Ace Frehley claims to keep a 120-page document of "dirt" on Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons in a safety deposit box

Ace Frehley headshot
(Image credit: Bobby Bank)

Former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley has demanded an apology from Paul Stanley after Stanley allegedly insulted him. 

The alleged insult was made during Kiss's recent appearance on Howard Stern's Sirius XM radio show, when the band confirmed details of their final live shows. Asked by Stern about their refusal to perform with Frehley and former drummer Peter Criss at their induction into the Rock & Roll Hall Of Fame in 2014, frontman Paul Stanley responded, "Because if you saw people onstage who looked like Kiss but sounded like that... maybe we should be called Piss."

Frehley appears to have taken umbrage at the remark, and issued an ultimatum during an appearance on Eddie Trunk's Trunk Nation show, which is also hosted by Sirius XM.

"I'm going to make a statement to Paul Stanley right now" Frehley said. "I'm telling you that I want a formal apology for what you said, and a retraction and an apology within seven days. And if I don't get that within seven days I'm coming back on Ed Trunk's show – if you'll have me, Ed – and I'm going to tell some dirt that nobody knows about Paul and Gene, that I've always kept to myself because I'm the kind of guy who doesn't talk about this. I like to talk about positive stuff.

"My attorney has it in a safety deposit box. God forbid anything happens to me, my attorney is instructed to release it to the New York TimesRolling Stone, everybody. So they can't intimidate me with trying to hurt me or saying 'you better not say anything about me live on the radio,' because then they're totally screwed. Their careers will be ruined. Those guys aren't squeaky clean. You know how many lawsuits girls have had against Gene?"

Frehley and the current members of Kiss have a long history of trading insults. In 2014 Stanley described Frehley and Criss as being "like flat tires" during an episode of the Joe Rogan podcast, but two years later he struck a more conciliatory tone, telling KLOS, “Look, life’s too short, and regardless of whatever differences we will have and continue to have and things that we don’t agree on, there’s no denying what we started together."

Fraser Lewry

Online Editor at Louder/Classic Rock magazine since 2014. 38 years in music industry, online for 25. Also bylines for: Metal Hammer, Prog Magazine, The Word Magazine, The Guardian, The New Statesman, Saga, Music365. Former Head of Music at Xfm Radio, A&R at Fiction Records, early blogger, ex-roadie, published author. Once appeared in a Cure video dressed as a cowboy, and thinks any situation can be improved by the introduction of cats. Favourite Serbian trumpeter: Dejan Petrović.