter every day.
Ace Frehley: I don’t believe that for a second. [Laughs]They try to avoid us. We’re like a bad rash that won’t go away. [Laughs] But it has to be irritating when all they hear from the fans is, “Yeah, Tommy’s OK, but there’s nothing like the real thing.” That’s gotta be frustrating for them. Their fallback position years ago was, “Yeah, Ace was great, he contributed a lot to the group, but he’s a drunk and a drug addict so we can’t use him.” But I’ve been sober for seven and a half years, so what’s their fucking excuse now? And now Paul’s calling me a Nazi? It’s ridiculous.
Noisey: Is that why you didn’t participate in the new KISS documentary that’s coming out?
Ace Frehley: I wasn’t actually contacted by KISS about that. Their bodyguard contacted my bodyguard and offered me a small amount of money to do it. They tried to come in through the back door because, you know, they don’t wanna pay me any money. But if they don’t pay me now, they’re gonna pay me a lot more later. That’s just the way it works. My attorney is on top of it. If they would’ve been up front, that’s different. But they go through my bodyguard and say it’s some guy from England who’s producing it when really it’s Paul and Gene that are producing it. They’re the money behind it, and they’re trying to get me cheap. But I’m in the middle of a record. I don’t have time for nonsense. Supposedly they’re using some old interviews I did. I probably come off like a knucklehead, but who knows?
Noisey: Later this month, you’re gonna present an award named in honor of fallen Pantera guitarist Dimebag Darrell, who was actually buried in a “KISS Kasket.” Don’t you think that’s a little weird?
Ace Frehley: Yeah, it is a little weird. But KISS fans are weird—everybody knows it. These days I have to be transparent, you know? [Laughs] There’s nothing I’m gonna say that’s gonna shock anybody. So, yeah, a lot of KISS fans are kinda strange. But that’s okay because we’re strange.
Noisey: I can’t believe the KISS Kasket is a thing that exists.
Ace Frehley: If it was my decision, I wouldn’t have gone there. There’s a lot of things that Gene has done with the merchandising that are just over the top. He’s got everything from prophylactics to toilet paper—anything to make a buck. It’s embarrassing.
That’s one of the reasons I left the group. Towards the end, I’d go out and see kids in the front row with KISS dolls and lunchboxes and my manager is going, “Hey, Ace—watch the cursing tonight. We’ve got kids in the front row.” I mean, we started out as this heavy, mean, nasty rock ‘n’ roll group wearing leather and it turned into a goddamn circus.
source: noisey.vice.com
127 Responses
Well said Ace!
Wow. Ace makes a convincing case about not being anti semitic. His fiancée is Jewish and was in a band with 2 jews for years. I’m sorry but I think paul is just saying controversial stuff to sell books. It always goes back to the money with him and gene. I’m the biggest capatalist around but to use bandmates to up sales for a new book is unethical!
He didn’t mention his collection of Nazi memorabilia though. Hmmmm I wonder why.
Why would he mention his nazi collection from the 70’s? That was 35 years ago! It was stupid to have but the whole band besides gene dressed up as nazis. It was bs for all three to do this! Including hypocrite paul who doesn’t seem to have a problem being a self hating Jew by wearing nazi memorabilia. Unlike gene & paul I’m sure ace doesn’t like focusing on stupid crap from 35 years ago. Plus ace has mentioned the nazi collection before in other interviews so I have no idea what you are getting at.
Ahhh yes, another “Peter/Ace” guy. “Self-hating Jew” huh? I try not to reply to closed-minded posts anymore because I usually fly off the handle and get chastised by Dana. But I will say this…… it’s one thing if you want to wear a Nazi coat as a joke when you’re drinking and it’s 1977 and you’re just a young rocker doing stupid things….but it’s another thing if you collect memoribilia from a group of people who attempted to annihilate an entire race of people from this planet. If you have memoribilia of any group or organization, that means you’re a fan of that group or organization. Not too many people out there who have Kiss bobbleheads and t-shirts who are not Kiss fans.
Truth,
If it makes you feel better, if it is indeed a proven fact that memorabilia such as that is collected, you have no argument from me.
Also, I appreciate that you are making the effort not to fly off the handle, it really lends much more credence to your arguments/opinions.
Dana 🙂
How am I a peter/ace guy when I clearly said it was bs for all three to do this. I’m not going to defend ace and I disagree with owning nazi memoribillia but it was used as a shock factor thing by many rockers who where not anti Semites and who has Jewish wives and in some cases part Jewish themselves. Once again I don’t I agree with it but it’s what people did. Either aces girlfriend is a self hater or ace is not anti semitic. Plus if ace was truly an anti Semite why would he stay in a band for 9 years and then agree to come back for the reunion making chicken feed compared to gene & paul. Also “flying off the handle”? Grow up! Nothing I said should cause you to get that mad! If so you have serious issues.
Ace stayed in a band for years with two Jewish people because he’s anti semitic. Also because paul was young and stupid is no excuse to wear nazi memoribillia after what his people went through. No Jew does that except for ones that are either self haters or have no respect for what their people went through. Sorry but it’s a FACT! All 3 where in the wrong and you know it.
All I have to say about the whole nazi deal is the two “s’s” in KISS were based on the nazi SS uni logo. So were all guilty of hating jews than. Remeber the logo used in Germany?
I can not stand the out and out labeling & judging that takes place these days based on a stupid slip of the tongue or something irresposible someone did in the past. Labeling people anti-semites or racists these days occurs far too much.
I’m not saying that being either is kool, far from it, but there is a difference between someone who is a tad ignorant or says/does some dumb shit once in awhile vs. someone who may be a card carrying member for the kkk/nazi party or actually believes the bs that either spew.(NO TIME FOR THOSE PEOPLE. NO TIME)
People need to lighten up a bit these days though, stop being so quick to judge.
Just my $.02 not that it matters.
A question for all the liberals on here, are the Black Panthers a racist organization? How about all black colleges? Not reverse discrimination a teeny weeny bit? Ted Nugent for president baby!!
I actually do agree with nugent on guns…………………
Did you just compare the Black Panthers to the Nazi regime? I’m gonna try and stick to music now.
Yes I did because if they could get away with it the black panthers would absolutely positively try to eliminate whites off the face of this planet! If I started The White Buffaloes complete with an all-white college, all-white tv station, ohhhh my the outrage, I’m a racist, blah blah blah. Liberals are in denial and political correctness has sunk this country to all time lows. And before you start labeling me as racist or whatever, I have many black friends who agree with me because they’re real! Oh yeah I love Living Colout, Jimi Hendrix and especially King’s X (who is fronted by a gay black man…..gasp). Uncle Ted for president baby!
I agree. People who claim they have never said something off color at least once in life are liars. I’m also sick of people calling others racist for not wanting rap music in the ROCK hall of fame.
It is actually hard to say whether the Kiss logo was really inspired by the waffen ss logo of Nazi Germany’s special police force because the Nazis as well as the Kiss logo look very similar to the old Nordic/Germanic rune ‘s’, so I would advise everyone to be relcutant saying they clearly took it from the Nazi emblem.
in a lot of ways he is 100% right …..regardless if you agree or not ….
That’s one of the reasons I left the group. Towards the end, I’d go out and see kids in the front row with KISS dolls and lunchboxes and my manager is going, “Hey, Ace—watch the cursing tonight. We’ve got kids in the front row.” I mean, we started out as this heavy, mean, nasty rock ‘n’ roll group wearing leather and it turned into a goddamn circus.
Ace IS right about that.
I remember back in 76 as a 14 year old begging my folks to let me go see KISS. I didn’t want to go to a rock concert I wanted to go to church to worship my Gods. I did and it was awesome!
Then 4 years later I was working part time at a small stage venue. KISS played there and the place was half empty. Those that were there were either parents or under the age of 11. It was so different in such a small amount of time.
From what I saw at that point the band KISS was dead.
That is the kind of of first-hand evidence that Gene and Paul want to make us forgetwhen saying the band is bigger than ever.
Interesting…you say your first show was in 76 and 4 years later they played a small stage/empty venue. Well that time frame would have been Unmasked…there was only one US show that year, at the Palladium in New York to introduce Eric, which was a sellout. Small venue yes, but still a sellout. So your saying your one of the lucky 3k that saw that show? You do know Kiss toured England, Europe and Australia that year…averaging over 16k a show (still one of their largest average concert attendance figures) and the largest gig being in front of 50k in Australia. I’d say you probably need to rethink your time frame. It doesn’t add up.
First of all, I don’t see how any member of Kiss could be surprised that the audience turned into young kids. One of you is dressed like a Cat, for God’s sake!!!!
And Kiss being “dead” around 1980 had nothing to do with Ace and Peter being in or out of the band. Musical tastes change. People were looking elsewhere.
Gotta love this guy!…I’d like Eddie to start a campagin to make sure Ace’s new album goes to# 1.
That will shut them up…
Number #1 in 2014 is like 40,000 copies which would’ve been #135 back in the 80’s! 🙂
This was a good interview and Ace came out ahead. Going back to the Tom Snyder thing, Ace always comes across as likeable. He’s moved on and good for him. KISS is toast and don’t wanna work with him or Peter again so hopefully his solo album will be great.