Former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley expressed his thoughts regarding Paul Stanley‘s vocal difficulties in a recent interview with Chaoszine, asserting that he could sing better than Stanley.
The guitarist was asked how he felt about missing KISS’s most recent performance at Madison Square Garden, particularly considering that Bruce Kulick, Peter Criss, and himself were all slated to attend but didn’t:
“I don’t really understand what happened six or seven to eight months ago when Paul and Gene were in the midst of the ‘End of the Road’ -tour. They were saying really nice things about Peter and Bruce Kulick and me. They were saying, ‘We called Ace, we called Peter, and they’re going to be on stage with us and play a few final songs,’ you know, ‘brotherhood’ and all that bullsh*t.”
Stanley’s Controversial Remarks As The Turning Point
But when Stanley showed up on the Howard Stern Show, things took a drastic turn, as Frehley revealed:
“And then, the last month, once the show was sold out and they didn’t need our help to sell out any more tickets, Paul Stanley went on the Howard Stern show and said, ‘Well, if Ace and Peter got up on stage with us, you might as well call the band Piss.’ That was completely opposite from what he was saying 6-7 months ago, and I don’t know why he said it, but it pissed me off, and after hearing that, I decided I wasn’t going there.”
Frehley’s Confidence In His Own Abilities
Then he said that he could sing and play the guitar better than Stanley, giving the following explanation:
“Even if he had invited me and given me a personal invitation after he had hit us below the belt with that comment, I would not have gone there. You know, I can play rings around Paul Stanley on guitar. I can even sing better than him and don’t have to use backing tracks [Laughs].”
Ongoing Vocal Performance Controversy
Paul’s vocal performance has been the subject of discussion for some time. He was accused of lip-syncing during KISS’s “End of the Road World Tour” by detractors and some fans. Doc McGhee, the manager of KISS, defended Stanley against these claims, saying that although the vocalist performs with backing tracks, he nevertheless sings every word of every song.
Later, in a June 2023 soundcheck video from Berlin, the rock star mockingly addressed these charges, calling them “bullsh*t.” Though he has made an effort to deny the suspicions, talk about his using background vocals has continued.
In a more recent interview with Sonic Perspectives, Frehley recognized Paul’s abilities as a frontman and vocalist, especially throughout the 1970s. He did, however, draw attention to the long-term effects of Stanley’s singing style and the 2009 botched throat surgery. He called the state of affairs “unfortunate,” particularly in light of the mounting rumors over the years regarding KISS utilizing backup recordings.