Ace Frehley Says His New Music Will Make Former Kiss Bandmates 'Look Like Imbeciles': 'That's How I Shut Them Up'

The rocker has had public tensions with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley since leaving Kiss in 1982

Rocker Ace Frehley is hoping his new music catches the attention of his former Kiss bandmates Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.

Frehley, 72, was a founding member and the original lead guitarist of Kiss — but since his departure in 1982, has had a rocky relationship with Simmons, 74, and Stanley, 71.

In a new interview with Guitar World, the “New York Groove” rocker opened up his forthcoming solo album 10,000 Volts (out Feb. 23) and said he hoped it would speak for itself.

“Paul and Gene have tried to destroy my reputation over the years — we know that. And unfortunately for them, 10,000 Volts is going to make them look like imbeciles,” he said. “Kiss hasn’t put out a record since 2012, and here I am, 17 years sober, and it’s my sixth record since leaving Kiss. I keep chugging along, and nobody can stop me. Creating amazing music is the best way to combat someone putting you down. That’s how I shut them up.”

Frehley continued, saying he preferred to “let the music do the talking,” and that he felt that sometimes, the “best route” was to keep his mouth shut.

“Paul and Gene always like to elaborate and put people down,” he said. “Not only me — if you listen and read back to old interviews through the years, they’re constantly putting other musicians down too. Maybe it makes them feel better, or perhaps it’s because they’re just insecure. I don’t know the reason.”

Related: The Members of KISS: Where Are They Now?

The musician’s tensions with Simmons and Stanley stretch back years; in 2019, Simmons told Guitar World that Frehley and founding drummer Peter Criss had been fired from Kiss three times, in part because they “weren’t carrying their load” and weren’t dependable onstage.

In response, Frehley denied that he’d been fired, and called Simmons and Stanley “control freaks, untrustworthy and… too difficult to work with.”

In March, Stanley also reflected on Kiss’s 2014 induction into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame, and called Frehley and Criss’s inclusion “demeaning” to the band. Frehley then responded by threatening to release “dirt” on Stanley and Simmons if Stanley did not apologize.

Meanwhile, in his interview with Guitar World, Frehley also maintained that Simmons and Stanley “didn’t invite” him along to any of Kiss’s final gigs, despite saying in previous interviews that he’d turned down the offer (Kiss performed its last-ever show as a band in December in New York).

Related: Gene Simmons Says Kiss Is Done Performing After Final Farewell Tour Show: 'My Hand on the Bible'

“The stuff with them having me and Peter Criss come for the last show was just to sell tickets,” said Frehley.

Simmons, meanwhile, reportedly told Linea Rock that he’d invited both Frehley and Criss to appear for a few shows or encores, and they’d said no.

“They were there at the beginning and deserve all the credit,” he told 519 Magazine in November. “And when they look in the mirror, the only reason they're not here with us is themselves. Inviting them was as much for the fans as it was for us. Kiss has always been about the whole, not the individual. It would’ve been fitting to have all of us there, one last time."

After leaving in 1982, Frehley embarked on his own successful solo career, and briefly rejoined the band in 1996 for a reunion tour. He last played with Kiss on the Kiss Kruise in 2018.

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