How ‘New Man’ Ace Frehley Might Fit Into Kiss Today
Ace Frehley has had plenty of time to think about what might happen if he rejoined Kiss, and speculation has increased in recent years that it might happen.
He talked about the possibility directly in 2017, and more recently the suggestion has circulated that a reunion might take place during the band’s upcoming farewell tour. He even appeared alongside his former colleagues on the recent Kiss Kruise.
Speaking before that tour -- which will not include him -- was announced, Frehley shared his thoughts in an interview with Loudwire, saying he’d become the person Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons had always wanted him to be, and adding that he’d reclaim his “throne” if he wound up hitting the road with his former colleagues.
“Those guys, they change like the weather,” he said. “Six months ago, when Paul was asked, ‘Is Ace gonna be involved in future concerts?’ he said, ‘Absolutely not.’ The past is the past and now is now. In the last week or two he’s saying, ‘I wouldn’t rule it out’ and then he did another interview where he said, ‘There’ll probably be some old members coming back as guests for the last tour.’ But he’s not mentioning any names.”
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“You know, they’re testing the waters,” the guitarist continued. “I think they’re waiting for promoters to come back and say, ‘We’ll give you X amount of dollars if Ace is involved ... and Peter [Criss] is involved.’ It’s all about money with those guys – and they’ll be the first to admit it, especially Gene.”
Frehley said if he did return, "I’m gonna take my throne back – or I’m not coming back. I don’t do anything halfway in life.” He attributed that to his nature as a “stubborn” Taurus. “Both times when I quit the band, they didn’t want me to leave, and after a week or two I said, ‘Maybe I didn’t make the right decision,'" he recalled. "But it was too late.”
Frehley went on to argue that there was “nothing special” in another tour with the Kiss lineup that’s remained the same for nearly 15 years. “I told Paul and Gene, ‘I’m the guy now that you always wanted me to be. All the times you worked with me, I was a screw-up, I was always late and didn’t show up on time, and missed recording sessions,’" he said. "I was telling them this year, ‘I’m now the guy you always wanted me to be.’ Hopefully it sinks in, you know?”