Kiss’ Ace Frehley Keeps the Riffs Flowing Despite Tumble

Former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley put his "show must go on" attitude into full gear late last month when he kept playing despite falling off a stage during a solo gig at B.B. King Blues Club & Grill in New York.

Perhaps that's not surprising when you consider the founding member of Kiss, who recently gave a wide-ranging interview to Ultimate Classic Rock during which he talked about his time as a roadie with Jimi Hendrix and Janis Joplin, says that playing smaller clubs gives him a lot of energy.

"It is kinds of fun to play small places," he told Ultimate Classic Rock. "The problem playing 20,000 seater-plus [arenas] is that there's a huge barricade between [the audience] and the stage."

That kind of distance slows down the energy flow between Frehley and his all-ages fan base, he says. And fans generally want to get close to the much-lauded guitarist to watch him play those incredible riffs.

"It’s interesting, obviously, there are a lot of older people [in the audience] who have been fans since they were younger. I think they are bringing their kids now. From what I read and what I can see, there are younger fans who maybe are interested in me because I was such a big influence [on rock music]," he says.

"Anyway, that's the stuff I read," he continues. "What the hell do I know? I just get up and do it. I don't read a lot of my press and I don't dwell on it. Once you start believing your own press, you are in trouble. You can't take the reviews too seriously."

What he does take seriously is the five years sobriety under his belt and touring as a solo act with his own band.

"I [work] with sober musicians because I'm clean and sober now ... I want to play with guitar players that excite me," he says. "I want to regain what I have been away from for so long, It's a pleasure touring now because there is no drama, no negativity. I look forward to jumping on the bus."

Watch Ace Frehley Keep Playing Despite His Stage Stumble