Classic Rock
Ace Frehley talks about Gene Simmons’ unusual songwriting habit
The legendary original Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley was part of the band from its inception in 1973 until 1982 and then from 1996 to 2002. It’s no secret that his relationship with Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley was not really good after he left the group. His bandmates were really focused on their work ethic and didn’t accept Frehley’s and Criss’ behavior many times.
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In an interview with Goldmine, Frehley recalled a quite unusual songwriting habit that Gene Simmons had back then.
Ace Frehley talks about Gene Simmons’ unusual songwriting habit
“Paul and Gene have a certain work ethic that I don’t have. For example, when Gene was living in Manhattan in his penthouse, he told me he’d go into his closet, he had a little amp and a recorder set up there, and he’d write a song every day. And I’d say, ‘Why do you force yourself to write a song every day?’ He goes, ‘That’s just my work ethic.’ I go, ‘I can’t work that way, Gene. I can only write a song when I feel inspired.'”
“I’ll go three weeks without writing a song. And then the following weekend, something would inspire me, and I’ll end up writing two or three songs in a weekend. Out of 365 songs that Gene wrote in one year while he was living there, there was probably only a half a dozen songs that we used,” 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.
