Kiss legend Ace Frehley has given an ultimatum to Paul Stanley to apologize.
The apology is for the comments Paul made about the original KISS guitarist on “The Howard Stern Show”.
Paul said:
“[The Rock Hall organizers] were demanding, quite honestly, that we play with the two original guys, Peter and Ace, and at this point, that would be demeaning to the [current KISS] band, and also would give some people confusion. ‘Cause if you saw people on stage who looked like KISS but sounded like that, maybe we should be called PISS.”
Now Ace has launched an attack on SiriusXM’s “Trunk Nation With Eddie Trunk”.
Ace said: “You know what it is? It’s Paul’s frustration and insecurity that he has to use backing tapes. And we’re only six months apart, and I can still get up there and belt it out and hit the keys, and he can’t. And it’s very unfortunate. And I’m very sad [about] the fact that he’s using backing tracks. It’s cheapening the brand, which affects my bottom line, because I still get paid from KISS on merchandising and whatever else they do. And I’m pissed off about it.”
Frehley added: Those guys have been badmouthing me since I quit the very first time in 1981, 1982, calling me a drug addict, calling me an alcoholic, saying I’m unemployable, I’m undependable. And then, when we did the ‘Unplugged’ thing for MTV, all of a sudden I’m offered millions of dollars to come back to the band. Oh, what happened? Now I’m not a drug addict and I’m dependable and you’re willing to take a shot at hiring me again? In fact, they offered me more money than they offered Peter.
“The reunion tour was one of the most successful tours KISS ever did,” Frehley continued.
“It grossed over 250 million dollars the first year. It was the largest-grossing tour of that year, by any band in the United States and Europe. And I got paid, and I said, ‘Okay, I’ll see you guys. I’m going back to my solo [career].’ And then all of a sudden they said, ‘No. We’re thinking about doing a farewell tour.’ I said, ‘Okay. What kind of money are we talking about?’ And it was acceptable. And I said, ‘Why not make a few more million dollars?'”
Circling back to Stanley’s comments about him, Ace said: “Let me tell you something, my brother and the fans. Nobody knows this, but when I was living in San Diego with my [then-]girlfriend, I got a phone call from Paul, Doc [McGhee, KISS manager] and Gene. We did a conference call, and they were asking me to play with them on stage. They wanted me to play. They wanted to do it. And I said, ‘I’m not getting up on stage with Tommy [Thayer, current KISS guitarist] if he’s wearing my makeup. You expect me to wear makeup. There will be two Spacemen. Are you crazy? I’ll do it if it’s just us four — the original founding members who created something very special.
“For the last 15 years they’ve had other people playing what Peter did, and Tommy’s copying every solo I ever wrote, and trying to copy my moves, and trying to be cool on stage, but unsuccessfully [laughs] — unfortunately. But with all the bombs and the smoke and mirrors, they’re getting away with it. Personally, I don’t give a sh*t as long as I’m getting paid by them.
“But as far as what he said on Howard Stern, I’m going to make a statement to Paul Stanley right now,” Ace said. “And Paul, if you’re not listening, I’m sure one of your associates in the KISS group are. And I’m telling you that I want my 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 and I’m gonna 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 the positive stuff.
Earlier, Kiss’ manager Doc McGhee recently talked to Mike Brunn where he said why Kiss wouldn’t be where it’s today without Ace Frehley or Peter Criss.
Doc said:
“Look, we are not a jam band. Historically, we don’t have anybody come up and play with us. We play Kiss songs, and we’re seven feet tall, [and] we’re monsters, and we’re the superheroes on stage, and people don’t really like to get out with us because they look like midgets.
”So, it’s a different animal. I mean, we’re like the Super Bowl… the team plays football, they don’t have guest star quarterbacks, guest star wide receivers, guest stars this and that.
”We play Kiss; we tribute people on stage, their songs, videos, all that stuff; that’s all great because that’s part of our heritage, and again, there’s no way that Kiss could have been where they’re today without Ace, and Peter, and Gene and Paul at the beginning for sure, and there’s no way that we could be where we’re at today with all four it’s just, that’s just the way it goes, it’s just nutrition.”