Welcome to ‘A Lesson in KISStory’ with Ace Frehley! In this 20-minute interview, we go through every album Frehley was a part of with the legendary band along with all the ups and downs he experienced along the way.

Thanks to his contributions to KISS, Ace Frehley remains one of the most iconic guitarists in rock history, and the Spaceman now enjoys a solo career and a spot in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It’s hard to believe that KISS wasn’t always a musical super-juggernaut, but KISS did have to rise from obscurity while being misunderstood as nothing more than a gimmick freak show.

Ace tells us all about KISS’ early years and what made recording with the band so much different than the other groups Frehley had been a part of. He recalls KISS touring in a station wagon and sharing hotel rooms with the boys long before they could afford their own limos and suites. “There was a lot more camaraderie in those days,” Ace recalls. “Because we were always thrown together.”

Ace goes through all the essential KISS releases, his development as a guitarist and how he finally broke out of his shell as a singer. “No matter what I did in the studio, I never really got the praise that I maybe should have from those guys,” Frehley recalls. “They were always making me feel like I wasn’t good enough.” “I actually recorded [‘Shock Me’] on my back,” Ace reveals. “I didn’t feel confident enough; kind of hiding.”

As for Ace Frehley’s original departure from KISS, he dropped a bombshell during our chat. “I really felt that if I didn’t leave the group, I was going to kill myself,” Ace admits. “I wasn’t going to make it. I was abusing chemicals and alcohol. I just felt like I was going on a downward spiral and needed a break.”

Check out ‘A Lesson in KISStory’ from Ace Frehley himself in the video above!

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