The relationship between KISS founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley and the band’s original guitarist, Ace Frehley, has been well documented over the years. Frehley was with KISS from 1973 to 1982 and again from 1996 to 2002. Guitarist Tommy Thayer replaced Frehley and also donned his iconic “Spaceman” makeup which was and still is seen as controversial in some KISS fan circles. KISS is currently in the midst of their “End of the Road” tour, and Simmons has reached out to Frehley on Twitter with an invitation to join the band for encores on their farewell trek. “Happy Birthday Ace @ace_frehley,” Simmons wrote. “And many more…The invitations still stand. Jump up on stage with us for encores. The fans would love it.”
Frehley turned 71 on Wednesday, and Simmons’ remarks echo what he said previously about Frehley and original drummer Peter Criss being welcome to join the band onstage. Those comments came in 2019 and sparked a rebuttal from Frehley who called Simmons “an a*shole and a sex addict.” Simmons and Frehley have set aside their differences in recent years. They shared the stage for a benefit show in 2017, and in 2018, Frehley joined KISS for an acoustic set onboard the KISS Kruise marking the first time he played with his former band in 17 years. Simmons also recently doubled down on his previous comments that “rock is dead” in a new interview with Metal Hammer. “I stand by my words: rock is dead,” he said. “The people that killed it are fans. Fans killed the thing they loved by downloading and file sharing for free. How do you expect somebody who loves the guitar to come into this creative process? You’ve got to invent yourself. And so rock is dead.”
The fire-breathing bassist also recently elaborated on KISS’ decision to retire. “The last thing that you want to do is be a guy that stays in the ring too long and gets his *ss beat,” Simmons said. “Get out of the ring when you’re a champion. You got to understand — we love [Mick] Jagger and Bruno Mars and Bono and anybody else, they’re all great, but if you put those guys — Beyoncé, put Beyoncé in my outfit with seven-to-eight-inch platform heels, dragon boots that each weigh as much as a bowling ball, the entire outfit, studs, leather and armor is about 40 pounds,” he explained. “The guitar and the studs is 12 pounds by itself. Then, you got to spit fire, fly through the air and do that for two hours. They would pass out within a half hour. We are the hardest-working band out there and take pride in it. And not every band should be out there too long. You’ve got to have some pride and not stay too long. Always keep them wanting. I’m the most blessed and grateful guy in the world to be able to be in a band where I can wear more makeup and higher heels than your girlfriend.”
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