Alison Richter
Last week, Examiner.com took a look back as Paul Stanley discussed the making of
Psycho Circus. Today, the archives open again with Ace Frehley talking reunion, recording and lessons learned.
So … you’re on the West Coast. Rumor has it you hate it out there.
Let’s just say I’m not particularly fond of it! Hate is a strong word, and I don't want to offend any of our West Coast fans. Although I am looking at property in Malibu because I do like the ocean.
Do you remember the precise moment you got “the call”?
It wasn’t like one call. We were negotiating. When Peter and I were co-headlining a sold-out tour of Canada, during the course of that tour Gene spoke to my manager, who at the time was also managing Peter, about a reunion tour. It was after MTV
Unplugged, and on the success of that, wheels started turning. Paul and Gene still thought Peter and I were alcoholic drug addicts, but we came in on time, were professional, and they looked at us in a different light. They started negotiating, we made a couple of trips to L.A. and talked in Gene’s office, the lawyers ironed out the legalities of contracts, and next thing we were on the road.
Why was it important to tour before recording?
We had no idea we were going to do an album. All we were gearing up for was a reunion tour. There were no plans for an album until toward the end. We realized, as it was winding down, that it was so successful. Everyone kept saying we should do another album. One night, we were in the dressing room putting on makeup — that’s the only chance we really had to talk; we were like four women in a beauty parlor! — and we decided an album would be a good idea. I’m real happy with the end result. Most people say it surpasses expectations.
There are no sexual overtones on this album. Was that a conscious effort?
We’re all more mature. We have families, children, and I wasn’t going to write a song about getting high now that I’m sober. I cringe a little now when I sing “Cold Gin,” but it’s one of the most requested songs, so we still have to do it live. I feel a little guilty, so I take it with a grain of salt; I’m not putting a drink in anybody’s hand. Our musicianship, our writing and vocals are stronger. Paul’s range surpasses anything he had twenty years ago. By far, he has the best range in the group, but what’s really special about KISS is that there are four singers with their own following. That gives it strength. The four of us together is bigger than any of us alone. That doesn’t mean when it’s over I won’t do another Ace Frehley album, but as long as KISS is hot and kids want us, I’m still here and having fun doing it.
You say “kids,” yet when you look at the audience …
There were a lot of teenagers and a lot of older fans who brought their own kids. There really was a wide variety.
Everyone asks what it was like being in the studio again. My question is this: Who were those four men in the beginning and who are they now?
When I was younger, I was very intimidated by the recording studio because I didn’t have much experience. Since I left KISS, I built my own studio, bought a second house with a digital studio, know how to engineer, use Pro Tools and edit on the computer. I can burn my own CDs and design my own labels. I think we were four crazy people with four different personalities and interests. You know how they say opposites attract? I’m the computer junkie. Gene is the workaholic, always involved in merchandising and writing songs. He’s the biggest driving force and hardest-working member of the band. I tip my hat to him. Peter has been through a lot. He’s on his third wife, a lovely lady named Gigi. We’re all going out tonight to see a movie.
Does the music you’re making now have anything to do with the music you made then?
Absolutely. It’s just more mature and shows growth. My guitar style hasn’t changed; I’m just more proficient. Paul really has grown as a guitar player; he can hold his own as lead. We’ve all gotten better and had a great chance to regroup and do it all over again. Young musicians come up to me, like Slash, Marilyn Manson — they were in school when KISS was huge. Above and beyond, I realize all the work we did in the 1970s influenced a whole generation of guitar players, and now we’re doing it again. When I’m 60, kids will come up and say, “You influenced me,” because I'm sure we’ll do
Alive IV — it’s a never-ending saga! The craziest thing about our band is you can’t put us in any category. There is no other band like us. The only other group with such staying power is the Stones. Today, bands put out one or two albums and it’s over. I was 16 when I decided to be a rock star and everyone — my friends, my family — said, “You’re out of your mind. You’ll never make it. There's too much competition.” At 27, I was in one of the biggest groups in the world. I was always determined.
You once said, “My ability to laugh has gotten me through ... and a lot of prayer, too.” Are you a spiritual person?
Absolutely. That’s how I was raised. I was brought up Lutheran. I’m part German, Cherokee and Dutch. That’s a good combination. I’ve got roots because the Indians were here before anybody. Plus, I’m an Earth sign: Taurus. That’s why people gravitate toward me. I ground them. That’s why I’m so easy to get along with. My motto is, I treat people the way I like to be treated: no ego, no bulls**t, no rock star thing. I’m no better than anyone else just because I’m lucky enough to be in the biggest band in the world. I thank God for that every night before I go to bed. I have a beautiful daughter, things are great, they couldn’t be any better. The band is getting along great. We had a meeting; we used to have them weekly in the 1970s, then everyone became millionaires, went separate ways, we all bought mansions, but through thick and thin, the one thing that has gotten me through the hard times is my sense of humor. I never lost it; otherwise I might not have made it. There was a time when I was so down and out, and I guess it was a defense mechanism. There was a point when I wanted to blow my head off, and I’d start laughing and think, I love life too much; everything will work out. The music business is a roller coaster ride and I like roller coasters. I can’t imagine being in a 9-to-5 job, a corporation, retiring at 65 with a gold watch and playing golf until I die of a heart attack. Your life is planned out for you. I know I’ll live to be old because I’m kind of clairvoyant. When I was on tour with Peter, he asked me, “Do you think they’ll do [the reunion]?” I said, “Of course. Get ready,” because I'd had three or four flashes of being onstage with him, Paul and Gene, in makeup, vivid images that would last about three seconds.
When did you get into computers?
I’ve been working with them for probably twenty years. I’m very excited about the people doing our 3-D effects. I gravitated toward the programmers and animators on our video shoot. They were using silicon graphics machines like all the top Hollywood animators. These are the fastest computers on the market. The least expensive ones are $15,000. The programs are $25-30,000 for the software. A friend of mine just finished animation on the Bruce Willis film
Armageddon, and she's going to start tutoring me.
You created the morph that closed the shows on the last tour. How did that come about?
I did them as a whim one day when I got back from touring with Peter. We were in negotiations for the reunion and I decided to scan the four solo album covers and put them in an animation program in a morph loop. I put them on high-eight double- resolution tape. When Gene, Paul and I flew from New York to L.A. for rehearsals, I had it in one of my camcorders and showed it to Gene. He completely flipped and said, “You programmed this?” I said, “Yeah, it took about four hours.” He said, “I want to use this!” I gave it to him. I’ve got other ideas. I’m working on a new animation to end the show on this tour. The programmers have explained to me how to make stuff come out of the screens with 3-D effects, like when I shoot the rocket out of my guitar. You duck; it’s scary! Now, with a real KISS album to back it up ... one of the heads of Mercury stopped by to say our single is one of the most added in the country, and I think the album will be received well.
How is technology affecting your music? It’s now possible to record and produce an entire album by yourself with a computer. Is it going too far?
We used Pro Tools during the album, not to record, but when we cut a track with a lot of spontaneity, even if it’s not perfect, we keep it. You can send it into Pro Tools and shift it; same with vocals if there’s a glitch. We use it that way. Some people can abuse it. Or they make a perfect record that they can’t play live. I try not to depend on computers to make me sound good. I usually do solos very spontaneously. I don’t work them out beforehand. I empty my head, do the solo, and if there are a couple of clunkers but the meat is good and the emotion is there, then that’s fine.
Did you believe in second chances before this? You know the old saying: “You can’t go back.”
I knew years ago this was going to happen because when I toured my own band from 1986-1990, and put out four albums, ninety percent of the fans I met, their first question was, “When are you guys getting back together and putting on the makeup?” It’s something fans demanded. They were relentless. Over the course of the years, they asked Gene and Paul thousands of times and they’d say no. I think when we did the
Unplugged sessions, Paul and Gene realized that Peter and I weren’t that nuts and maybe they could work with us again. That’s the catalyst that started wheels turning — in Gene’s head, anyway! I’m having a ball doing it. Toward the end, when I quit, I was sick of putting makeup on. I wanted people to respect me for me and I got that as a solo artist, so it’s a non-issue now. We did a tour, an album, we’re starting a second reunion tour, and to me it’s just gravy, another step in my career that can show everybody that I have the right stuff. How long it lasts, only the big guy upstairs knows.
And you speak to him every night?
Sure, I pray. Most people do, I think. I would hope so. I used to be … I wouldn't pray until I got sick or thought I was going to die. Then you say, “Oh God, please, I don’t want to die.” A lot of people do that. I reevaluated and said, “I shouldn’t only pray when things are bad. I should also pray when things are good.” I’m not a religious fanatic by any stretch, but for me, it works. Everybody has to figure it out for themselves. It’s like A.A. I would go to meetings five or six days a week, but I would never tell my friends who drank, “You shouldn’t drink.” People have to learn for themselves. I’m not one to preach to others about how to live their lives. The first step in getting well is to realize you’re sick. I keep my guard up all the time. I still go to meetings. It’s just an hour out of my day and I walk out feeling better. I don’t want to end up where I used to be. I was half in the bag for most of the KISS concerts. Today is today and I’ve got myself together. I’m enjoying myself more than ever. It’s nice to play sober, remember what I played, and remember the people I shake hands with. I’ll tell you a story about the 1970s. We had a day off and we were at the pool. Gene used to be a lifeguard ...
What???
It’s true! So I’m in the pool; I must have drank a couple of six packs. There are a couple of bodyguards, groupies, everyone is loaded except Gene. I’m thinking about this cartoon where someone — Bugs Bunny, maybe — is drowning. He sticks up one finger, then two, then three. I started laughing so hard that I inhaled water into my lungs. Before I realized it, I was in trouble. I screamed, “Gene, help!” Everyone thought I was kidding, but he knew I was serious. He pulled me out, pumped water out of my lungs and put me to bed. Gene saved my life. I look back on all the insane things I did in the ’70s. I don’t need any chemicals or stimulants anymore. I’ve been through it all, done it all, and I’m happy the way I am now.
What is your definition of happiness?
I’m happy now. When I left KISS, I wasn’t. I was abusing substances, not getting along with my wife, Gene or Paul, Peter had left the group two years before and I missed my buddy because we were so close, and I started becoming suicidal. Gene still doesn’t understand it. I was so unhappy. I wanted to die. I’d leave the studio pissed off, come home to a crazy household, and a lot of times while driving home I thought, Is it worth it? I wanted to drive my car into a tree. I came to Gene and said, “I’m quitting the band.” He said, “How can you walk out on a ten million dollar record contract?” I said, “Because I can’t spend it six feet under!” Gene doesn’t get it; he thinks money solves everything. Well, it doesn’t buy happiness. You name it, I had it: houses, cars, studio, and I thought, Is this it? I always set goals for myself, and with the success of the solo album, I thought it was time for a change and felt I needed to leave the group and start my own band. It was hard in the beginning, but it was a learning experience. I got by, I still received residuals, the intimacy of the clubs was nice, whereas in arenas you can’t see anything because of the spotlights in your eyes. You can’t even touch the audience. But I’m enjoying it again, because when they lower the lights and I get a glimpse of people’s faces, smiling, you can’t beat that feeling. For two hours, they forget about all their problems, they’re entertained, and that makes me feel good. There’s this “power” you have, positive things you can do. But there is a negative side. For example, I don’t mind signing autographs, but some people can be really rude. I was in a restaurant once and a guy grabbed my hand while I was putting food in my mouth. I mean, at least wait. There’s a time and place. Luckily, I don’t get hounded the way Princess Diana did. I can’t imagine ...
Do you learn more from success or failure? How are the lessons different?
I learn from both, but probably more from failure because I’m thickheaded! Learning from mistakes is better. I lived through and learned from mine. A lot of people don't. I made a lot of mistakes and learned from all of them. Some people make big mistakes and don’t recover.
http://www.examiner.com/music-industry-in-national/kiss-rewind-the-ace-frehley-interview#ixzz1CJkd8szR
