Ace Frehley reveals the moment Kiss fell apart: “Nothing can last forever”
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Former Kiss vocalist Ace Frehley has reflected on his time in the band, and pinpointed the precise moment when his future started to become untenable.
Although the band waved goodbye in 2023 after 50 years together, Frehley left in 1982 after founding the glam-rock outfit nine years prior. At the time of his departure, Kiss were wildly successful and one of the most successful groups on the planet, however, for Frehley, he no longer found joy from the experience.
While it was a difficult decision to part ways with the band, Frehley no longer felt comfortable with the musical direction they had begun to follow, and needed to leave in order to fulfil his creative desires with a solo career.
Notably, Frehley eventually returned to the fold in 1996 for a reunion with the original line-up which was hugely successful and financially lucrative. However, this stint was largely based on nostalgia rather than making new material with Frehley only contributing to one new song before departing again in 2002.
In a new appearance on the GuitarTales podcast, Frehley looked back on the band’s normal lives before hitting the big time, recalling, “Paul (Stanley) worked in a sandwich shop. I delivered liquor. I was a postman for six months. We did all sorts of jobs before we started making the big bucks.”
During the “early days” of the band, Frehley stated that he and Gene Simmons would share a room in a Holiday Inn while on tour. However, once the money began to roll in, they embraced the rock ‘n’ roll lifestyle, stating, “After Alive hit we each had our own suites. That’s when the band started, you know, everybody was going in their own direction. And it was kind of the beginning of the end.”
Further elaborating on how success changed the chemistry between the bandmates, Frehley added, “Once we became rich, we all became millionaires, everybody started going their own way. Everybody had their own limo. Everybody had their own bodyguard. So, you know, nothing can last forever.”
Despite Kiss retiring in 2023, their story is still alive, and Frehley is confident they “created something that will endure way after we’re all dead and buried.”
Before they bowed out at Madison Square Garden, Simmons revealed both Frehley and original drummer Peter Criss had rejected the opportunity to participate in the rock band’s farewell show.
Earlier this year, the band signed a lucrative $300 million deal Pophouse Entertainment group, who purchased the band’s name, logo, image, likeness rights and back catalogue. As part of the agreement, Kiss are currently planning to create an avatar show, which they state will kickstart a “new era of Kiss” and through technology, the band hope to “perform to fans for decades to come”.
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