MrZerr0 remembers Ace Frehley of KISS.

"ACE Frehley, the comet has passed"
Dr. Rox Remember When Article #176
By: RLSchwinden aka MrZerr0

My childhood hero has passed on. On Thursday 16 October 2025 Ace Paul Daniel Frehley passed on.

Though I wrote an article on Ace many years ago, this one hit me hard enough to write my own eulogy on Ace. And it goes like this: it was the summer of 1976 in Jackson (Brandon), Mississippi. my neighbor Jimmy S. (his dad was the lead vocalist and keyboard player in the local band "Baker's Dozen" they had a 45 Single out at the time and at this point in time my dad Bill Schwinden was the drummer in this band) Jimmy had just received KISS "Destroyer" for his birthday, one cloudy day we were out in the front yard playing tag or something like that and Jimmy kept going on and on about this song "Detroit Rock City" by a band called KISS, now I had heard KISS on the radio with "Beth" I was not impressed I had seen a TV commercial for K-Tel's "Disco-Mania" with "Rock And Roll All Nite" again, I was not impressed. We kids were not allowed in Jimmy's house so he put his stereo speakers in the window and we stood next to the wall and listened, I did not get why they had sound effects at the beginning of the song, I thought the song was ok, I guess, so I asked to see the cover. When he handed it to me I was blown away, of course Gene was the most menacing and a person's eyes were drawn right towards him, I thought Peter was cool, simply because, he was a drummer and so was my dad, I was the least interested in Paul (which oddly enough I have portrayed him for the last 12 years in KISSin Time MPLS) but there was something that drew me to Ace, I can not say exactly what it was, perhaps it was the Spaceman, sci-fi thing he had going. As I looked over the song titles one in particular caught my attention, "Sweet Pain" it made me laugh out loud, I just couldn't understand what this could be about (little did I know it was about S&M). And then ... I heard Gene's voice, this was the sound I had been looking for my whole life. I was hooked.

Shortly after this my childhood friends since birth Spencer and Chris C. came to visit my family from Iowa, turns out they were huge KISS fans already, there was an immediate bond, in addition too, we had all known each other since birth. The 1st KISS record (vinyl) I got a hold of was the 45 Single of "Rock And Roll All Night" b/w the Alive version. Then I got my own copy of "Destroyer" then "Hotter Than Hell" from my friend Greg A. then "Rock And Roll Over" from my friend David B. then for my 14th birthday my dad Bill (though he was broke at the time) ponied up for "Alive" The Cain family got me "Dressed To Kill" My friends Spencer and Chris photographed and taped KISS in Lincoln, NE. 20 Jan 1977, so I had a tape of that show before "Love Gun" was released. "I Stole Your Love" was my jam, lastly I got a hold of the "1st Album" I was greatly disappointed in the delivery of those classic songs, save for "KISSin Time". Now Spencer wanted to be Ace, and Chris wanted to be Gene, I was regulated to be Peter as my dad was a drummer. I have a photo of me in Peter's make up, from about 1978, I would guess. 1978 was a slow year for album releases, at least for me it was, then in the fall (Sept.) the 4 solo albums were released. Now my family being poor working class with 4 kids and only 1 car, I did not have the luxury of getting all the records I wanted. So what I would do is go downtown to Kresge's and buy the newest 45 Singles that were out for the albums I wanted. I bought Ace's "New York Groove" and Paul's "Hold Me" (huge disappointment) I loved Ace's "Snowblind" on the flipside so I bought his album 1st. I loved that album so much "Rip It Out" was the very 1st song I ever tried to sing in front of people (humiliating...) So I made sure we include it in KISSin TIme and in my solo band 'StarChild' (Playing 1 Nov 2025 Sat 7pm at The WetBarn in Somerset, WI.)

Before I was able to play guitar I would dress as Ace in makeup and the "Hotter Than Hell: time clock triangle" in fact in 1977 a rock magazine held a contest to "Design New KISS Costumes" so I entered. And in 1982 I had my Grandma Marge make this costume I designed for me, incredibly in 2009 when Tommy Thayer was in KISS, his 'New' costume looked very much like the one I designed in 1977, I still have it somewhere.

I was always so enamored with Ace's guitar playing style, I wanted a Black Les Paul like he played, but in fact my 2nd real Gibson was a 1976 Tobacco Les Paul Standard, which was very similar to Ace's 1973 and 1974 Les Pauls. I had a 2nd one a few years ago. Since I started playing guitar at age 16 (thanks to Mike and Jack Langley) I always tried to copy Ace's style and play like him, sadly I never was able to master this, even to this day. Then finally a new KISS record "Dynasty" is released with 3 songs sung by Ace no less and one a Rolling Stones song which I had loved the Rolling Stones since 1968, if I would have to guess. I got to see the original 4 in Omaha, NE. 8 Oct 1979, I was amazed. I have a few great photographs of that show, sadly Asia Security was so strict we were unable to get the tape recorder in for this show. However our fried Brent H. his uncle was a security guard at the hotel KISS were staying in, so his uncle had us wait in the hallway of the restaurant, while Gene was eating with a female friend, the uncle had us stay there until Gene left and we got to see Gene go upstairs to his room ... NO Makeup, now I was skeptical because this guy had an afro .... ? But alas this was in fact gene, I have the "US" magazine he was carrying as he handed it to us. Then we had to wait a whole year for the next album "Unmasked" (a real disappointment) but again 3 Ace songs, alright, albeit not great ones. Then Peter left, and a year and a half later "The Elder". While I myself Loved The Elder (it helped me believe in myself when everyone around me was putting me down) it was very different and only really one Ace song.

So then comes "Killers" and soon after "Creatures Of The Night" now the article I read at the time Ace stated he would have a song on "Creatures" titled "Rockin With The Boys" (when I met him in April '90 I asked him about this song, as well as "Queen For A Day" slated for "Rock And Roll Over" instead of being impressed he seemed put off that I knew about these unreleased songs. He did eventually release "Rockin With The Boys" in 2018, I found out from Gene probably in 1990 only the backing tracks were recorded for "Queen For A Day" by Gene, Paul and Peter, that Ace never showed up to add his Vocals and Lead Guitar). However NO Ace songs on either and to be honest, I could tell that it was probably Not Ace playing guitar on these 2 albums. Though Ace did a promotional tour and interviews for the band and KISS announced Ace would be making appearances at some shows in 1982-83, essentially Ace was out of the band.

Ace was ready to do his own thing. Here is a list of the songs that were scheduled to appear on Ace's 1986 Bronze Album, (in no certain order) I Got The Touch, I Will Survive, I'm An Animal (Scarlet), Back In My Arms Again, Back On The Streets (Scarlet), Audio/ Video, Wired Up, I Heard An Angel, Give It To Me Anyway (Scarlet), My Girl (cover), Baby It's You (cover). I have a photo of Ace signing the record contract somewhere, alas Bronze folded before Ace's album could be released. I have to think those recordings are licensed to Bronze as Ace never released them or even re-recorded them, and in my opinion "Audio/Video" is one of the best songs Ace ever recorded. Ace did sign to Megaforce/ Atlantic records from 1987 to 1989; releasing 3 studio albums, a live EP and a VHS (back then the standard record deal was 3 to 5 releases in a 3 to 5 year period). While Ace and his band (Frehley's Comet) played many one off shows on the east coast tri-state area from 1984 to 1986, he did not do full tours until 1987 with the release of his 1987 solo album. So the 1st time I was able to see and meet Ace was in April 1990 in Tempe (Phoenix) AZ. at Zia records, he was there for a meet and greet for his new album "Trouble Walkin". I spent several hours with him there that day. He was very closed off and guarded, he would laugh and talk to his bandmate Ritchie Scarlet, and to a lesser extent John Regan. Things he talked about, he laughed at signing a girl's dog he said "I have never signed a dog before" he told me he still had his "First leathers and Marshall stacks" he was impressed with some photos Lydia Criss had taken from Jan 1974 in New York. He suggested I buy a 2nd copy of his new album. I watched him shop for Cheap Trick CDs and flip through a sub sandwich like a deck of cards. I asked him if he still performed "Deuce" his response "You'll have to go and see". I did in fact go to the show, it was great, I remember Ace fixed his hair in the mirror every few songs.

The next time I saw Ace in concert was Oct 1994 here in MPLS at The Mirage, for a Halloween show, he judged a look alike contest, we waited for him after the show but his manager George Sewitt, came out and said "Sorry folks, it's too cold for Ace, so he won't be signing" I saw Ace a couple days later in Des Moines at Hairy Mary's (yes, the Slipknot club) I met met George before the soundcheck, he asked "If I had a subpoena for him" I laughed and said "No, I just want to get 'The Kid From The Bronx ' autograph on my Paul Stanley guitar, George responded "He won't sign any guitars, after the Yamaha fiasco, why Did Ace play it ?" We waited at the hotel like George suggested, Ace pulled up in a cab, shook his head and said "Sorry I'm late for a meeting" so we went across the street and waited, Ace got out of a rental car and said "SO, you guys want an autograph, ok, only one per person" the club was packed and Ace had to enter the stage through an old coat check hole in the wall behind the main door. I do remember he said "You all want a guitar lesson and he played "Fractured" from his 1987 solo album.

I saw Ace a few more times after that 2008 MPLS, 2015 Hinckley, 2017 St. Paul, 2018 New Hope, KISSin Time actually performed that night, the band got our photo with Ace an invited him to come up and play with us, while he considered it his manager informed him he had to catch an early flight the next morning so Ace passed. I met him twice this day, the first time without my Paul Stanley makeup and the 2nd time in my makeup, I remember when I walked up to Ace, he took a good long look at my face and then my costume and muttered "You look really good".

Of Ace's later albums I really liked "Sister" "Fox On The Run" "A Little Below The Angels" from 2009, "Space Invader" "Past The Milky Way" from 2014, "Fire And Water" "Emerald" form 2016, "Bronx Boy" "Rockin With The Boys" from 2018, "Kicks" "30 Days In The Hole" from 2020, "Back In My Arms Again" "10,000 Volts" from 2024.

I totally regret not going to see Ace in Sep 2024 in Hinckley and Feb 2025 in Mahnomen, but I must have had something going on at the time, so I didn't, and now he's gone.

Rest In Spaceman, you had a huge impact on this kid's life and music.
Until, we meet again ... MrZerr0

Mr. Zer0's PsychoGello Show #321 Oct 2025
Shock Me: June 1977
Rocket Ride: (#39) Oct 1977
Hard Times: May 1979
Save Your Love: May 1979
Talk To Me: May 1980
2 Sides Of The Coin: May 1980
Dark Light: Nov 1981

Mr. Zer0's PsychoGello Show #61 Sep 2018
With guest Candice Biotch
Rip It Out: Sep 1978
Eugene: Crazy Joe and the Variable Speed Band: Aug 1981 w/ ACE Frehley
Love Me Right: Apr 1987
Rocket Ride Live '87 Sept
Words Are Not Enough: Feb 1988
Juvenile Delinquent: May 1988
5 Card Stud: Oct 1989

KISSin Time: will be performing their 12th Annual Halloween Show on 31 October 2025 Fri 9pm at Big Guys BBQ in Hudson, WIS. Call: 715. 549. 6255 For ALL Info

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