Co-founder and former lead guitarist of KISS, Ace Frehley, cried outrage on Tuesday with a sharp-tongued Facebook post as a response to a number of comments aimed at him by ex-bandmate, Gene Simmons.
Despite inviting them on the road for KISS’ farewell tour, which starts Thursday night, Simmons, 69, called out Frehley and former drummer Peter Criss in a recent interview with Guitar World.
He brought up years of alcohol and substance abuse during their time in the band and pondered whether they were even reliable.
“Could we depend on Ace or Peter to do a full set night after night? Not on your f**king life,” Simmons said.
After years of playing friendly, Frehley, 67, finally broke. In the lengthy and fired up statement, he blamed Simmons’ “slanderous remarks” for costing him “millions of dollars.” He further accused the bassist of groping his wife behind his back.
He claimed Simmons was an “a**hole and a sex addict” then proceeded to call out KISS’ lead guitarist since 2003, Tommy Thayer.
“Without a complete and heartfelt apology, an offer to give me my old job back, and removing Tommy from the throne that I created,” Frehley added. “S**t will hit the fan and there’ll be no stopping it!”
“It’s on,” he concluded in the statement. The guitarist attached an image of himself to the post which reads, “The gloves are off!” in capital letters.
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Frehley’s last stint with KISS was in 2002 during their second farewell tour. Since then, he has expressed major interest in playing with the group again.
After years of denying, Simmons and frontman Paul Stanley finally invited the former members to perform during “The End of the Road” tour earlier this week.
“I’ll say that this is a celebration of this band and its accomplishments and its history,” said Stanley, 67. “So anybody who was shortsighted enough to think this should be a reunion is missing the point.”
“That being said, I would love to see everybody at one point or another be onstage,” he added. “If that doesn’t happen, it’s their choice, not mine.”
Simmons specified that the invitations would only warrant “a song or two.” The frequency? Just “here and there.” He also claimed that both members were fired three times, for “drugs, alcohol, bad behavior and being unprofessional.”
“They’re never going to be in KISS again,” he added. “They weren’t carrying their load.” But he still seemed content with the idea of seeing them onstage again.
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Here is Frehley’s full response to Simmons
“Gene, your memory is really incorrect. I was never fired from KISS, I quit twice (not three times) by my own free will.”
“You and Paul are control freaks, untrustworthy and too difficult to work with!”
“Your slanderous remarks about my bad habits over the years have cost me millions of dollars and now that I’m over 12-years sober you’re still saying I can’t be trusted to play a whole nights show? Well that’s exactly what I’ve been doing for the last 12-years with different configurations of The Ace Frehley Band, to you and Paul’s dismay.”
“I’m also the most successful solo artist to come out of the original KISS lineup, and proud of it! You and Paul have tried to derail my solo career multiple times over the years unsuccessfully.”
“I’ve tried to be nice and friendly by inviting you and Paul to perform on my past albums for eOne Music, gave each of you guys one of my prized Gibson Les Paul ’59 models.”
“Today’s comments have made me realize you’re just an a**hole and a sex addict — who’s being sued by multiple women — and you’re just trying to sweep it all under the carpet.”
“The icing on the cake was when you groped my wife and propositioned her in Los Angeles at the Capitol Records building behind my back, when I was trying to help you out at one of your Vault Experiences — which I only found out about several weeks later. She was planning on pursuing a suit against you, but I told her to call it off.”
“Well now that the gloves are off, I’m thinking that this really may be ‘The End Of The Road’ tour for you guys!”
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As of this writing, Simmons or his representatives have not made comment on Frehley’s response.
Fortunately for dedicated KISS fans, Stanley offered comments on all past members of the band. On Bruce Kulick — lead guitarist between 1984 and 1996 — he said, “We love Bruce. He was always professional and showed up on time.
“He’s somebody who shouldn’t be overlooked or underestimated as far as his role in the band.”
Simmons and Stanley also made it clear that Kulick’s short-lived predecessor, Vinnie Vincent (lead guitarist between 1982 and 1984) is not welcome.
“Now Vinnie, that’s one exception, and for so many reasons,” Stanley said. “I would say that’s not someone who I want to celebrate.”
Simmons added, “It’s worth stating that Vinnie has sued the band and lost 14 times.”
“I’m not here to cast any aspersions, he’s a talented guy, that’s why he was in the band,” he admitted. “But would I depend on him to get up onstage and do anything? Never,” he concluded.
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While it’s unlikely members of the KISS Army will get to see Frehley or Vincent together with the band ever again, none of the other members have responded to their invitation. Criss? Kulick? Not off the table.
KISS’ ‘The End of the Road’ tour starts in Vancouver on Thursday night.
The band will play six additional Canadian dates. For dates, ticket & VIP info visit the official KISS website.
‘The End of the Road’ North American tour dates
** Canadian shows are bolded **
Jan. 31 – Vancouver, B.C. @ Rogers Arena
Feb. 1 – Portland, Oreg. @ Rose Garden Moda Center
Feb. 2 – Tacoma, Wash. @Tacoma Dome
Feb. 4 – Spokane, Wash. @ Spokane Arena
Feb. 7 – San Diego, Calif. @ Viejas Arena
Feb. 8 – Fresno, Calif. @ Save Mart Center
Feb. 9 – Sacramento, Calif. @ Golden 1 Center
Feb. 12 – Anaheim, Calif. @ Honda Center
Feb. 13 – Glendale, Ariz. @ Gila River Arena
Feb. 15 – Las Vegas, Nev. @ T-Mobile Arena
Feb. 16 – Los Angeles, Calif. @ The Forum
Feb. 19 – Corpus Christi, Texas @ American Bank Center
Feb. 20 – Dallas, Tex. @ American Airlines Center
Feb. 22 – New Orleans, La. @ Smoothie King Center
Feb. 23 – Memphis, Tenn. @ FedEx Forum
Feb. 26 – Oklahoma City, Okla. @ Chesapeake
Feb. 27 – Kansas City, Mo. @ Sprint Center
Mar. 1 – Milwaukee, Wis. @ Fiserv Forum
Mar. 2 – Chicago, Ill @ United Center
Mar. 4 – Minneapolis, Minn. @ Target Center
Mar. 6 – Sioux Falls, S.D. @ Denny Sanford Premier Center
Mar. 7 – Omaha, Nev. @ CenturyLink Center
Mar. 9 – Grand Rapids, Mich. @ Van Andel Arena
Mar. 10 – Moline, Ill. @ Mark of the Quad CiWes
Mar. 12 – Louisville, Ken. @ KFC Yum! Center
Mar. 13 – Detroit, Mich. @ Little Caesars Arena
Mar. 16 – Columbus, Ohio @ Nationwide Arena
Mar. 17 – Cleveland, Ohio @ Quicken Loans Arena
Mar. 19 – Montreal, Que., @ Canada Bell Centre
Mar. 20 – Toronto, Ont., @ Canada Air Canada Centre
Mar. 22 – Uniondale, N.Y. @ Nassau Veterans Memorial Coliseum
Mar. 23 – Uncasville, Conn. @ Mohegan Sun Arena
Mar. 26 – Boston, Mass. @ TD Garden
Mar. 27 – New York, N.Y. @ Madison Square Garden
Mar. 29 – Philadelphia, Pa. @ Wells Fargo Center
Mar. 30 – Pittsburgh, Pa. @ PPG Paints Arena
Apr. 2 – Quebec City, Que. @ Videotron Centre
Apr. 3 – Ottawa, Ont. @ Canadian Tire Centre
Apr. 6 – Raleigh, N.C. @ PNC Arena
Apr. 7 – Atlanta, Ga. @ Philips Arena
Apr. 9 – Nashville, Tenn. @ Bridgestone Arena
Apr. 11 – Tampa, Fla. @ Amalie Arena
Apr. 12 – Jacksonville, Fla. @ Jacksonville Veterans Memorial Arena
Apr. 13 – Birmingham, Ala. @ BJCC
Aug. 6 – Sunrise, Fla. @ BB&T Center
Aug. 8 – Charleston, N.C. @ North Charleston Coliseum
Aug. 10 – Charlotte, N.C. @ PNC Music Pavilion
Aug. 11 – Bristow, Va. @ Jiffy Lube Live
Aug. 13 – Virginia Beach, Va. @ Veterans United Home Loans Amphitheater
Aug. 14 – Newark, N.J. @ Prudential Center
Aug. 16 – Montreal, Que. @ Bell Centre
Aug. 17 – Toronto, Ont. @ Scotiabank Arena
Aug. 20 – Brooklyn, N.Y. @ Barclays Center
Aug. 21 – Hershey, Pa. @ HersheyPark Stadium
Aug. 23 – Darien Center, N.Y. @ Darien Lake Amphitheater
Aug. 24 – Saratoga Springs, N.Y. @ Saratoga Performing Arts Center
Aug. 27 – Syracuse, N.Y. @ St. Joseph’s Health Amphitheater at Lakeview
Aug. 29 – Cincinnati, Ohio @ Riverbend Music Center
Aug. 31 – Indianapolis, Ind. @ Ruoff Home Mortgage Music Center
Sept. 1 – St. Louis, Mo. @ Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Sept. 3 – Des Moines, Iowa @ Wells Fargo Arena
Sept. 5 – Little Rock, Ark. @ Verizon Arena
Sept. 7 – Bossier City, La. @ CenturyLink Center
Sept. 8 – San Antonio, Tex. @ AT&T Center
Sept. 9 – Houston, Tex. @ Toyota Center
Sept. 11 – Albuquerque, N.M. @ Isleta Amphitheater
Sept. 12 – Denver, Colo. @ Pepsi Center
Sept. 14 – Salt Lake City, Utah @ USANA Amphitheatre
Sept. 16 – Oakland, Calif. @ Oracle Arena