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Ace Frehley Has No Hard Feelings: "I Decided To Leave"
Ace Frehley Sober And On Stage At CelebrateErie
Erie Times-News
Dave Richards
You can Kiss the past goodbye.
Ask Ace Frehley. He exited Kiss in 2002, then left drugs and alcohol behind in 2007. He owned up to his wild past in "No Regrets," his 2011 autobiography.
Writing that was a somewhat cathartic experience, Frehley said, during a phone interview from California while he waited for his wife to finish shopping.
"There was some emotion there," Frehley said, about writing the book. "But it was also very cleansing. As of September, I will be sober six years."
His past was so hazy, he consulted with friends, family members and others "just to make sure I got all the stories right," he said. "After putting it all down, after reading it, I just said, 'Wow. I'm really lucky to be alive.'"
Frehley had more close calls than an umpire at first base.
"And believe me, that wasn't all of them," he said. Which is why he's already begun a sequel to "No Regrets."
Frehley occasionally talks to his former Kiss band mates.
"I had lunch with Gene (Simmons) awhile back. I gave him some excerpts from the book. He got a kick out of it. We just talked about old times," Frehley said. "We've been through so much together, there's no hard feelings. They decided to continue on, and I decided to leave and do my solo stuff."
But there's one place he doesn't leave his Kiss past behind -- the stage.
He plays nearly a dozen Kiss songs, including "Deuce," "Cold Gin," "Shock Me" and "Shout It Out Loud," plus solo hits such as "New York Groove" and songs from 2009's "Anomaly."
Frehley said he's working on a CD, planning a DVD, and hopes to mount an art show. He'd like to score a film, too, ideally a sci-fi one. "Forbidden Planet" is one of his favorite films, and he fondly recalled watching "Twilight Zone" with his brother while growing up.
"It always brings me back to my childhood, growing up in the Bronx. Friday night, me and my brother used to get together and watch 'The Twilight Zone,' hiding behind a pillow."
Their father was an electrical engineer. His sister graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
"I'm the only kid in the family who didn't go to college. I'm like the black sheep, but the intelligence was there."
He wound up rich and famous, anyhow. Frehley said his folks didn't mind that he pursued rock.
"I was such a wild kid, they were just happy I wasn't in jail."
He would have gone on, but his wife finished shopping.
"I gotta run," he said. "My wife's out of the store. Prada."
She shops at Prada? That should give you hope for another reunion tour, Kiss fans.
Ace Frehley Has No Hard Feelings: "I Decided To Leave"
Ace Frehley Sober And On Stage At CelebrateErie
Erie Times-News
Dave Richards
You can Kiss the past goodbye.
Ask Ace Frehley. He exited Kiss in 2002, then left drugs and alcohol behind in 2007. He owned up to his wild past in "No Regrets," his 2011 autobiography.
Writing that was a somewhat cathartic experience, Frehley said, during a phone interview from California while he waited for his wife to finish shopping.
"There was some emotion there," Frehley said, about writing the book. "But it was also very cleansing. As of September, I will be sober six years."
His past was so hazy, he consulted with friends, family members and others "just to make sure I got all the stories right," he said. "After putting it all down, after reading it, I just said, 'Wow. I'm really lucky to be alive.'"
Frehley had more close calls than an umpire at first base.
"And believe me, that wasn't all of them," he said. Which is why he's already begun a sequel to "No Regrets."
Frehley occasionally talks to his former Kiss band mates.
"I had lunch with Gene (Simmons) awhile back. I gave him some excerpts from the book. He got a kick out of it. We just talked about old times," Frehley said. "We've been through so much together, there's no hard feelings. They decided to continue on, and I decided to leave and do my solo stuff."
But there's one place he doesn't leave his Kiss past behind -- the stage.
He plays nearly a dozen Kiss songs, including "Deuce," "Cold Gin," "Shock Me" and "Shout It Out Loud," plus solo hits such as "New York Groove" and songs from 2009's "Anomaly."
Frehley said he's working on a CD, planning a DVD, and hopes to mount an art show. He'd like to score a film, too, ideally a sci-fi one. "Forbidden Planet" is one of his favorite films, and he fondly recalled watching "Twilight Zone" with his brother while growing up.
"It always brings me back to my childhood, growing up in the Bronx. Friday night, me and my brother used to get together and watch 'The Twilight Zone,' hiding behind a pillow."
Their father was an electrical engineer. His sister graduated Phi Beta Kappa.
"I'm the only kid in the family who didn't go to college. I'm like the black sheep, but the intelligence was there."
He wound up rich and famous, anyhow. Frehley said his folks didn't mind that he pursued rock.
"I was such a wild kid, they were just happy I wasn't in jail."
He would have gone on, but his wife finished shopping.
"I gotta run," he said. "My wife's out of the store. Prada."
She shops at Prada? That should give you hope for another reunion tour, Kiss fans.