Mikey’s Ultimate Jukebox: Why Ace Frehley Matters To Me
He has inspired countless musicians to pick up a guitar and learn how to play He was my favorite member of KISS for a long time before I realized the greatness of Paul Stanley. He’s a very unique character. His smoking guitar gimmick during live KISS shows were stuff of legend He’s a true rock & roll icon. Ladies and gentlemen… Space Ace…Ace Frehley. And why he matters to me.
Band Members: N/A
Year Inducted: 2009
Years As A Fan: 30 Years (1988)
Intro Song: Shock Me
Top 500 Songs: New York Groove, Pain In The Neck, Fractured Quantum
Addl. Key Songs: A Little Below The Angels, Rip It Out, Trouble Walkin’, Words Are Not Enough, Rock Soldiers, Into The Night, Dolls
Key Albums: Ace Frehley, Frehley’s Comet, Trouble Walkin’, Anomaly
Personal Music Awards: N/A
Seen Live: 2001 Hammerstein Ballroom
Photo Opp: YES
The KISS memories keep rising from my sub-conscious as I continue to write these essays. When I learned about the 70’s era of KISS, although Gene Simmons stood out to most people with his long tongue and unique hair style, I was most fascinated with the guy with the long hair who looked like he came from outer space. With a cool make-up design and costume, he seemed just so much larger than life. And that was what piqued my initial interest in Ace Frehley just based on album covers and posters. When I began watching KISS videos and seeing this guy’s movements on stage or him lighting his guitar on fire, Ace Frehley became my first “rock and roll” hero!. Paul Stanley might have gotten me into KISS and the non-makeup era of the band, but Ace was probably the most important member of KISS in truly engaging my passion for the band. Ace was my first favorite KISS member before I realized even more how great Paul was. So Ace is #2 which is still a big honor. I’ve mentioned already the impact of listening to the Love Gun album for the first time and being floored by the opening track. Yet, an even more important song on that album is Shock Me which was Ace’s signature song. Although Ace had written some tunes such as Cold Gin and Parasite on previous albums, Shock Me was the first song of which Ace overcame his nerves to sang lead vocals on a KISS record. I would play this song over and over and over on my old-school tape recorder while swaying and playing air guitar doing my best Ace impression. And this was when I was only 14 years old!! As I brushed up on my knowledge of the history of KISS, I began to learn more about Ace’s contributions to the band, the classic story of how he joined the band, as well as understanding why he left KISS in the early 80’s beyond just his issues with alcohol and drugs.
When I spent many weekend hours at Sam Goody’s or other now-extinct record shops while in grade school, I’d browse through the usual KISS albums. I caught wind of these Ace Frehley’s solo project LP’s that he apparently made after he left the band. Ace and his Frehley’s Comet project was actually a thing in the mid 80’s. Just like with KISS, I missed all of it until the end of the decade. The album covers were neat, and it was cool to see Ace without his make-up surrounded by fresh new faces I’d never heard of like John Regan and Tod Howarth. It wasn’t until 1995 or 1996 that I purchased the Frehley’s Comet and Ace solo records to absorb the greatness of such cool songs as Into The Night, Rock Soldiers, and Words Are Not Enough. I was on a brand new KISS fix and how come, you might ask? Because in 1996, Ace Frehley along with Peter Criss rejoined along with Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons for a full fledged KISS reunion concert tour.
The seeds had been planted in 1995 when Ace Frehley and Peter Criss came out to play a few songs with the current version of KISS on an episode of MTV Unplugged. Although Paul and Gene were adamant that it was only a one-time deal, there was no doubt a full-fledged reunion with the costumes and make-up was going to eventually happen. And then in 1996, when the band came out at the Grammy Awards in their full regalia, it appeared the dream of seeing the original KISS together again live was going to come true. I would be at the 1996 reunion show at MSG which was one of the greatest days of my life. Ace was back, and he looked great (the make-up probably helped him more than any other member of the band) and could still kick ass on stage. It was good while it lasted. We would get a new KISS album of which Ace only performed on a few of the songs but provided a new classic (Into The Void). Eventually Peter and then Ace were once again out of KISS. The supposed “farewell” tour in 1998 I was at actually was the last official tour with Ace and Peter, although the band now continues touring with Tommy Thayer impersonating Ace Frehley. Ace is still cordial with Paul and Gene. He and Paul recorded a song and then epic music video of Free’s Fire And Ice on Ace’s covers album. Ace and Gene have written some new songs together. My gut tells me it’s only a matter of time that Ace returns to KISS and the Space Ace persona he created for one final KISS farewell tour to celebrate the entire history of the band. That would be the only reason for me to ever see KISS perform live again!
I’d see Ace solo in 2001 for a 9/11 benefit concert and it was good. Ace Frehley’s Trouble Walkin’ became the theme song for my brother and I when we did our wrestling schtick in college. With the rise in popularity of KISS due to the 1996 reunion, Ace put out a few more compilations which I picked up for my collection. He has released a few solo albums over the past ten years. His first new solo album released in 2008, Anomaly, was amazing. I feel it just might be the best work he has ever done. He released Space Invader in 2011, the covers album (Origins Vol. 1) in 2016, and another one on the way (Space Man) of which he will unveil new songs he wrote with Gene Simmons. Ace has remained in the spotlight continuing to tour, collaborate with other rock stars on their albums, and frequent appearances at pop culture/horror conventions.
At the first Chiller convention I ever attended in October of 2008, the guest list was off the charts. The Sweathogs from Welcome Back Kotter, Bo And Daisy Duke from The Dukes Of Hazzard Corey Haim, teen crush Jamie Luner, Ralph Macchio, Leslie Nielsen, and many more! Oh my goodness! And when Ace Frehley was announced to appear, that was enough for me to consider hitting this event for the first time. And I’ve been going ever since for the past twenty shows over the last ten years. I quickly learned that it wasn’t going to be easy to meet Ace since he had a big line, and some of the prices were crazy. This was even before the convention scene became a racket. I hung around for a bit chatting with other stars from the shows and movies of my childhood waiting for the Ace Frehley line to die down. Although I didn’t really care for autographs, I brought an Ace Frehley 1978 solo CD cover to get signed. I assumed the photo would be included for free. The line eventually died down, so it was time to meet a member of KISS for the first time. The managers and handlers weren’t very kind and advised that I’d have to pay an extra $20 or $30 to get a photo with Ace with my own camera. Although they did advise that he might look up when signing for a photo. As I got closer to Ace, I told my brother to be ready to take a quick candid shot and would try to get him to look at the camera. Lucky for me, after a quick handshake and discussion about his career, Ace instructed me to turn around and took a great photo with me. So I got what I wanted, plus an autograph and fun experience meeting one of my heroes. Ace has returned to Chiller a few times since, and the whole meet and greet with Ace had become an absolute disaster. The prices have gone up and he won’t even take a photo with your own camera nor are you even allowed to talk to him unless you buy something!!! I’m so glad I took advantage of the opportunity when I had it and can say I got to shake hands and get a photo with Space Ace!
So there you have it, another fun article in reference to the rock and roll band that has had so much influence on me. Ace Frehley’s career with KISS and even his solo work has been very important in my love of rock and roll music. Ace doesn’t live it down that he was the only KISS member to have a solo hit with his cover of Yellow’s New York Groove and the most successful of the four ’78 solo albums. I am just waiting patiently for the news that Ace will return for one final farewell tour with KISS. If it happens, I will be so happy. If it doesn’t happen, that’s okay too. Ace has provided so many great songs and sound bites over the years. I’m so glad that even with all of his near-death experiences over the years, he’s still with us delivering amazing rock & roll tunes.
-Mikey Hersh
