In a new Interview with Tulsa World, Ace Frehley talks about being the coolest guy in KISS.
“If you look at polls on the Internet, I was voted the most liked member of the band, so I don’t know. If you believe polls on the Internet, I guess it’s true… In my mind, I probably was the coolest guy. Paul [Stanley] and Gene [Simmons] didn’t really have the street smarts that I had. They lived more of a sheltered life. I had a pretty crazy life before I even joined KISS. I came to the band with a lot more life experience, I think. It made me more prepared for the insanity of the roller coaster ride with KISS.”
Frehley further added:
“I grew up in the Bronx. I was a member of a couple of different gangs. I had slept with a lot of women prior to joining KISS. It wasn’t my first time in the rodeo, so to speak, you know?”
A few years ago, Ace had released a statement saying:
“Many times they didn’t think I was cool, because maybe I didn’t show up or I was late or I was too loaded. But it went along with the territory those days. I wouldn’t do anything any differently than I did. It was a learning experience for me… I got cool from being in the streets. I grew up in the streets; I was in street gangs. I used to set up my friends with dates, and that’s how I got the nickname ‘Ace.’ I mean, it’s just a lot of things. The way I carried myself… I don’t know. I think you’re either born with it or you’re not.”
2 comments
If Ace Frehley never walks into that loft in ‘73 to audition there NEVER would have been a KISS… he WAS their entire sound & Gene said as much as soon as they finished playing Deuce together for the first time….. of course Stanley Eisen is too much of a narcissistic POS scumbag to admit the TRUTH…. in other words there is no Paul Stanley or Gene Simmons WITHOUT Paul “Ace” Frehley…. this there never would have been a band called KISS… it’s that simple!
That’s true. Ace and Peter were the coolest of the bunch. They seemed more grounded (or authentic), where as Paul and Gene were also cool, but they were more “theatrical”, possibly to compensate for their lack of talent. They removed their make up to put the focus on their music. Sadly that backfired and they had to put the make up back on. At least Ace and Peter will always be cool. I bet if Ace and Peter started their own band Paul and Gene would be begging them to let them join in.