Following the release of his new album, Space Invader, former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley recently sat down with LoudWire to discuss his once-upon-a-time band.
During the interview he was asked to say one nice thing about each Kiss member. And surprisingly, he did just that ... and then some.
In just under five minutes, Frehley discusses his party days with both Peter Criss and Eric Carr, being distant with Paul Stanley, his solidarity with Eric Singer, and of course, his thoughts on Gene Simmons.
Check out the video below:
And now, how about some highlights...
On Stanley: "I think he's a great songwriter," Frehley says. "He's written some great songs over the years and I respect that. But I should probably produce the next Kiss record."
The guitarist then admits that Stanley was "less outgoing" offstage. "The Paul Stanley you see onstage, he's much more subdued offstage. ... I didn't see much of Paul after the show. What he was doing on his own, there's a big question mark."
On Criss: "Peter's a fun guy to be around." Simple enough!
On Carr: "Me and Eric partied together a few times. He was a little sometimes distant because, you know, he knew Paul and Gene frowned upon that, but I always had a great relationship with Eric."
On Singer: "Eric Singer is such a solid drummer. His timing is impeccable. I've always had a good relationship with Eric. ... On and off the stage, he's a solid guy."
And for the one we've been waiting for, Ace Frehley's view of Gene Simmons:
"Me and Gene are a lot closer and get along a lot better than most people would think," he notes. "Gene's bark is a lot worse than his bite. My favorite quality about Gene is he tells you like it is. He doesn't say one thing and then behind your back say something else. He'll tell you right to your face what he thinks."
Having said those nice things about Simmons, Frehley then had to add just a few more statements. "He's not always right," he says. "And sometimes he tries to rewrite history a little like saying I got dumped from the band, which is a complete falsehood. I quit the band twice. Other than that, he's okay."
The guitarist ended the interview saying, "Marketing genius? A bit questionable, but we'll see."
