(Photo by Mike Pont/WireImage)
In an interview with SiriusXM original guitarist and co-founder of KISS, Ace Frehley, set to debunk the narrative of hate that is prevalent in writings about the members of the legendary rock group.
Frehley’s reproach came when he was asked whether he was still in contact with his former bandmates Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley.
“I exchange messages with those guys from time to time. Gene gave me a phone call a couple of weeks ago actually and I still haven’t gotten back to him,” Frehley said in the interview. “I’ve been so preoccupied with moving and unpacking and designing [my new house], so I’ve been pretty jammed up. But I will get back to Gene. I speak to Paul from time to time. I speak to [Peter Criss‘s wife] Gigi and Peter. So we’re all friends.”
The guitarist continued by saying he not only still talked to his former bandmates but also did not understand why the media had made them out to be estranged.
“It’s a shame that the press makes it out that we all hate each other,” he continued. “After what we created and what we accomplished over the last 40 years, me and Peter, Paul and Gene being the founding members of KISS, there’s no reason why we shouldn’t be friends and let bygones be bygones.”
Though the former guitarist’s message was one of peace and reconciliation he was quick to mention that a potential reunion was not on the horizon unless there was a hefty sum involved that is.
“I think [a reunion] is a possibility, but they’d have to reach deep into their pockets. I’m not getting up on stage for free, I can tell you that right now,” Frehley told Eddie Trunk in his interview with SiriusXM. “I’m doing it because I love it, but I also love the money and I also love my Jaguar and my new Escalade and my new house, and I have all those things because of the music business and my fans.”
Frehley’s comments might come off as too honest to some but the guitarist said that in all reality Simmons and Stanley were really no different.
“I give my fans 110 percent, and they give me 110 percent, so it works both ways. But Paul and Gene absolutely have admitted numerous times, they’re in it for the money — sometimes more so than the music,” said Frehley.
The last time Frehley hit the stage with the original lineup was for the 2000 Kiss Farewell Tour.