Ace Frehley Gives Paul Stanley a Week to Retract ‘Piss’ Comment
Ace Frehley has given Paul Stanley seven days to apologize for insulting him during Kiss' recent appearance on the Howard Stern show, and vowed to reveal "some dirt" if his former bandmate doesn't comply.
Earlier this month, Stern asked Stanley why he and Gene Simmons refused to play alongside fellow founding members Frehley and Peter Criss when the band was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in 2014. "Because if you saw people onstage who looked like Kiss but sounded like that," Stanley answered, "maybe we should be called Piss."
During an appearance today on Trunk Nation, the former Kiss guitarist took exception to those comments. "Those guys have been badmouthing me since I quit the very first time in 1981, 1982," Frehley declared. "Calling me a drug addict, calling me an alcoholic, saying I'm unemployable, I'm undependable."
After pointing out that he's maintained a successful solo career for over three decades, has been sober for nearly 20 years and has released more new music in that time than Kiss, Frehley issued an ultimatum to his former bandmate.
"I'm going to make a statement to Paul Stanley right now... I'm telling you that I want a formal apology for what you said, and a retraction and an apology within seven days. And if I don't get that within seven days I'm coming back on Ed Trunk's show.. if you'll have me, Ed... and I'm going to tell some dirt that nobody knows about Paul and Gene, that I've always kept to myself because I'm the kind of guy who doesn't talk about this. I like to talk about positive stuff."
Frehley then went even further, stating that he's written a 120-page manuscript detailing unspecified misdeeds by Stanley and Simmons. "My attorney has it in a safety deposit box," he explained. "God forbid anything happens to me, my attorney is instructed to release it to the New York Times, Rolling Stone, API, everybody. So they can't intimidate me with trying to hurt me or saying 'you better not say anything about me live on the radio,' because then they're totally screwed. Their careers will be ruined. ... Those guys aren't squeaky clean. You know how many lawsuits girls have had against Gene?"
Despite all this bad blood, Frehley said that for the right amount of money he'd still be willing to share the stage with Stanley and Simmons when Kiss plays their final shows in New York City this December. "I was actually hoping that maybe they'd invite me to come back for a third time, not because I really wanted to play with them because we created something really special and I'm the best fit in that band. Always was, always will be. You think Tommy Thayer can do what I can do? Impossibility."