Gene Simmons talked about Ace Frehley’s departure from KISS. On Professor of Rock, he shared how was the guitarist’s behavior during the recording of their album ‘Destroyer.’
Gene Simmons talks about Ace Frehley
Gene Simmons stated that during that time, Ace Frehley stopped coming to the studio while the band was recording. He highlighted that he still loves and respects Ace and that this isn’t about blaming or attacking him, but about being honest. Simmons then said that Ace was beginning to struggle with self-destructive behavior at the time, which affected his involvement with the band.
“And so Ace, and again we love him to pieces and his memory will always be with us and so on. This was al this was also the time when Ace stopped coming to the studios to the studio while we were recording,” Simmons said.
“And this is not mudslinging. This is just you’re all grown up. We all love the band, but it’s time to know the truth. Ace was going through the beginning stages of self-destructive behavior either what he ingested or not.”
Gene Simmons also spoke about a moment that revealed Ace Frehley’s priorities at the time. He said as the band called Frehley to come in and record guitar solos, Frehley turned down, saying he couldn’t because he had a card game. Simmons stressed he wasn’t mocking Frehley and that it was a direct quote.
As Frehley didn’t show up, Simmons said KISS roped in guitarist Dick Wagner to record the solos. He noted Wagner’s extensive session work with artists like Alice Cooper and Aerosmith, adding that many classic recordings feature uncredited players.
Simmons concluded by saying he doesn’t judge how a song gets made but according to him, what matters is whether the final result works, insisting there are “no rules” in making music.
“But at one point, I remember calling him and saying, ‘Hey, we’re recording. It’s time for you to do solos.’ And he says, ‘I can’t come down. I’ve got a card game.’ And I’m not doing Ace’s voice or making fun or anything. That was a quote,” he continued.
“So, we replaced Ace with Dick Wagner, who appeared on Alice Cooper Records, and Aerosmith. Some of those early Aerosmith songs you think are Joe, it’s not. It’s Dick Wagner. You know, every band’s got their thing. And by the way, I don’t really care. At the end of the day, you either like a song or you don’t, no matter how you get there. So there are no rules.”
The first recording sessions for ‘Destroyer’ took place on September 3rd to 6th, 1975, at Electric Lady Studios in New York City. The band was working with producer Bob Ezrin, who had been brought in to toughen up their sound and bring more discipline to their studio work. Ezrin’s demanding approach made Frehley’s frequent absences even more problematic for the recording process.
