Steve Brown recently addressed his relationship with the late Ace Frehley. He clarified their working status before Frehley’s passing in a statement shared on YouTube.
The statement came in response to previous claims by Ace’s friend Peppy Castro. Castro suggested that Frehley was upset with Brown and that Brown was not invited to the funeral. When asked about his contribution to Ace Frehley’s legacy and whether they were working on new material together, Brown provided clarification.
“Yeah, I mean, you know, again, it was such a tragic thing and such a surprise, you know. Yes, Ace and I were alright, I was sending him ideas,” Brown said. “Probably a three or four killer, would have been amazing new Ace songs for the new record.”
Brown explained the working arrangement and creative differences that led to their separate paths.
“He was working on he started working on that next Origins 3 and he was working with his other producer Alex Salzman which was cool,” he continued. “Because Ace and I had some disagreements on the Origins and where it should go and we basically both said to each other go your own way and then let me work on the Originals because I have no interest in doing cover tunes with him.”
Despite their professional separation, Brown indicated they maintained communication about future projects.
“I wanted to do the, you know, the followup to 10,000 Volts, which we started, and I sent him a bunch of great ideas, but sadly we never got to work on those,” he said. “You know, there’s some leftover stuff.”
This statement directly contradicts Castro’s earlier claims that Frehley was angry with Brown and that Brown was excluded from the funeral due to their relationship issues.
Castro said, “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.”
The controversy surrounding Brown and Frehley’s relationship highlights the complex dynamics that existed during the final years of the former KISS guitarist’s career. This particularly affected his creative direction and choice of collaborators.
Frehley gained fame as the original lead guitarist for KISS from 1973 to 1982. He had been working on various solo projects in recent years. His collaboration with Steve Brown on the album “10,000 Volts” represented a significant creative partnership that produced notable results before their professional disagreements emerged. The album showcased Frehley’s continued ability to create compelling rock music well into his later career.
The Origins series that Brown referenced represents Frehley’s covers album project. In this series, he reinterpreted classic rock songs that influenced his musical development. The series allowed Frehley to pay tribute to his musical heroes while demonstrating his distinctive guitar style and approach to familiar material. Brown’s preference for original compositions over cover material clearly created tension in their working relationship.
Alex Salzman, the producer Brown mentioned as Frehley’s alternative collaborator, had previously worked with various rock artists. He represented a different creative approach than Brown’s vision. The decision to work with multiple producers simultaneously suggests Frehley was exploring different musical directions and maintaining creative options during his final recording period.
Peppy Castro’s role as a longtime friend and confidant of Frehley adds weight to his earlier statements about the relationship dynamics. Castro’s claims about Brown’s exclusion from the funeral and Frehley’s alleged anger toward Brown created public speculation about the true nature of their professional relationship. Brown’s recent statement directly addresses and disputes these claims.
