About a month ago, KISS appeared on “The Howard Stern Show” to perform some of their classic hits as well as to discuss the final dates of their “End Of The Road” world tour which will take place in December at Madison Square Garden in New York.
During the interview, KISS guitarist/singer Paul Stanley talked about the band’s induction into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. Stanley mentioned the Rock Hall wanted the original four KISS members to perform, but that was never going to be in the cards.
“We had too much pride in this [current] lineup, which is KISS, and has been KISS for 20 years,” he said. “It’s not newcomers — this is the band.”
Stanley also threw a dig at original members Ace Frehley and Peter Criss saying: “And for us to go onstage — they were demanding, quite honestly, that we play with the two original guys, Peter and Ace.”
Stanley said that “would be demeaning to the band, and also would give some people confusion. Because if you saw people on stage who looked like KISS but sounded like that, maybe we should be called P*SS.”
On Wednesday, original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley appeared on Sirius XM’s Trunk Nation with Eddie Trunk where he responded to Stanley’s dig.
Trunk asked if Ace had a formal offer from KISS to rejoin the group for the band’s last two shows in New York.
“Absolutely not,” Frehley said. “But I have read interviews where Gene and Paul are inferring, and actually have invited me. I think they’ve in a way deceived the fans, because that makes the fans think that me and Peter and Bruce are gonna show up … I think the fans are anticipating me being on stage. I haven’t been contacted formally. If they want me to get up on stage they better have deep pockets.”
Frehley continued: “Unfortunately from what I understand, I’ve been told Paul went on Howard Stern and when Howard Stern addressed Paul about why didn’t he get up on stage with me and Peter, correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe he made a comment saying ,’If we would’ve got on stage with Peter and Ace, you could’ve called the band P*SS.”
Trunk confirmed that Ace was correct. “Well, those guys have been bad mouthing me since I quite the very first time in 1981, 1982, calling me a drug addict, calling me an alcoholic, saying I’m unemployable, I’m undependable. When we did the ‘Unplugged’ thing for MTV, all the sudden, I’m offered millions of dollars to come back to the band.”
“The narrative that you can’t (play live), doesn’t work,” Trunk later said.
Frehley replied: “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 for the fact that he’s using backing tracks, it’s cheapening the brand which affects my bottom line, because I still get paid for KISS on merchandising and whatever else they do.”
“I’m p*ssed off about it. But what I’m more p*ssed off about is what he said. What he said was hitting below the belt. At the time he said that (of the Rock Hall induction), I was already eight years sober. And he’s making a statement and trying to project to fans listening to ‘The Howard Stern Show’ that I was unreliable at the time. And it’s a complete falsehood, and it’s a lie. And I think he’s just p*ssed off that I left the group and I’m still successful.”
Frehley then issued an ultimatum to Stanley.
“As far as what he said, I’m gonna make a statement to Paul Stanley right now. And Paul, if you’re not listening, I’m sure one of your associates in the KISS group are. I’m telling you, I want a formal apology for what you said. 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 them. I like to talk about the positive stuff …”
Frehley continued, saying he has many stories written down and locked away that could ruin the careers of Stanley and Simmons.
“I’m not the kind of guy who kisses and tells. And when it comes to negativity, and we’ve all done things we regret over the years … I have a 120-page manuscript that I wrote after I finished my book, and my attorney has it in a safety deposit box, God forbid anything happens to me, my attorney is instructed to release it to the New York Times, Rolling Stone, API, everybody. They can’t intimidate me with trying to hurt me or say, ‘You better not say anything about me live on the radio,’ because then they’re totally screwed. Their careers will be ruined.”
Frehley continued to say he would return to guest with KISS if the money was right, and that he would also do it “for the fans. Not because I want to play with Paul and Gene. As far as I’m concerned, the musicians I’m playing with now blow them off the stage.”
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