Kiss bassist and singer Gene Simmons said in an interview with Talking Wax With Adika Live! that the original drummer of the band Peter Criss and original guitarist Ace Frehley still are making bad choices in life.
Gene Simmons says Ace and Peter are still making bad choices in life:
“God love ’em, both Ace and Peter, in the beginning of the band, were just the best thing that ever happened to us. But they made such horrible choices in their life. And they continue to do that — they continue to make really bad choices, not just in terms of their health and what you ingest, but career choices.”
“Like, we just had this documentary that came out that’s a headlining thing at the Tribeca Film Festival, and, of course, without even thinking twice about it, we reached out to both Ace and Peter, ‘Hey, come and be part of this thing. You helped create the band. No question about it.’ And they refused.”
“Ace wanted certain… ‘I want this, I want that. I want editing rights,’ and that kind of stuff. And God love him, that wasn’t gonna happen. I didn’t get those rights and didn’t want them; I just wanted to throw caution to the wind and get the thing done. So they barely appear in it.”
Peter Criss didn’t allow that “Beth” was played in the documentary
Kiss singer and guitarist Paul Stanley said in an interview with Ultimate Classic Rock that the band’s ex-drummer Peter Criss didn’t gave the permission for the song “Beth”, co-wroted by him, to be played in the film. According to Stanley, Peter Criss and Ace Frehley (Ex-Kiss guitarist) weren’t on the film because they wanted to be paid to participate.
“It’s sad, but that kind of fits into the whole dynamic. We did the best we could. We tried numerous times in all different ways to have them be part of it, but this idea of final editing and money and this and that. … It was like, ‘No, your involvement doesn’t warrant that.’ And who ultimately loses out in a situation like this? They do.”
“I don’t really want to trash those guys. Because we wouldn’t be here today if they hadn’t been in the band. And we wouldn’t be here today if they still were.”