Ace Frehley Biography

[poserboy71]

Kev, I respect nd agree with most of your opinion BUT 1031 does make a valid point when comparing Ace to OUR WARRIOR.

[Slayer]

He plays like a todler that just got his 1st starter guitar for Christmas. It's embarrassing really when you think that he has been playing guitar for a living for over 40 years. Ask yourself if this is the execution of a professional player? I like him personally when I hear what he has to say in an interview minus his recent rants about KISS. Gene and Paul are no angels and I think that he certainly has a right to feel the way that he does just I personally wouldn't write a trash and bash book when he is still cashing checks from the KISS Company.

K

Complaining about anybody making money that was in kiss anyway they can is like buying a ticket to a circle jerk and complaining about the seats.

As far as aces playing , hes 60, sober having a great time playing to crowds doing some touring making a few bucks..... who gives a rats ass let him have fun.. he could be sitting in a house in Tennessee with 20 dogs peaking out the window and plotting this forums demise.

just my humble opinion.

Right on Bro your humble opinion is 1000% welcome here. I find Ace an amusing character and I enjoy seeing him interviewed but I'm sorry to say that I really don't enjoy seeing him attempt to play these days. I rather wish that I could honestly because he really is an iconic figure. I've been interested and listening to guitar for for at least 36 years and I've seen alot of players evolve over time and have seen many become mellower as they age. I'm delighted that he is sober and hopefully healthier at 60 than he was a few years ago and I also hope that he is having fun like you do but with that said I expect a little more from him for my money.

I'm in total agreement with your statements regarding Cusano so nothing really to comment on there. We live sadly in a world that praises mediocrity and financially rewards alot of mediocrity. How many people have heard of and praise the perceived skills of Ace Frehley but have never even heard of:

Marty Friedman, Jason Becker, Paul Gilbert, Michael Batio, John Sykes, George Lynch, Dave Meniketti, Gary Moore, Al Dimeola, John McLoughlin and the list can go on forever. These are great guitar players in their genre.

I work for the largest food distributor in the world and over the years and even everyday I don't like every business decision that senior management makes. I may make some comments to personal confidants but I would never publically call out all the trash and shine a light on it because most of us would be fired and deservedly so. When someone is career orientated they should NEVER shit in their own bed. If I wish to resign my job and do something else fine talk shit about my former career but it is unethical and frankly stupid to do so while your still cashing a check or eating at the trough.

Thanks for sharing and I appreciate where your coming from

Kev

[1031]

No problem Kev I get where your coming from, I am a big fan of let your money do the talking and if you don't like it just change the channel. And I too expect quality for my cash ,but music is so subjective and there is a lot of it I cant believe anyone would lay down coin for also live or recorded, but for my opinion there is a 1000 other people that think its the greatest music ever. I am sure half of Ace's crowd thought it was the best show ever half were like you and sad to hear him play like that. As a fellow musician I am like hey if you can make a buck make a buck if people don't like it sooner or later it will play its self out.

sometime's my responses can get a bit short and color full but never meant to be personal
Its just me being me

[erg2]

Recently I've been listening to the first handful of KISS albums and Frehley solo stuff and I've reached these conclusions...as a drummer, mind you:
- Ace was never an AMAZING guitar player, but he did a lot with what he had. A very limited repertoire, but very recognizable.
- Listening to his solo work, he writes some OK songs, but listening to the actual guitar solos...especially Anomally...he's not hitting and sustaining the notes like he used to. It sounds like an almost completely different artist. The notes seem haphazard...almost like he knows what strings to hit but just can't quite control how and when he hits them. But all of the solos sound this way.

> Am I hearing that wrong? Am I way off base?
> Maybe he has just changed his playing style and this is what he likes now?

[poserboy71]

The Anomaly solos don't go anywhere. Ace really needed someone like Eddie Kramer there to pull some good stuff out of him.

[n3p]

Ace Frehley, lead guitar!

[poserboy71]

Ace Frehley, lead guitar...

SHOCK ME !!!

[Slayer]

Thought provoking thread guys! These are some of the things that make VVFF a great place to visit in that you can share your view points with respect with out being edited or bashed. Well I take that back we occasionally have bashed a few but those fuckers deserved it.

Peace and Love on the Hate Forum

[shramiac]

SHOCK ME !!!

I'm gay!!!

[poserboy71]

ME TOO !!!

[Genebaby]

Back on track now, I was out with the family this morning and got a regular softcover copy of this at Target of all places.

Only $22 too. Amazon only listed a hardcover so I thought I would have to wait a while.

Now I just have to get to reading it. I bought the new Randy Rhoads book from Amazon along with a Metallica and Cliff Burton by the same author I haven't looked at yet!

[shramiac]

Bookworm nerd!!!

[Genebaby]

Read a book!!!!......and this Board too of course!

[shramiac]

Me no read! ABC……??? ABC……??? ABCQZ74!!!

[metatron]

I only read in infrared.

[doublev2]

i used to listen to the 'speeding back to my baby' solo over and over again as a kid. I think I was 12 years old, that solo chocked me up for some reason. Sloppy but just has a great vibe. I haven't heard it in 20 years I would say.
I loved the Hotter than Hell solo if I remember too.

[n3p]

Just finished reading, an average book at best in my opinion - Did I inadvertently miss something or was there no mention whatsoever of Eric Carr's death? No mention of Vinnie either, but I'm not really surprised...

Nick

[erg2]

Just finished reading, an average book at best in my opinion - Did I inadvertently miss something or was there no mention whatsoever of Eric Carr's death? No mention of Vinnie either, but I'm not really surprised...

Nick

I just ordered this today, but my expectations are not very high that he will touch on things that everyone wants to know about and instead focus on tedious little, one-time events.

[gonnarock]

I got Ace's book too. I like his writing style, almost as though he is there having a conversation with you. A lot of the stories are interesting because they are very tid bit. But the real goldmine for me is all the rare pictures.

I think Ace is very cool and I like his playing with KISS, he had a very traditional style. But Vinnie's progressive style has hypnotized me...

[ankh]

read the book, nothing special to write home about so to speak(yet that's what i'm doing, HA! ).

I can understand tha t for the casual reader this book would be entertaining,but the book it is just above average.hard to believe that he was in it just for the music, i think all the kiss memeber who have published books still think like it was in the 70's.For somebody who put so much emphasis on his value as an artist(ahem.........), i find it funny how little does he speaks of his solo career.So many Kiss stories, and so many attempts to shot back at Gene( the day that those two will finally make love will maybe put an end to this- they act like a couple ),almost no mention about his musicianship.So much for puttin his past behind .A missed opportunity, like his last solo album.To think that it did take him 20 years to put out that........

[erg2]

Just finished Ace Frehley No Regrets.

What a disappointing let-down. Aside from 2-3 insightful anecdotes, the book breezes by his leaving KISS, breezes by his solo career, breezes by the Bad Boys tour, breezes by the reunion...

The only details we really get are repetitive stories about drinking, driving, drugging and women. Some of these stories are amusing, but I wanted:
- what was happening during the Dynasty and Unmasked recordings and tours
- what were the secrets behind his leaving
- how did he put together his solo band, secure a solo record deal
- what did he think about KISS in the 80s and his replacements
- why did second sighting struggle
- how did he lose his solo recording deal

Anyway, there are a lot of books that fill in those details...and most aren't very flattering to Ace. I was just hoping to hear more of his opinion on what was going down.

[PinkWiz]

Just finished Ace Frehley No Regrets.

What a disappointing let-down. Aside from 2-3 insightful anecdotes, the book breezes by his leaving KISS, breezes by his solo career, breezes by the Bad Boys tour, breezes by the reunion...

The only details we really get are repetitive stories about drinking, driving, drugging and women. Some of these stories are amusing, but I wanted:
- what was happening during the Dynasty and Unmasked recordings and tours
- what were the secrets behind his leaving
- how did he put together his solo band, secure a solo record deal
- what did he think about KISS in the 80s and his replacements
- why did second sighting struggle
- how did he lose his solo recording deal

Anyway, there are a lot of books that fill in those details...and most aren't very flattering to Ace. I was just hoping to hear more of his opinion on what was going down.

Yes, I would love to know what he thought of his replacements... but Ace was so spaced out that he still probably doesn't know who Mark St. John was...

[Slayer]

All good points and I also got the book for Christmas and read it pretty quickly. I found the book repetitive in regards to the fact that all he really talks about is his drug and alcohol abuse.

I'm sure that Ace has a bunch of stories that would blow us away if he remembers them after all his self abuse but he didn't share too much in this book.