As Ace Frehley prepares to release his latest solo album, 10,000 Volts, the ex-KISS guitarist took time to take a swipe at the guy who replaced him in the band, Tommy Thayer. In a new interview with Guitar World, Frehley praised his own unique playing style, while gloating that Thayer’s gig with KISS had come to an end, since the band had recently played the final show of its farewell tour.
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“I’ve never had a guitar lesson. I was born with a certain technique that many people, namely Tommy Thayer, can’t duplicate,” Frehley told the magazine. “And with Tommy, yeah… that’s over now. It’s back to the breadline for him!”
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Frehley also got in some shots at his fellow KISS co-founders Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley, while enthusiastically touting 10,000 Volts, which hits stores on February 23.
On Being More Prolific Than His Ex-Bandmates
Acknowledging that Simmons and Stanley have both often criticized him in the press, Frehley pointed out that he’d been far more prolific than his ex-bandmates in recent years.
“Paul and Gene have tried to destroy my reputation over the years—we know that,” he said. “And unfortunately for them, 10,000 Volts is going to make them look like imbeciles.”
[RELATED: Ace Frehley Opens Up About His Friendship with Other Ex-KISS Members]
He continued, “KISS hasn’t put out a record since [Monster in] 2012, and here I am, 17 years sober, and it’s my sixth record since leaving KISS. I keep chugging along, and nobody can stop me.”
Frehley added, “Creating amazing music is the best way to combat someone putting you down. That’s how I shut them up.”
About 10,000 Volts
As previously reported, Frehley co-wrote and co-produced 10,000 Volts with Steve Brown, lead guitarist of the New Jersey glam-metal band Trixter. Frehley told Guitar World that he thinks that, thanks to the collaboration with Brown, the album is among his best solo efforts ever.
“On the first day, I said, ‘Dude, if you trust me, I f**king promise you we’re going to make the best record we can make,’” he noted. “And we did. It’s possibly the best record of my career.”
Frehley said he feels that one reason the songs on 10,000 Volts are so strong is his streamlined approach to playing guitar solos.
“The result is a record with so many solos that my fans will remember—they’re shorter and catchy, which is by design,” he explained. “It’s like my [self-titled debut] ’78 solo record or the ’70s KISS records—songs within the songs.”
Fans Are Liking “10,000 Volts” Video
In November, Frehley released 10,000 Volts title track as its lead single, along with a music video for the tune. He bragged to Guitar World that the clip has been getting more views than a video of a recent KISS concert.
“I was on YouTube … and I noticed that the music video for ‘10,000 Volts’ is creeping up on half a million views,” Frehley said. “Then I checked on a video of one of KISS’s final live shows, and they didn’t have close to that.”
Frehley’s 2024 Concert Plans
Frehley will be hitting the road this year in support of 10,000 Volts. The 72-year-old Rock & Roll Hall of Famer currently has a handful of confirmed gigs lined up, according to Ticketmaster and StubHub.
Tickets for Frehley’s upcoming solo concerts are available now via various outlets, including StubHub.
You can pre-order 10,000 Volts now.
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