KISS main men Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons refused to regroup the original KISS line-up for a performance at the band’s Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction because they were afraid fans would demand a reunion tour, according to guitarist Ace Frehley.
Stanley and Simmons pulled the plug on a performance at induction in April after the Hall of Fame bosses refused to honor their current bandmates alongside original members Frehley and drummer Peter Criss, so the live spectacular fans had hoped for was nixed – and now the group’s original guitarist tells WENN the KISS army will never forgive his old bandmates.
He explains, “After 40 years, you think they could have given the fans 15 minutes that night. Peter and I wanted to perform, the Hall of Fame wanted us to do it, but Paul and Gene shot it down. It was a moment in history that was lost and some of the fans will never forgive them for that.
But I’ll tell you why Paul and Gene didn’t wanna perform with me and Peter – they were afraid of history repeating itself. When me and Peter performed with them on the MTV Unplugged sessions in 1995, the place went completely crazy and they had to scrap their album that they had just recorded with Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer and they had to do a reunion tour.
They’re on tour right now with Tommy (Thayer) and Eric (Singer) and they didn’t want anything to overshadow that. They were afraid that everyone was gonna demand a reunion again if we played.”
And Frehley has used his new WENN interview to respond to fresh criticism from Stanley, who recently stated his former lead guitarist was not fit “to wear the uniform,” explaining, “If you no longer can uphold your end or live up to the stature that we set for ourselves in the beginning, if you are compromised by drugs or alcohol, if you’ve lost sight of how lucky we are to be in this position, then you no longer deserve to wear the uniform.”
Frehley insists he was never as bad as his former bandmates paint him – and he hopes his new album Space Invader, due August 19th and his first solo album in five years, will prove he’s still got what it takes.
He adds, “It’s a joke. In concert, I always delivered, and 95 per cent of the time I delivered on record. It’s there, it’s history. All they’re trying to do is discredit me, so it validates the new line-up. They’ll look foolish when my new album comes out.
“I think they’re just cranky that every time they go on the Internet they have to read fans saying, ‘Get Ace back’.”
source: express.co.uk
187 Responses
The original members of KISS will be acting like bickering old ladies until the end. The world needs a break from all of their squabbling. All the noise of the past year makes you forget why you were a fan in the first place.
I hope it’s better than Anomaly. I thought it had some good stuff, but overall disappointing. I liked Monster much better. That being said, I can’t wait for SI to come out.
I don’t live in the past, KISS could never exist today with Ace and Peter. I am fine with them all doing there own thing. Going to see KISS Sunday in NJ, can’t wait !!!
Brian,
I agree, we can’t live in the past…KISS in 2014 will never match KISS in 1977. But KISS today has 2 members wearing Ace and Peter’s makeup…and they play 90%+ of music from their time with Ace and Peter in concert. So doesn’t it seem like KISS is trying to be relevant today by living off their past?
Michael
Of course they’re living off the past! They’re not even playing any songs from the current lineup on tour.
Right on Michael, excellent point.
KISS with Ace and Peter today, would be even further from matching KISS from1977. KISS is my favorite band and the 70’s are my favorite era.
You can’t compare Kiss 1977 to Kiss 2014. Two totally different times. You were a kid in 1977. Do you look at an amusement park now, in 2014, the same way you did in 1977? No, you did not. To not realize the difference shows immaturity. You need to evolve.
“Do you look at an amusement park now, in 2014, the same way you did in 1977? No, you did not. ”
Uhhhh…..YES I DO. and I bet others do also….what was important, exciting & memorable back then hasn’t changed today…….just my opinion…..Joe in The Cuse
And once again, Joe, you prove you have no depth or substance and you haven’t matured as an adult. Thank you. You proved my point.
And (lmao) once again “Dana’s boyfriend says”, you have more than proved why you’re just the average standard internet meathead….and not just a tool…..Joe in The Cuse
I looked at an amusement park in 2014 and saw two guys dressed as peter and ace, getting sandwiches and eating with the roadies.
Yes, they were eating sandwiches that the real Peter served them in the drive thru.
But the real Ace and Peter were nowhere to be found. Must be at home waiting on their social security checks.
I’m sure Thayer and singer could wait at home in the same way as ace and peter.
Tommy and Eric might soon be at home again waiting for someone to call them to go on tour again, when Kiss is over. or they might show the new members in Kiss 2 how to play Ace’s licks (another but legendary remark of G and P that T had to teach Ace …) . Maybe Alice will call Singer again, but who will call Tommy? Also, who will REcall Tommy for his creative work in Kiss?? On the other hand, despite all his flaws and bad decisions, who will remember Ace for what he did in Kiss?!! And Brian, even though Peter might not be as Rich as G and P, far from it, he is still a lot richer than you will ever be, I am sure, so your comment kis just an automatic repetition of old disinformation and rumours.
Dana’s boyfriend? Is that you Arthur Fonzerelli? AAAAAAAYYYYYYY!
Sit on it Fonzy! 😉
What does that even mean?
Jump the shark! It’s over! 🙂
Current Kiss is a nostalgia act and a cover band.
The Rolling Stones are a nostalgic act. Judas Priest is a nostalgic act. The Who is a nostalgic act. So what’s your point?
I love all those bands you mentioned. I doubt I’ll attend any more of their concerts, but I still love them.
When I said current Kiss is a nostalgia act I was expressing my frustration at a comment Paul Stanley made back during the whole Rock and Roll Hall of Fame debacle. He said: “Their craving of nostalgia or for wanting to have us play by their rules in many ways jeopardizes what we have spent 40 years building. I’ve been there since the beginning, and when I put on my Kiss gear, I do it with great pride, and anything that may jeopardize that by going out with a lineup that I might question is a nonstarter for me.”
My point is that Paul overlooked the fact that using Ace and Peter impersonators and playing songs mostly from the 70’s is nothing but nostalgia. In addition, Paul’s voice is so shot that him implying that Ace and Peter would have brought down the high standards of a Kiss show are ridiculous when he brings them down himself. It was painful to listen to Paul’s singing on the Tonight Show and then the concert they streamed live from Charlotte, NC a few weeks ago. Paul is still an amazing showman, but for him to stand on stage night after night, charge ridiculously high prices, and sing so poorly tarnishes his “brand.”
Actually I proved you wrong….but nice try to spin it off……Joe In The Cuse
I’m confused Joe, what did you prove and to whom?
To “Dana’s boyfriend says”…..just responding to him and by reading his other posts he really has proved he is a meathead…..Joe in The Cuse
‘I’m not here to talk about the past”
Please stop! Ace, it is over. You are not gonna put out a record to make Paul and Gene look foolish. It will sell about 60k and fall to the cutout bin. You have not been relevant since the Carter Administration!
Face it, your girlfriend dumped you and has found someone that fits. Remember when you were in the band??!! Good times, but you took your eye off the ball and now you put out mediocre records and complain about your ex’s new flame.
Please…..all 4 of you…..shut up!!!
Spoken-
TOMMY THAYER COMES WALKIN’ UP TO ME ONE DAY
AND I’M WALKIN’ DOWN THE STREET
MINDIN’ MY OWN BUSINESS
AND HE LOOKS ME UP AND HE LOOKS ME DOWN AND SAYS
“HEY MAN, WHAT BE THIS” AND “WHAT BE THAT” AND
“WHY YOU GOTTA LOOK LIKE THAT?”
I JUST LOOKED AT HIM AND KINDA LAUGHED AND SAID
HEY MAN, I AM COOL, I AM ACE FREHLEY!
Sorry Paul, sorry Richman, no lawsuits please, the check’s in the mail! LOL! 😉
HAVEN’T YOU HEARD THERE’S A NEW REVOLUTION
GOTTA SPREAD THE WORD – TOO MUCH CONFUSION.
You know there is a version of Eric Carr singing that song out there. It sounds like Eric trying to sound like Paul. At that time, Paul’s swagger was in full effect which gives that song its staying power. Paulie was rapping years before ANTHRAX and AEROSMITH and with no outside help.
ALL HELL’s BREAKIN’ LOOSE! Great song, I wish they had played that on the reunion, Psycho Circus, and the farewell tour! But to me, I always hear it as Paul’s “talking”, NOT rapping. Even back in ’83, there was a difference. Even the introduction of the song says, “Spoken-“. ROCK THE NATION! 🙂