Ace Frehley Enjoying Life as a Solo Artist
Despite seeing his old bandmates remain a top concert draw, Ace Frehley has no regrets about watching it from the sidelines. In a new interview, the former Kiss guitarist says he prefers his life now that he can go at his own pace.
“One of the things that made me crazy when I was in Kiss was being at the mercy of Paul (Stanley) and Gene (Simmons), who were like workaholic,” he told veteran rock writer Gary Graff at the Oakland Press. “They wanted to tour constantly and record constantly, over-merchandise the brand, and that made me crazy. I’m not a kid any more. Touring constantly can be very exhausting. I don’t want to put myself in that position, so I’m happier with what I’m doing now.”
Of course, it helps that the Spaceman quit drugs and alcohol in 2006. Since then he’s released a solo album, ‘Anamoly’ in 2009, and a memoir, ‘No Regrets,’ two years later. He’s currently exploring other musical opportunities such as an acoustic album and film scoring, for his next project.
“I’m having more fun now than I was way back then because now, in a sober state, I remember what I do,” he continued. “That’s a nice feeling, to wake up the following day and remember what you did the day before. It wasn’t like that for a long time.”