He's still got the goods to rock 'n' roll all night.
But don't expect Ace Frehley -- former guitarist for hard-rock legends KISS -- to be partying every day anymore.
Frehley, better known as Space Ace to the legions of soldiers in the KISS army, once made a habit of living up to both ends of that credo, eventually developing such a crippling addiction to drugs and booze that it threatened to permanently sideline his career.
These days, Frehley has 18 months of sobriety under his belt, not to mention a smattering of highly publicized TV appearances, a comeback tour, and a new album due out in May.
And despite the fact the pending disc represents his first new solo release in almost two decades, Frehley insists it wasn't all that difficult to get back into a hard-rockin' headspace, especially after he found himself a new stable of tour mates to hit the road with.
"It's just a matter of focus, which is a lot easier when you're clean and sober," says the Bronx-born Frehley, now 56, from a hotel room in Niagara Falls. "I've learned from the guys in Aerosmith, and from other friends who've been through the same thing, that if you're going to be clean and sober, you've got to surround yourself with clean and sober people."
Frehley -- whose frenetic fretwork made him one of the most electrifying guitarists of the 1970s -- was eventually turfed from KISS in the early '80s, after his erratic behavior and substance abuse became too much for his fellow band mates.
He rejoined the boys for their much-ballyhooed reunion tour in the mid- to late-'90s, but was again dumped and replaced, this time by former KISS employee Tommy Thayer (who even adopted Frehley's trademark Spaceman makeup, prompting an outcry from diehard fans).
And while Kiss can probably expect to be inducted into the Rock 'n' Roll Hall of Fame in the next few years -- they tend to rank at the top of most people's "Glaring Omissions" lists of legacy acts that have yet to be honored -- Frehley says it's doubtful the designation would be enough to convince him to get back on stage with the rest of the band.
"I don't see that happening anytime soon," says Frehley, when asked about the chances of a reunion. "I'm really just focused on my solo stuff right now."
As for the new disc -- which still doesn't have a name -- Frehley says the project represents his attempts to "get back to basics."
"I've been listening to my first album (1978's self-titled KISS solo album) a lot, and trying to get back in that mindset," he explains. "That's the one everyone seems to like the most, and this album is closer to that one than anything else I've done."
After rattling off a few of the album's track titles (Pain in the Neck, Hard For Me, Fractured Quantum, and A Little Below the Angels), Frehley also sheds some light on what finally prompted him to get back into the studio.
"It was way overdue," he says. "Everybody I know has been asking me, 'When are you going to be releasing your new record?' So it was time."
But don't expect to be hearing a preview of those new tracks during any of the stops on Frehley's current tour.
Though the axe man -- who's also recently cropped up in a Dunkin' Donuts commercial and a VH1 Rock Honors special with fellow heavyweights Slash, Rob Zombie and Tommy Lee -- says his set list will be a mix of solo tunes and KISS cuts, he's saving the new material for a string of shows to be scheduled after the record is released.
"Because you just know it'll end up on YouTube the very next day," he says with a laugh. "And people have been waiting 20 years for this record, so I'm not about to just give it away."
Tags: Kiss Rock Acefrehley Album Guitarist Hardrock
