Ace Frehley Speaks, And He's Grumpy
Sit Down Grampa
KISS. The merchandise machine who really has nothing more to do with music pays the bills for its original members quite well. Gene Simmons the tongue wagging business man has made the band a lifestyle product and the people come in droves to buy what he offers. Problem is the sour grapes of former band mates. Case in point Ace Frehley who is sounding much like a bitchy old man in his conversations with Blabbermouth.com
Last month Simmons was asked if there was any chance of an original line-up reunion during a future induction ceremony. He said: “No – how many chances in life to do you get? Those guys had three chances to be in the band. Three times they fucked it up. When you have a cancer in your system, its best to cut it out as fast as you can.”
Now Frehley tells Eddie Trunk, “Gene used to say to me in the seventies, every time I did something stupid: ‘Ace, you’re shooting yourself in the foot again.’ Well, he’s been shooting himself in the foot for years.
“Gene’s living in the past. He’s become a caricature of himself. From the very beginning his only motivation was money.
“The guy has no friends. He’s not respected by his peers. He’s pissed off thousands of fans. He’s never had a hit single, like I’ve had.
“He took the safe route – he never got loaded, he never partied. I took the same route Elvis took, and Hendrix, and Keith Richards and Jim Morrison… it’s endless. I have all this life experience and thank God I can live to talk about it.
“What’s he going to talk about? All he can do is badmouth other people.”
Simmons hasn’t denied Frehley is entitled to attend the band’s induction if and when it happens – and the guitarist is certain he’ll exercise his right.
“I’m happy that I’m gonna be inducted, most likely next year, in April, in New York City,” he says. “It should be a great event. There’s no way Gene can put a lid on it. I mean, what’s he gonna do?”
I think this could be the only time I ever read a slur about not getting loaded and calling it the ‘safe route’. Which is why I have to say this entire band is a bunch of disgruntled old men. Since when are you better than someone for emulating dead junkies? This guy is awesome.
