The only thing Ace Frehley wanted to be remembered for: “I brought happiness”
Ironically, in a band so blistering and electric as Kiss, Ace Frehley developed a reputation for being their version of a wallflower.
OK, sure: their definition of shyness compared to that of the rest of the world may not exactly constitute the same thing. But it remained the case that for Frehley, his guitar was like a defence shield and coat of armour for feigning confidence. Strip that away, and stand him in front of a microphone to sing, and it was a very different story.
All of this is to say that Frehley’s frenetic style on the fretboard was the singularly most iconic about his whole life and career, as the pinnacle of everything he stood for and will be remembered by in terms of a musical legacy. That was all well and good, and when the guitarist ultimately passed away in October last year, it was all Kiss fans could talk about.
But as it turns out, the man himself always viewed things a little differently. Of course, he was all too aware of his commanding power whenever a guitar was placed in front of him, but in reality, he also knew that it was nothing more than a ruse, a persona, and at the end of the day, a job. That’s perhaps a bit of a blunt way of putting it, but in Frehley’s mind, there was more to life than just the hedonism and heroism.
“I believe I’m going to be remembered as a straight shooter and a guy who stayed true to his craft and was respected by his peers,” he once candidly mused in an interview. “I brought happiness to a lot of people. I was always the funny guy in Kiss. That’s how I would like to be remembered.”
It’s quite a sweet view of life and your place in it, really, when you consider that his musical gifts never particularly seemed to factor into what Frehley perceived as the crux of his life and legacy. Being there for his bandmates was always far more important to him than any musical plaudits or accolades.
Of course, it goes without saying that there was often no show without punch, and Frehley’s disagreements with the band – sometimes otherwise known as diva demands – were more than clear for all to see. But then again, wasn’t that what all of Kiss were known for?
Certainly, the legacy of Frehley is one that no one can dispute, not least claim that he wasn’t responsible for changing the face of rock and roll guitar playing as we know it today. Yet it spoke volumes that, beneath that veneer, Peter Criss paid tribute to him by saying: “Ace influenced and touched the hearts of millions of people.”
That was the mark of Frehley: be the one to make them laugh, but never occupy every harsh glare of the limelight. In many ways, you’d like to think that, wherever he is, he’d be quite happy with the legacy he’s been given. Frehley, the guitar hero, is well known, but Frehley the good guy was all that mattered.
