Ace was always my favorite. First of all, he had the coolest make-up. Secondly, he was the lead guitarist for KISS, and the lead guitarists are always cool. I don't listen to KISS much anymore, but when I was wandering through the bookstore the other day and saw Ace Frehley's new autobiography/rock memoir on sale, I immediately grabbed it. As any KISS fan knows, Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley have systematically tried to rewrite, err, Kisstory over the last few decades, minimizing the contributions of Ace and original drummer Peter Criss. I was interested in Ace's side of the story.
One of the main things that I took away from Ace's engaging autobiography is that Gene Simmons is a monumental a**hole. Considering how much Simmons has dragged Ace's name through the dirt, Ace is somewhat justified in dishing on his former bandmate. But that is not the only thing that makes the book interesting.
Ace delivers an engaging life story of a young tough from the Bronx who found salvation in music and his guitar and who was determined to make it big. His is also a story of prodigious substance abuse, and finally earning a hard fought sobriety. Rightfully so, the bulk of the book covers the KISS glory years in the 70's, and there is no shortage of entertaining tales of excess and insanity that comes with the territory of being a member of one of the biggest rock bands on the planet.
But what keeps Ace grounded and relatable is his sense of humor and self-deprecation. While never apologizing for the marketing machine that was KISS in the 70's, he can laugh about it. He has fun trashing the disasterous TV movie they made, 'KISS Meets the Phantom of the Park,' taking great pleasure in Gene Simmons's dashed film aspirations. He rambles off well known stories such as the vial of blood taken from each member of the band that was mixed into the red ink for the KISS comic book series...always with a laugh and roll of the eyes. But he stands by the music, as he should. He is always serious when discussing the music, and makes a good argument that what they were doing, at least in the early days, was groundbreaking theatrical rock.
He seems honest about his prodigious drug use and alcohol issues (so much so that he clearly finds those years immensely entertaining, even as he claims to be embracing the sober life). He gives the requisite warnings about the dangers and how it almost killed him, yet reading a full chapter about partying with John Belushi in the late 70's or another chapter entitled 'Smokey and the Bandit' which details an incredible police chase where a coked-out Ace evades what sounds like the entire police force of New York in his Delorean...damned if that doesn't sound like he was having a blast in those years, however he may be embracing the 12 Steps these days.
ABOVE: Ace still kicks it onstage with his own band (sans make-up)
Other than his substance abuse issues, his complicated relationship with KISS is really the heart of the book. As much as Simmons and Stanley minimize it, KISS in the 70's really was four guys contributing equally, and Ace makes a strong case in reminding us of that. He paints an incredibly negative portrait of Simmons (while Stanley, oddly, is an important player yet Ace doesn't really give him much life). Simmons has proven Ace correct when Ace accuses him of having no sense of humor at all. Just watch that infamous Tom Snyder interview clip (which Ace addresses at length), and that tells it all. Ace and Peter are blitzed out of their minds, cracking jokes, laughing, making Snyder laugh. Gene is shooting daggers at Ace and clearly wants to kill him, trying to talk seriously while they are all in their ridiculous costumes. Paul is stuck in the middle, but seemingly sides with Gene, as he also looks at Ace with disdain on camera as well. There is that moment where Ace looks at Gene, holds up his hands and mouths "what?" (as in "relax, what's the problem?") Go find it on YouTube, it is worth a watch. That moment right there shows why Ace is still more beloved than Gene, and helps explains the power play that eventually forced Ace and Peter out of the band.
As with many great bands, the relationships in KISS were complex, and when Ace writes "I think they're just a bunch of dirty rotten whores," and then pages later writes "To this day I still consider them my brothers in rock 'n' roll and love them," he is being honest both times.
It's a good read, Ace writes in a down to earth tone and spares no one, especially himself. He admits at times that he was difficult to deal with at the height of his fame and substance abuse. But he was/is a singular talent, and by far the most interesting and likeable member of the original KISS. That comes through in this engaging autobiography.
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