Ace Frehley has described Paul Stanley as “one of the sloppiest guitarists out there” after the Kiss frontman suggested his ex-bandmate had lost the ability to play.
Stanley recently claimed Frehley “threw away incredible potential and talent” and added: “He got involved with a whole lot of things that really diluted and diminished his craft. I saw that comet grow dim.”
Now Frehley tells Metropolis Nights (via Blabbermouth): “That’s hysterical, for Paul to try and say something negative against me as a guitar player. He should listen to himself playing live.
“He’s more worried about jumping around and pointing his finger. That’s been the problem since the beginning of Kiss – we all used to yell at him for making so many mistakes. I would try and cover for him.
“So for him to take a shot at my guitar playing – is he out of his mind?”
Frehley wants critics to stop labelling him a drug addict, now he’s been clean and dry for eight years. “It’s really disheartening for people to continue to badger me, and call me a loser, just because I made some mistakes in the past,” he says.
“We should put that to bed. That’s ancient history. My body of work has stood the test of time, and I know what I’m capable of doing.”
Frehley – who’s said his Kiss replacement Tommy Thayer always wanted to be him – recently released solo album Space Invader. His ex-bassist Anthony Esposito last week told of his shock at being dismissed from the band.