Ace Frehley’s mentor and lifelong friend Peppy Castro recently spoke about how Steve Brown belittled Ace’s legacy after his passing. He shared his concerns in an interview with Artists On Record With Stefan Adika.
Castro’s comments came in response to a question about his last conversations with Ace Frehley before the guitarist’s death.
“Well, one of the last conversations I had, I f*cking read him the riot act about Steve Brown and I said, ‘Dude, put a muzzle on this f*cking guy. Holy shit,'” Castro said. “You know, and that was my thing, you know? I don’t care you’re loving it, you’re Steve Brown, you got this great thing. Your statures up with Ace and all this stuff. Shoot your horn. Knock yourself out. But don’t throw me under the bus. And don’t throw Ace under the bus.”
Castro explained that Frehley was upset about Brown’s statements. He suggested this led to changes in their professional relationship.
“Ace was pissed [about what Steve said about him]. Why do you think he went back to Alex? I heard that he was really pissed. And I heard that people were cold shouldering Steve at the at the, you know, he showed up for the wake, not the funeral because I don’t think he got invited to the funeral,” Castro continued.
He added, “I mean, he cooked his own goose and the guy’s talented and I don’t take it away from him. Sure, it’s good, but he’s not the songwriter I am. No way. And he’s not the vocalist that I am, you know? I mean, you know, I’m Emmy nominated. I got awards from theater magazines. I got my gold records. He, you know, from writing songs and I’ve worked with so many different people. And this guy’s going this like, you know, he didn’t have a mindset for it. He was like, you know, a Central Park horse, you know, that’s it. You don’t see the rest of the city.”
Castro also addressed Brown’s claims about songwriting contributions. He referenced a recent podcast appearance.
“There’s this podcast. The three sides of the coin or something. They put it came up on my feed like maybe a week and a half ago. They put up just the segment. They edited just the segment of where Steve’s going off on like how he wrote everything. I wrote … 95% of was me. I did all this. I did all that,” Castro said. “And his childhood friend and the rest of the songs that he had were not even on the same planet.”
Castro described the reaction to Brown’s podcast appearance as overwhelmingly negative. He noted that viewers appeared uncomfortable with Brown’s statements.
The controversy Castro referenced stems from a broader dispute that emerged in March 2024 regarding Frehley’s album “10,000 Volts” and Brown’s role in its creation.
Louder Sound reported that Frehley was “shocked” when Brown claimed on the “Three Sides Of The Coin” podcast that he wrote “about 97 percent” of the songs on the album. The former KISS guitarist quickly shot down these rumors. He clarified his own contributions to the record.
Blabbermouth noted that Frehley handled lead vocals on all tracks and performed most guitar solos on “10,000 Volts.” He acknowledged that Brown played “a couple of” guitar solos. Frehley explained the age difference factor, noting, “Yeah, he’s only 50 or 51. I’m 72. So a couple of solos, he did play.”
The situation became more complex after Frehley’s passing. Blabbermouth revealed that Brown reflected fondly on their relationship, describing how they became “so tight” and shared personal moments including dinners and card tricks. This contrasts sharply with Castro’s account of the tensions that existed before Frehley’s death.
The controversy highlights the ongoing disputes over creative credits and legacy preservation that often emerge in the music industry. These conflicts are particularly common when collaborators have different perspectives on their contributions to an artist’s work.
