Over the decades Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, original members of Kiss, who were the only two who were part of the band during the 50 years of their career, had some bad things to say about Ace Frehley and Peter Criss. They were a fundamental part of the band, co-founders and important songwriters too, but Simmons and Stanley criticized their behavior and alcohol/drug abuse, saying a few times that they were fired.
However, the guitarist Ace Frehley denies that and he explained in an interview with Guitar World that he quit both times, the first in the 80s and the second time after their reunion in the early 00s.
Ace Frehley says he was never fired from Kiss, he quit both times
“Well, a lot of the misconceptions were created by Paul (Stanley) and Gene (Simmons). They still say in interviews that they fired me, but I was never fired from Kiss. I hate it when I hear that. And they say that both times I was fired; I quit both times (in 1982 and 2002).”
“They didn’t want me to leave; the first time I quit, Paul showed up on my doorstep, took me out to lunch, and was trying to change my mind, but I had already made up my mind.”
“(…) The success of my (1978 – Self titled) solo album made me realize that I was more creative away from Paul, Gene, and Peter than I was around them.”
“And so, time marches on, but yeah, they’ve said shot, like, I’m late, and I’m lazy, and yeah, maybe not as much as they’ve said it, but it’s true. As far as when I’m working, and I’ve got an idea, and I’m excited about it – I have tunnel vision,” Ace Frehley said.
Ace Frehley was part of Kiss from 1973 to 1982 and from 1996 to 2002. In the late 80s he released two studio albums with his band Frehley’s Comet and as a solo act he already released 8 studio albums, the most recent one being “10,000 volts” (2024).
Kiss came to an end in 2023 when they celebrated their 50 years on the road. Frehley and Criss were not part of the farewell tour.
