Gene’s one-word apology to Desmond Child

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Ultimate Classic Rock

Desmond Child, the award-winning songwriter who co-wrote the Kiss hit “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” recalled how the band offended him with comments about the song, and how Gene Simmons eventually offered a one-word apology.

Despite being a chart success on release in 1979 – selling a million copies in the U.S. alone – and being co-written by Paul Stanley, some members of the band were unhappy with the song’s disco overtones.

“I was experimenting then with a drum machine, and the idea of having dance beats with rock had occurred to me,” Child told the Talk Is Jericho podcast. “So I kind of hoodwinked [Stanley] into this idea of four-on-the-floor dance beat with these heavy guitars. Gene never bought it – he never liked it. He [still] doesn’t.”

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Ace Frehley’s Girl Friend claims he pulled home ambush

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TMZ

OG KISS guitarist Ace Frehley stormed into the home he shares with his estranged girlfriend, forcefully took his belongings, then left her high and dry … so she claims in legal docs.
Rachael Gordon was granted a temporary restraining order against Ace — who she says she’s been with for 11 years — after what sounds like a bizarre and frightening incident at their house.
She claims in the docs, he returned home from a business trip unannounced and barged in with muscle — a male and a female bodyguard — along with his daughter, Monique.
The Rock & Roll Hall of Famer allegedly refused to talk to Gordon as he went into his office to gather up his guitars and gold records. Rachael Continue reading →

Ace Frehley welcomes Bruce Kulick to new ‘Orgins, Vol.2’ album

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Ultimate Classic Rock

Ace Frehley and Bruce Kulick are teaming up.

The former Kiss guitarists have covered Jimi Hendrix‘s “Manic Depression” for Frehley’s upcoming Origins Vol. 2, the follow-up to 2018’s Spaceman. In a new interview, Frehley added that John 5 plays on two tracks on the album, which is now expected in March 2020.

Frehley broke the news to Eddie Trunk. “I have Bruce Kulick doing a solo on ‘Manic Depression,'” he began. “I have John 5 playing on a Beatles song, ‘I’m Down.’ And he did one other song, ‘Politician’ by Cream. If you listen to the Cream version, (Eric) Clapton does a double solo — he’s playing two solos at the same time. So what me and John 5 did is, he did a solo, I did a solo, and then Alex Salzman my engineer we did a crossfade. So if you listen to the song with headphones on, you hear me going from one side to the other, and John going from one side back. So it’s a really interesting mix.”

This won’t be the first time Frehley and Kulick appear on a record together. They were both part of Kiss’ MTV Unplugged performance, and Kulick contributed to three songs on 1998’s sort-of reunion album Psycho Circus.

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The Phone Call that got Ace Frehley sober

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Ultimate Classic Rock

Former Kiss guitarist Ace Frehley recalled the phone call that led him to finally step away from alcohol 13 years ago.

He’d begun drinking at the age of 13 and battled with addiction issues since the ‘70s before a conversation with his daughter in 2006 persuaded him that he had to stop.

Frehley recalled how his last drinking session had involved Slash and Eddie Trunk, telling the SiriusXM presenter in a new interview: “I ended up with five girls in my room in Vegas. I think I kept it going for another month. And then I got a phone call from my daughter, Monique, and she was living in Florida at the time.”

He continued: “A lot of alcoholics talk about how they had that moment of clarity… Monique called me up and she goes, ‘Dad, I heard you been drinking again.’ I go, ‘Yeah, but I haven’t done anything else bad, you know? I haven’t done any coke yet, I haven’t done any pills.’ She goes, ‘Dad, it’s time to stop.’ She goes, ‘You better call your sponsor and tell them to take you to a meeting tonight.’

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Gene Simmons Allegedly ‘Erases’ Ex-KISS Members On Shirt

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Mitch Lafon

KISS fans are surely bemoaning Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley over this recent action towards fellow KISS legends Peter Criss and Ace Frehley. Recently, a user over at the KISSfaq fan forum going by the name of SpaceAce1977 uploaded the following picture. The picture is actually a Tweet to podcast host Mitch LaFon’s account which shows a t-shirt of KISS depicting a very famous image in KISS history – The Spirit of ’76 KISS poster. It isn’t entirely clear if it could be a counterfeit shirt. Peter Criss recently emotionally unloaded on KISS replacement.

In poster form, this was originally released in 1976 and of course, that was a banner year for celebrating the bicentennial of the United States, with original members of the KISS group – Gene Simmons, Ace Frehley, Paul Stanley, and Peter Criss posing for the picture you can see below.

However – in this current incarnation there is only one glaring problem. Peter Criss and Ace Frehley have been replaced! Yes, as you can see on the shirt itself, this classic image now has the likenesses of newer KISS members Eric Singer and Tommy Thayer. It is not confirmed whether or not that this is an officially licensed KISS product. Gene Simmons also just revealed why Paul Stanley ‘lost his voice.’

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Icon Coins Talks Eric Carr Commemorative Coin

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Icon Coins

Order Your Eric Carr Coin Today!

Icon Coins is happy to introduce our officially licensed Eric Carr Commemorative Collectors Coin!  Eric Carr, KISS drummer from 1980 until his untimely passing in 1991,  contributed his talent to the bands many gold and platinum albums during his tenure, and can be heard on the bands many hit songs from the 1980s including Lick It Up, Heaven’s on Fire, Crazy Nights, Tears are Falling, and Forever, to name a few.  In addition to his musical contributions, Eric Carr was equally known for his inviting personality and genuine love for the fans! From the time he joined the band to this very day, Eric Carr remains one of the most beloved members of the KISS family.

Each Eric Carr Commemorative Collectors Coin in die struck in heavy solid brass  with an antique silver finish. The front design features a beautiful sketch portrait of Eric Carr while the back design features his name, birth and passing years, Fox and Chikara icons representing his musical personas, over a shattered glass background reminiscent of the Crazy Nights album cover.

Each coin will also include an EXCLUSIVE backstage pass style laminate that will act as the coins Certificate of Authenticity featuring design elements from the coins themselves as well as an Eric Carr mini-bio.

This addition to the Icon Coins family is limited to 100 coins minted.

Each Collector Will Receive:

  • 1.75″ Die Struck Eric Carr Coin w/Antique Silver Finish
  • Velvet Coin Pouch
  • Exclusive Laminate/C.O.A.

Icon Coins designer, Ralph Asbury, has a long history when it comes to keeping the memory of Eric Carr alive.  It started in the late 1990s with an action figure.  At the time, McFarlane Toys had released the first set of official KISS action figures as KISS was back on top of the world with the Reunion Tour.  To help fans complete the set, Ralph created one of the earliest custom made Eric Carr action figures by re-purposing the Paul Stanley figure to represent the Fox character.  (One of these custom creations can be seen on the Eric Carr documentary, The Eric Carr Story: Inside the Tale of the Fox.) This led to an introduction to Eric’s family and the next effort to honor The Fox…

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Vinnie Vincent open to guest appearance at final KISS show

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Ultimate Classic Rock

Former Kiss guitarist Vinnie Vincent said he was open to the idea of making an appearance during the band’s farewell tour.

His comments came after band manager Doc McGhee said that all surviving former members were contacted about the possibility of taking part in the final show in July 2021.

“I think there was something that my lawyer had been in contact with them about a year ago,” Vincent told Rock and Roll Experience With Mike Brunn. “As far as I know, nothing came of it. And it wasn’t something I thought about. … I don’t know what they’re doing. I don’t wanna assume anything — it’s not for me to second guess. It seems like they’ve got the band that they’re doing this with. I don’t know if they’re having past members play — I don’t know. … If this is something that they want to approach, all they’ve gotta do is give me a call and we’ll take it from there.”

Meanwhile, he said he was gearing up to enjoy his upcoming Merry Metal Christmas events, set to take place in Nashville on Dec. 14 and 15, though the only details provided so far are that they will feature “music, performance, food, wine, signings and Q&A.”

“I cannot wait for this Christmas party,” Vincent noted. “This is something I am truly, deeply looking forward to. It’s really more of a party than it is of a show. … I am an unstructured person to begin with, you know. How I live, I live completely without structure. I do things how I want, when I want. And that’s how these parties are. I just figure out, ‘How do I feel at this moment? This is what I want to do.’ And I just take the fans with me, where I’m going at that particular moment.”

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