In a new conversation with Guitar Player, Ace Frehley claimed Paul and Gene always failed when they tried to compete with him.
“When I was on, nobody was funnier than me,” Frehley said of KISS’ 1979 appearance on The Tomorrow Show, hosted by Tom Snyder. While Stanley and Simmons followed the script, Ace made jokes and acted offbeat.
The guitarist added, “Paul and Gene would try to compete with me but always fail. If you look at the old interviews, even when I was loaded and buzzed, once I got into the groove, you couldn’t top me. Gene would try and throw a line in there. I remember Gene tried to tell a joke to Tom Snyder, but he got completely ignored.”
Frehley struggled with alcohol and drugs but he has been sober for 19 years. In a 2020 interview with Loudwire, he shared how he stayed sober and the benefits of being in control of his health.
The rocker explained, “If you were to tell me 14 years ago that I’d go without a beer for 14 years, I’d say you were out of your mind. But I’m sitting in my bar at my new home, and there’s no beer here [Laughs]. And guess what? I can live without it.”
To stay sober, Ace had to cut ties with everyone he used to get high with. He noted, “I had to cut them loose as friends. I still stay in touch with my sponsor, pretty much on a daily basis — my AA sponsor. He’s saved my life numerous times. My daughter is sober, my girlfriend is pretty much sober.”
The musician also said, “I’ve gone to thousands of [AA] meetings and they’ve helped me tremendously. It’s a great feeling to go to a meeting and hear other people share, and you identify with them. Addiction is a disease that a lot of people don’t even believe [in]. A lot of people think it has to do with willpower, but it has nothing to do with willpower — you’re born that way. If you’re an addictive personality, you’ve gotta stay on your toes. One day at a time, you get through it.”
Simmons previously blamed Frehley’s struggles with drugs and alcohol for his departure from KISS.
