Ace Frehley recalls awkward encounter with Prince

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UCR

Ace Frehley holds a lot of respect for Prince, even if their lone encounter was “awkward.”

In the opinion of the former Kiss guitarist, the best thing about the Purple One was his distinctive style. Whenever he would hear a Prince song, Frehley tells Ultimate Prince, “you knew it was Prince right away – the way he sang and the way he put songs together, his production. It was Prince all the way. He had his own style, and he excelled at it.”

Frehley is reminded of Prince on those nights when his work takes him to First Avenue, the Minneapolis club made famous by Prince in Purple Rain. “That’s a great venue and a great crowd,” Frehley notes. “I remember performing there at least two or three times. Every time I go there, I go, ‘Oh, this is where they filmed the movie!’ Which I thought was pretty cool. It was very tragic, the fact that we lost him so young.”

The guitarist met Prince only once, at a party, and recalls the encounter as “a little awkward, because I didn’t realize he was that short. I was like a foot taller than him, because I had heels on. I said hello to him, but we never really conversed. It was just a brief meeting. I never really spent any time with Prince.”

Had they been able to spend more time together, perhaps they could have bonded over their shared love of Jimi Hendrix. Frehley’s upcoming covers album, Origins, Vol. 2, includes a rendition of Hendrix’s “Manic Depression.” The first volume, released in 2016, featured a take on “Spanish Castle Magic.” Prince remade Hendrix’s “Red House” as “Purple House” for a 2004 Hendrix tribute album, though he was skeptical of being compared to the guitar legend.

“It’s only because he’s black, that’s really the only thing we have in common,” Prince said in 1985. “He plays different guitar than I do. If they really listened to my stuff, they’d hear more of a [Carlos] Santana influence than Jimi Hendrix. Hendrix played more blues; Santana played prettier. You can’t compare people, you really can’t – unless someone is blatantly trying to rip somebody off.”

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Ace Frehley New Single Released Today – I’m Down

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ACE FREHLEY – NEW COVERS LP, ORIGINS VOL. 2 OUT SEPTEMBER 18th
“I’m Down'” – new single out today

“I’m Down” is the second single off Ace Frehley’s  upcoming cover album installment – Origins Vol. 2. Ace’s take on the Little Richard-inspired Beatles b-side classic is nothing short of a complete hard rock, nuts and bolts overhaul. Featuring ripping guitar work from the legendary John 5, Ace and co tossed the organ solo clean out the window and replaced it with an absolute melter of a solo. Ace vox and guitar playing are the best they’ve been in years and Ace fans will be delighted by this bar raising cut.

Paul Stanley Shows Off C8 Corvette, Says “It’s Drop-Dead Gorgeous”

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The rest, as they say, is history. In addition to writing great tunes and some wicked performances on stage, Paul Stanley has also taken to Facebook to show off his new car. Finished in white over black wheels and red brake calipers, the C8 Stingray also boasts a rather tasteful interior combo.

“For years, the auto industry said ‘buy American’ and I said ‘when you manufacture world-class cars, I’ll buy them.’ The 2020 Corvette is beyond that,” said the frontman. “It raises the bar with cutting edge technology. It’s a machine I’m proud to drive and it’s drop-dead gorgeous. I love mine!”

Notice the lack of a lower front splitter? This means we’re probably looking at a non-Z51 version of the Stingray, which is somewhat curious given how popular this option is among customers. Speaking of which, Chevy has leveled up the pricing of the performance package to $5,995 for the 2021 model.

Carbon Flash side mirrors and five-spoke trident wheels are also featured, and even though Stanley is a little critical of American cars, this isn’t his first Corvette. He also had/has a one-of-one 2015 model year Stingray SEMA show car that he purchased from GM after owning a 2014 model Stingray.

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