Jeff Giles | Ultimate Classic Rock

Tommy Thayer makes no apologies for the way he assumed Ace Frehley‘s stage persona when he accepted his position in Kiss, but don’t expect him to sling any mud at his predecessor.

Thayer refused to take the bait during a recent interview with Australia’s Newcastle Herald, responding to a question about derogatory comments Frehley made last year by shrugging, “I don’t want to get into a back and forth, but I’m sure you can kind of assess what you think when you hear all that.”

As he goes on to point out, Thayer is perfectly aware that he wouldn’t have gotten the Kiss gig if Frehley hadn’t played himself out of it. “I think he had every opportunity in the world to continue in Kiss and be in Kiss as long as he did the right thing,” he continued. “It worked out better for me and he has to lead his life. As far as the jabs and all that, he can say that stuff and I’m not going to say anything bad about him. I just wish all the best to everybody in whatever they’re doing.”

And while some Kiss fans may still feel that there should only be one Spaceman in the band’s history, Thayer recognizes the possibility that future members may face the even more daunting prospect of replacing co-founders Paul Stanley or Gene Simmons after they decide to retire.

“It’s possible, I mean, it’s already kind of happened with half the band, to be truthful,” he admitted. “It’s hard to imagine Kiss without Paul or Gene. But at the same time, who’s to say somebody won’t come along that blows everybody away and they could take over and continue on. Anything’s possible, you never say never, and I think part of the Kiss philosophy is there are no rules and anything could happen.”