Ace Frehley believes Kiss bassist Gene Simmons has “alienated just about everybody on the planet” with his recent comments on depression, addiction and poverty. And the guitarist has predicted his former colleague could next turn on gay people – all because he doesn’t understand the human condition.
His comments stem from Simmons’ incendiary comments about depression, when he claimed his message to anyone preparing to take their own lives was, “Fuck you, then kill yourself.” He later apologized for his statements.
Now Frehley tells Artisan News Service, “First he attacks immigrants, then he belittles poor people by saying, ‘Be nice to the rich people because we’re the ones that give you jobs.’ Then he attacks people with depression, alcoholics, drug addicts. The only thing left for him to do is to attack the whole gay movement. I’ve heard him do that in private, so that’s probably still yet to come.”
The guitarist argues Simmons isn’t as clever as he likes to think. “I don’t think he makes any sense,” he reflects. “He prides himself on being such an intellectual, he brags about being able to speak seven languages, but when it comes to being knowledgeable about the human condition – depression is a very serious disease.
I’ve suffered from it, I know my daughter suffers from it. Alcoholism is a disease, so is drug addiction; it’s the disease of addiction. Many people are born that way – and Gene just seems ignorant of that whole fact. I think it’s time for Gene to go back to school and get educated in the health field.”
source: classicrockmagazine.com
Well said!!
I have studied health, extensively, a great class by David Buchanan, a retired pro football player/professor. And the problem with the drug rehab industry is that they treat drug addiction as a mental illness, a disease. Drug addiction and depression are a dys-ease, it’s telling you something is wrong, but it’s in its second stage, this is much different than a dis-ease which is when something is in its third and final stage. You can get to this final stage with alcohol especially, and with drugs, but do you know how heavy into it you have to be to get there? Most people don’t get that far, and this is a big failing of the drug rehab industry. This crucial interpretation would then employ a more holistic approach, instead of prescribing treatments such as an extensive anti-depressant regimen, which should only be reserved for the much fewer people that have hit the dis-ease threshold. The drug rehab industry is not pragmatic, they won’t tailor a program for a specific set of circumstances. They use psychological tactics like shaming you, which is done covertly, and makes the addiction worse, the guilt compounds the usage. Thus, making you more dependent on them to fix you. Again, it’s a for profit business. Some proof for what I’m saying is that the vast majority of people that go through these programs relapse, I think there’s is a cause/effect with the shaming tactics, that is if they don’t hand you off to a psychiatrist (and not all of them are bad) to get you loaded up on anti-depressants; they are given a commission by the drug companies, the doctors and the rehab facility.
Loving the new CD! Can’t wait to see what the sales are for the first week which I assume should be pretty good. Just wish the joker was not on it.
Agree Brian, love Ace & the CD, but if I want to hear “The Joker”, I’ll listen to The Steve Miller Band. That’s the only track I skip, sorry Ace! 😉
Well said Ace!!
Tell it like it is Ace. Don’t mince words. I like the way you talk plainly and openly these days. Keep it up. How I wish those who can only bad-mouth Ace would come to realize that Gene has as many, if not more faults, than Ace. Who says stuff like depressed people should kill themselves?! Only Gene. Forget Gene’s apology. He always says what he really means. Ace is a grown up these days – or at least WAY more so than Gene or Paul for that matter. Like I’ve said before on other blogs, Gene and Paul preach like they are above it all, but when you listen to their words and comments, come across like they are both always without fault (EGO) and degenerating in maturity. When people can only say bad things about other people, like Gene and Paul, I just tune them out. I wish more people would. It would be to everyone’s benefit.
You contradicted yourself. You said that Gene always believes what he says and you also said that you need to disregard his apology. Well, if Gene always believes what he says, then his apology must be genuine. You seem to do a good job of cherry-picking Gene’s statements in order to enforce your pre-established opinion of him. Also, you need to work on understanding the context of statements because you clearly didn’t understand the entire context to his “should kill themselves” comment.
You are incorrect about any pre-established opinions of him. Not at all. My believe is that what he said initially is what he really means. The apology of his was very likely prompted by the public backlash rather than him coming to his senses and doing the right thing. It was about damage control and protecting his brand and $. That is how his brain works.
Forget Gene’s apology? Why? Your more than willing to accept and “forgive” everything Ace has done…from sniffing half of peru, drinking virtually anything that wasn’t nailed down…which lead to divorces, led to him letting down the band and fans, essentially ruining most of his career, to putting friends and innocent bystanders in danger with high speed car chases, not to mention all the slagging of Paul and Gene the man has done himself over the years but you can’t accept Gene’s apology? Rich, that’s pretty much the definition of a hypocrite.
All the stuff you bring up is from the past. I live in the present. I am talking about the difference between Gene and Ace’s behavior today. Of course an apology should be accepted if it is real. I believe Gene’s apology is primarily about damage control and protecting the Gene brand. He doesn’t just shoot from the hip; he says what he really means. I don’t hear Ace making the kind of asinine or insulting remarks Gene or Paul do in 2014. I don’t care what Ace did many years ago. You seem to care as much about the past. I believe Gene and Paul act and talk like degenerates these days based on what I hear their quotes in the media these days. Nothing hypocritical about that. And I’m far from the only one who thinks this way about these guys.
So when does someone’s current issues become past issues with you Rich that you forgive and forget and stop caring about? Based on your criteria with Ace, Gene should be a pretty ok guy to you sooner or later. Just a matter of time maybe….?
It’s ridiculous when people try to disregard the past when the past has a great deal to do with how we are now. Sure, it’s important to focus on the present but we learn from the past and the past develops who we are today. By your line of reasoning if we should forgive past mistakes based on one’s sincerity, how sincere do you think Ace is about his past mistakes? It’s a learning experience. Gene is experiencing that right now. What do want him to do–shed some tears on national television for his misunderstood (and misinformed) views on depression?