Rock lost one of its most iconic figures this week with the death of former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley at the age of 74. Born in the Bronx in 1951, he co-founded the band in 1973, taking on the mantle of The Spaceman. While Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley’s sharp business minds helped propel Kiss to stardom, Ace was the band’s true heart - the one a generation of rock’n’roll kids related to.
His wild personality and fondness for partying would see him clash with the more sober-minded Simmons and Stanley, and Ace parted ways with Kiss in 1982. He always insisted he chose to leave rather than was fired, though his solo career failed to scale the same heights. He would be back in Kiss when the original quartet reunited in 1996, though that union ended for the second and final time six years later.
He was always proud of what he achieved with Kiss, if not necessarily happy with his bandmates. In 2014, on the 40th anniversary of the band’s first album, Classic Rock looked back on his time in Kiss and beyond.
2014 the 40th anniversary of Kiss’s first album. What do you remember about those sessions?
I used to stress about the solos. I hadn’t blossomed into a singer or songwriter yet so all I focused on was doing the best possible solos. Everything else was gravy. It was a combination of nerves and excitement. I knew we had a special chemistry that was really gonna take off, it was just a matter of time.
When you told your family you were in a band who wore make-up, did they think you were crazy?
No, I was already a loony tune before I joined Kiss. Kiss just allowed me to express myself in a more flamboyant way. My parents were thrilled because I was off the street and I wasn’t getting into trouble.
Was there a leader in Kiss in those early days?
There was no leader; everything was democratic. Some people did more work in certain areas than others. I was always a creative guy and always the peacemaker. I wanted everybody to get along.
Kiss had a share of conflict within the band. Did that work to your advantage creatively?
We were like family, and within a family there’s always going to be disagreements. The friction for the most part was positive. Everybody knew everyone else’s limits. Peter had a bad temper; you didn’t want to push him too far because you were afraid he was gonna snap. And I could snap too, especially if I was loaded. Paul and Gene were more sedate but those guys were always workaholics
It took a while for Kiss to break through. Did you ever have any doubts you would make it?
I’ve always said from the time I was fifteen or sixteen that I was gonna be a rock star. If Kiss wouldn’t have happened it would have been with another band. There were times when we were on the road for six months living in Holiday Inns and eating out of a can, so you get a little despondent from time to time, but we continued to believe in what we were doing. Alive! broke everything wide open and after that we were headlining everywhere.
When the windfall hit, how much was your first huge royalty check?
I don’t remember the exact figure, but when money started coming in everybody in the band bought cars and houses; I bought my Porsche, I bought Corvettes, Cadillacs. I remember sitting in a board meeting and our business manager telling us we were all millionaires.
What changed for you once Kiss became hugely successful?
People treat you differently, especially people you didn’t know on the way up. When you get on the road everybody you meet is treating you like you’re some kind of god. The way I kept grounded was staying close with old friends who knew me before I was famous. It was the only way I could feel normal. I couldn’t hang out with people that I had met once I became famous because they were treating me special and I didn’t know if they had ulterior motives. It was strange.
You had your share of ups and downs in Kiss on a personal level. When was the band most unified?
We had that feeling in the beginning. In my opinion, what really started changing everybody was money. Once the money started rolling in and we all started getting our suites and surrounding ourselves with different people, we started growing apart. Everybody started writing on their own;
it wasn’t collaboration any more. It was the beginning of the end.
How did it feel to finally be accepted by the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame?
I always felt we were gonna get in. You can only ignore Kiss for so long. I knew they would have to eventually buckle. It felt great but unfortunately the happy feelings were marred by other people’s decisions.
Your autobiography is titled No Regrets. Be honest, now: do you have any regrets about your behaviour while with Kiss?
I made tons of mistakes; we all did. I might have made more than the other members, but in sobriety I realised I had to make those mistakes to get to where I am. You have to make an asshole out of yourself sometimes for the light bulb to go off in your head where you go: “Wow, I can’t do that any more.” I hit my bottom more than once. I mean, thank God, I have a strong constitution and, knock on wood, I’ve got
a clean bill of health.
This feature was originally published in Classic Rock issue 196 (March 2014)
You must confirm your public display name before commenting
Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.
