He shot rockets from his guitar, stomped across the stage in a sci-fi costume, and enjoyed rock stardom to the fullest: Kiss icon Ace Frehley was more than just a guitarist.
“We’re gonna turn the microphone over to… Ace Frehley… Shock me!” Paul Stanley screams into the microphone in August 1977, as thousands of brightly made-up fans cheer him on at the legendary Forum in Los Angeles.
Seconds later, Paul Daniel “Ace” Frehley unleashes a wild performance that culminates in a minute-long guitar solo, prompting countless rebellious youngsters to buy guitars the following day.
Tom Morello (Rage Against the Machine), Dimebag Darrell (Pantera), Sebastian Bach, Skid Row, Mike McCready (Pearl Jam), John 5 (Mötley Crüe), and Maynard James Keenan (Tool): They were all once blown away when they saw Ace Frehley, aka “Space Ace”, and his three Kabuki buddies Gene Simmons, Paul Stanley, and Peter Criss live on stage for the first time.
At the end of the 1970s, Kiss were the biggest thing the USA had to offer in rock entertainment. With their eye-catching masquerade, their distinctive hard rock sound, and a spectacular stage show featuring plenty of blood, fire, and smoke, the New York foursome reigned supreme in rock history, catering to just about every industry cliché.
Ace Frehley was the band’s bon vivant. Sex, drugs, and rock ‘n’ roll were the order of the day. While Gene and Paul ran the band and acted as the perceived figureheads, Ace and Peter preferred to party, party, and live the rock star lifestyle to the fullest.
Ace wasn’t always reliable. Behind the scenes of historic production processes (“Destroyer,” “Love Gun”), things would sometimes get pretty heated when the lead guitarist was late or didn’t show up for a recording session at all.
But when he was there, he made music history. His licks and riffs were special. Songs like “Parasite,” “Cold Gin,” and “Shock Me” were still on the setlist years after his departure from the band in 1982.
By the mid-80s, the once colorful and global spectacle had fizzled out into a mere blast from the stage. Ace was out of the band, touring smaller venues as a solo artist (“Frehley’s Comet,” “Trouble Walkin'”), while his former colleagues were lost in the hair metal no-man’s-land (“Asylum,” “Crazy Nights”).
In the mid-90s, they reunited. But for the big “reunion tour,” Ace had to suffer a lot. Alcohol had taken its toll. Many of his legendary solos had been erased from his mind. And the Hendrix fan, who grew up in the Bronx, was also physically quite worn out.
But Ace pulled through one last time. For a few years, the wild memories of the early days returned. Ace was back in the thick of the action with the greats. Two million people celebrated the band on their “reunion tour.” But the revitalized band eventually stumbled again.
Internal saber-rattling, power struggles, and ego battles catapulted Ace and Peter back to the sidelines. Ace left the band and never returned. But his shadow remained. Replacement Tommy Thayer could try as hard as he wanted. For many Kiss fans, the “new guy” on guitar never came close to the “original.”
Eventually, Ace made peace with the story, gave up alcohol, and refocused on his solo career. He would have loved to share the stage with his “brothers” again someday. During the band’s big “End of the Road” farewell tour, it came close at times. But the dream of many die-hard Kiss fans never came true.
When the final curtain fell in New York’s Madison Square Garden in December 2023, both founding members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley were somewhere, but unfortunately not where they were supposed to be.
Two years later, a crucial component of the Kiss success story has now passed away. After a fall in his recording studio, Ace Frehley reportedly suffered a cerebral haemorrhage. Today, the world receives news of the guitarist’s death.
The rock world is mourning. But one thing is certain: Ozzy, Lemmy, and the rest will welcome the “Spaceman” with open arms.
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