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
Eddie dose not have to help Ace getting to number one. His last Cd out sold both kiss CDs. Ace has already proven himself. When space invader comes out it will sell out. Ace could brake every record with the space invader and Gene and Paul will still talk shit that’s all they have left to do which is sad! There kids must be so so ashamed of the things they do and say! Aces daughter must be so proud of her dad and how far he has come.
Not sure where you’re getting those sales figures, but they are not accurate.
Brian, where are you getting these numbers from? Your head?
Sonic Boom debuted at #2 on the Billboard top 200 and sold 108,134 in its first week (and is over 300,000 now).
Monster also debuted at #2 and sold 56,000 copies in the first week (currently over 132,000).
Anomaly debuted at #27 on the Billboard top 200 and sold 17,000 copies in its first week.
As you can see it isn’t even close.
JIMMY APPLE!!! Your numbers are correct. But not on a level playing field. KISS with SONIC BOOM had a exclusive distribution contract with WAL MART the biggest retailer in the world. You may have heard of WAL MART. Per having exclusive distribution rights WAL MART HAD TO STOCK SO MANY COPY’S OF SONIC BOOM. Go to WAL MART now. Still tons of SONIC BOOM . Those record sales numbers you have are not end buyers (people purchasing) for the CD’s. Ace had no such distribution opportunity like WAL MART. So his numbers with ANOMOLY are much more impressive to me. Ace did much better in sales if you take this into consideration. As big as WAL MART is 107,000 copies ain’t that hard. Every WAL MART in America stocked SONIC BOOM. Also you will notice (by your numbers) that MONSTER did much worse when WAL MART wasn’t the exclusive distributor of the CD. Also Im sure KISS had in contract that so many MONSTER copies had to be ordered also over and above SONIC BOOM. When SONIC BOOM was being done it was already determined MONSTER would happen also. WAL MART is one of the best opportunities to sell records in today’s landscape. Can’t Blame KISS. Good bizz. WAL MART at one time used to even give unknown artist space in the record dept. used to be able to go down to Bentonville Ak and hammer out a deal. Awe. Life in America. So Ace did very well. Paul and Genes solo records didn’t even come close to Ace’s. just goes to show that when its all said and done ACE HAS BEEN AND ALWAYS WILL BE THE MOST POPULAR AND LOVED KISS BAND MEMBER. PAST OR PRESENT. LOL HAHAHA. Could you imagine Tommy and Eric’s record sales if they put out solo records???? It will be interesting how Peters will sell being a hard rock album.
So, when very Jewish Mel Brooks makes movies that constantly goof on the Jew stereotype, including having a guy dressed as Hitler giving the seig heil salute (Blazing Saddles), that’s just a joke, right? When Ace does it, it’s just terrible, hmm? Give me a break. Mel Brooks is hilarious, Ace Frehley is hilarious. End of story.
Give up this argument. It is so stupid. The man’s mother was a holocaust survivor. YOU DON’T DO NONSENSE LIKE THAT. Even if he was wasted and apologetic, why the hell was that uniform which fit him by the way around. This is between him and Gene. If Gene forgives him cool, if not “oh well.”
Would it be hilarious to you if someone dressed as THE JOKER visited the homes of victims of THE DARK KNIGHT premiere massacre in Colorado?
Once again, Ace proves himself to be the coolest member of KISS, past or present. Rock on, Mr. Spaceman!
On another note, I still think on TMS, they were harder on Kiss not playing the RNR HOF than they were on Axl decling to reunite Guns. I just hate when people walk on eggshells around Axl. Paul and Gene and Axl are a bunch of crybabies for not giving back to the fans who put them there. Suck it up, play some songs, its just rock and roll! #BillionDollarBabies
They should be harder on KISS, especially Paul and Gene who shot down the hof reunion idea. How are they any different than Axl Rose?
Ace Frehley is a lot smarter than people think, especially with all of the negative comments about him from Gene and Paul over the years. In the latest war or words (mostly from Paul), it is cool to see Ace taking the high road. Classy move, Ace, looking forward to the new record.
He is indeed. After all his IQ was 164.
I’m going to have to disagree with you on that. I don’t think he is smarter than we think. Listen to his interview with Eddie Trunk. Based on that, he’s about as smart as One would think.