Ace Frehley Calls Kiss ‘A Bunch of Dirty Rotten Whores’
Former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley is certainly not pulling any punches in his new autobiography 'No Regrets,' labeling today's version of the band 'a bunch of dirty rotten whores' and detailing several incidents that led to his second departure from the group.
Frehley contends that founding and remaining band members Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons have tried to rewrite history by downplaying his contributions to the band. He takes particular umbrage to the band having former road manager Tommy Thayer take over his "Spaceman" character: "My first reaction was, 'Isn't anything sacred to those guys?' But I soon realized their lust for money outweighed any sense of fairness or logic on their part."
He also reveals that he once decked Thayer backstage when the manager requested that Ace ask his girlfriend to leave the band's dressing rooms, in violation of a "no wives or girlfriends" rule that Frehley contends was violated several times prior by other band members.
But the most venomous statements are saved for Simmons' alleged actions towards Ace's daughter Monique, who flew across the country to film a bit part in the Kiss-themed movie 'Detroit Rock City,' only to break down in tears when she found out her part had been cut.
"I knew it wasn't an accident," Ace explains. "Gene had been involved in the editing process on a daily basis...(he) was probably pissed at me for something I had done, but to get back at me by hurting my daughter?" He goes on to say that he never felt the same about the bassist after that -- "He had reached an all-time low with me."
Still, Ace says when he thinks back on Kiss he "can't help but remember all the fun we shared in our formative years." He also credits his sobriety (five years and counting!) for helping him realize, "At this point in my life, I just need to let things go," but he does have final words for his former bandmates: "What comes around, goes around."