Ace Frehley says he believes that one of the reasons the original KISS lineup did not perform at their spring induction into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame was over fears by Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley that it would lead to talk of a reunion.
"After 40 years, you think they could have given the fans 15 minutes that night,” Frehley tells the Daily Express. “Peter and I wanted to perform, the Hall of Fame wanted us to do it, but Paul and Gene shot it down. It was a moment in history that was lost and some of the fans will never forgive them for that.”
"But I'll tell you why Paul and Gene didn't wanna perform with me and Peter - they were afraid of history repeating itself,” he continued. “When me and Peter performed with them on the MTV Unplugged sessions in 1995, the place went completely crazy and they had to scrap their album that they had just recorded with Bruce Kulick and Eric Singer and they had to do a reunion tour. They're on tour right now with Tommy (Thayer) and Eric (Singer) and they didn't want anything to overshadow that. They were afraid that everyone was gonna demand a reunion again if we played."
Simmons and Stanley maintain that they refused to perform at the Rock Hall event over a disagreement with organizers, who insisted that only the group’s original lineup be inducted, while the pair wanted all band members from their 40-year history included.
The duo have also continued to take shots at their former bandmates over past substance abuse, which Frehley dismisses as a cover for their real motives.
"It's a joke,” says Ace. “In concert, I always delivered, and 95 per cent of the time I delivered on record. It's there, it's history. All they're trying to do is discredit me, so it validates the new line-up. They'll look foolish when my new album comes out. I think they're just cranky that every time they go on the Internet they have to read fans saying, 'Get Ace back'."
Frehley will release his new album, “Space Invader”, on August 19th in North America and August 29th in Europe.
Ace's first project since 2009’s “Anomaly” features new music plus a cover of “The Joker” by The Steve Miller Band.
See also:
VIDEO: On stage with KISS drummer Eric Singer
KISS to perform at Fashion Rocks
VIDEO: KISS bassist Gene Simmons breathes fire in Atlanta
Ace Frehley streaming audio of new album Space Invader
Search KISS at hennemusic
