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 The Minneapolis Star Tribune reports that he has the most uncool laugh you'll ever hear. It's a bit like a
high-pitched hyena cackle, but with a New Yorker's nasal accent mixed
in. Every KISS fan shuddered the first time they heard it.
That laugh, though, is one of the reasons ACE FREHLEY always was the
coolest member of KISS. The band's original guitarist never seemed to
take the band as seriously as his pompous, mouthy bandmates. Of course,
Frehley was often too wasted to take much of anything seriously during
KISS' heyday, but as he said in a phone interview last week, "For me,
rock 'n' roll should always be fun."
Clean and sober for 19 months now, Frehley quit KISS once again in 2001
after a five-year "reunion/farewell" outing and said he's having a new
kind of fun on his first solo tour in 13 years, which brings him to
First Avenue on Thursday. He's also releasing a solo album later this
year.
These ventures follow recent TV appearances on VH1's Rock Honors
and Rock and Roll Celebrity Poker Tournament as well as - most
surprising/charming of all - a fireworks-filled Dunkin' Donuts ad
directed by "Scrubs" star Zach Braff.
Although he's clearly not making KISS-sized money as a solo
artist, Frehley believes he's getting the last laugh over his former
bandmates.
Q: Do you think it's a fair tradeoff doing a solo tour? That is,
you don't have to put the makeup on, but you also don't get to play as
big a venue.
A: "I don't even think about the makeup. I took the makeup off in
2001, and I really don't plan to put it back on. As far as the smaller
audiences, usually the smaller places have better acoustics and you're
closer to the people, more intimate. A lot of times that can be a lot
more fun. I'm used to playing arenas with a pit and security guards
between the band and fans; there's always that distance. The places I
play now, people can touch me. As long as they don't get too intimate,
you know?" [Laughs/cackles]
Read the full interview at Minneapolis Star-Tribune.
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