Ace Frehley says he gets paid for Kiss’ use of his spaceman makeup design
The spaceman makeup design was worn by Tommy Thayer following Frehley’s departure from the band.
Images: Gary Miller (left) and Kevin Mazur (right) / Getty
Ace Frehley, former lead guitarist for Kiss, has said he will get paid for the usage of his spaceman stage makeup as the band prepare to live on as virtual avatars.
Kiss completed their “final” stint on the road – branded as The End Of The Road tour – earlier this month (December). Their last ever concert, which took place at Madison Square Garden, was streamed as a pay-per-view event.
Although the tour supposedly saw the last ever shows from Kiss physically, they plan to enter a “new era” where they will continue on as avatar versions of themselves. Further details on to how this next chapter will play out are yet to be revealed.
Frehley left the band in 2002, when his spaceman makeup was then taken on by guitarist Tommy Thayer. According to the rocker, who releases music solo these days, he continues to get paid for its use.
Frehley had previously said in 2018 that he was under the impression that he still owned the design and licensed it to Kiss for usage, and in a new interview with Ultimate Guitar, he has reassured that this is still “true”.
“I get paid for the usage – for merch and stuff. And I would consider this avatar stuff a merchandise ploy,” he says. “But I just saw something the other day on YouTube that Gene [Simmons] is having second thoughts about the whole avatar thing.
“But who knows with those guys – every day is a different story with those guys. And to be totally honest with you, I really don’t follow what they do very closely – because I’m more involved with my own career,” he states.
“I can’t believe… or I don’t understand why they haven’t recorded a record in 20 years. And I’ve done, I don’t know… six or seven. Pretty much I have to create to keep things fresh. Even though I don’t get a chance to play sometimes a lot of the songs I’ve written on my most recent albums live, it gives me an outlet to create. Because I’m still like a little kid when it comes to rock ‘n’ roll.”
Frehley is due to release his new album, 10,000 Volts, in February. You can also find out more about the Kiss avatars via Kiss Online.