KISS Army Argentina: Hi, Bill. Since some time ago we wanted to contact you and here weare; thank you! First of all, please tell us how you became a KISS fan and, especially, an AceFrehley fan.Bill Baker: I remember hearing “Destroyer” when it first came out…a friend had the 45 of “Dr. Love”and “Take Me”. We were hooked from then on. I must have been around ten years old when I wasfirst introduced to their music.
KISS Army Argentina: Until the time in which you began to work with Ace, do you remember how many KISS shows you had attended, and how many Ace’s shows (during the Cometsera)?
Bill Baker: I know this is hard to believe, but unfortunately for me, I never got to see KISS or Aceback in the day. I first got to see Ace on the 1992 tour when my friends opened for him at”Hammerjacks” in Baltimore, Maryland. He wore the famous blue leather jacket that night.
KISS Army Argentina: As we know, you met Ace in 1990, in a KISS convention in which youwere selling part of your personal collection of Jimi Hendrix’s items and then investing thatmoney in buying some Ace’s items; is this correct?
Bill Baker: I didn’t meet Ace at the convention, I met a friend of his who was trying to sell Ace’s”Washburn” guitar. We ended up making a trade for the guitar, and I happened to meet Ace the next day when I delivered my side of the trade (Which was a rare “Marshall” guitar speaker cabinet). I was in the process of selling off Hendrix records and memorabilia, and that’s how the subject of Hendrix came up over dinner. Ace told me he had “roadied” for Hendrix once. I had some video from that very show and Ace wanted a copy of it! I gave him my number and to my surprise he called me the very next day and our friendship developed from there.
KISS Army Argentina: You had an Ace’s tribute band called “Fractured Mirror”, from 1993 to1998, and you also organized kind of museums within KISS expos. Would it be right to saythat maybe one of your best memories is when Ace called you to work with him after havingwatched a video of your tribute band?
Bill Baker: Oh yeah, that’s something I won’t forget. I could hear the video playing in thebackground, and he kept saying “If I squint my eyes it looks like me playing!” and I’m thinking “Am Ihearing this?” I was in awe and proud at the same time that I was able to impress the person I wasimitating. The band kind of came together, it was all for fun and to play the music that inspired us.So getting my hair darker, the clothing and trying some Ace – like moves, just fell into place. After Ace saw that video and that I could actually play, he decided to give me a bunch of his old stageclothes for my collection or to perform in. I wore his tattoo jacket, “Comet” jacket, and the blueleather jacket at different times performing at the Expos.
KISS Army Argentina: You started working with Ace fixing his guitars and amplifiers, andeven though you did not get money from that, you did exchange your work for items thatAce gave you and for advice on guitars and equipment; is this accurate?
Bill Baker: Sometimes he would pay for his repairs, but when I started to do guitar work, or if it wasfor amp repairs, tubes, speakers, etc….he’d find things to trade me for my collection. Would yousay no? There’s even items I had to turn down because I just didn’t have the money or didn’t wantto take on that much debt. You can never have it all……
KISS Army Argentina: Did Ace ever request your advice to know to which era certain KISSitems that he kept belonged? Did he ever ask you if you were interested in buying any of those items?
Bill Baker: He never asked me for my take on what era things belong to… but rather he would tellme stories about things or I would ask him about specific items, and where he got them, or did heremember when he wore them? Boy I wish I could have gotten some of our conversations onvideo!What a film that would make! I doubt he would remember that much of those details today. He waspretty sharp back then. He told me all about the “Eagle shirt” I got from him for doing the work onthe “Budokan”. He had stories about getting the jacket he wore in Cadillac, Michigan and the guysthat made it. He remembered exactly who made the “Comet” jacket for him, and told me the storyabout that famous purple jumpsuit (Circus Magazine pics with the “Veleno” guitar) and how it wasgiven to him by the bass player of the “New York Dolls”, but how it was originally white and heruined his washing machine by trying to dye it purple. He said Jeanette had a fit and they had tobuy a new one…
KISS Army Argentina: Among some of the items that you used to have there were authenticcostumes from the Love Gun tour, some others from the Destroyer and the Rock and RollOver tours, the platforms that Ace used when KISS visited Cadillac, in Michigan; plus someguitar straps, shirts and other amazing things, such as the “Smoking Les Paul” guitar, or the costume Ace used for the Alive II, or his first costume in 1973, the eagle jacket! Please tell us more about some of these fantastic items.
KISS Army Argentina: Regarding Ace, did you have the chance of working together indemos, or for co writing songs? Apart from Ace, did you become close to any other member of Ace’s band?
Bill Baker: No, I never had any part in songs. I never even got to jam with him. I’ve gotten to begood friends with Richie Scarlet. To this day he and his wife Joann are good friends of ours.
KISS Army Argentina: Unfortunately, one day Ace was in your life, the next he was not…Oneof the last times you met him, as we know, was in 1995; in that moment, did he make anycomments on the “KISS Unplugged” or about the KISS Reunion Tour for 1996?
Bill Baker: No he didn’t. The Detroit Kiss Expo was our last time we hung out, and he didn’t sayanything. Our last phone conversation was probably in late June or early July of 1995. He was inhis car heading somewhere and called me while he was on his way. He said he was sorry wehadn’t talked or gotten together since the Expo, and that he had been busy, and we’d get together soon. He had warned me that he may lose the call because of the signal in the area he was in andsure enough, not to long after he said that, he was gone and that was it. He had never mentionedthe reunion and I didn’t know about it until a friend called me the day before to see if I was going. Ihad no clue!
KISS Army Argentina: You no longer collect Ace’s items; you have been selling them for more than 12 years and you have only kept a few items that have a sentimental value for you; which items have you kept?
Bill Baker: First and most sentimental is the star earring. I haven’t gotten an offer that hasconvinced me to let it go. It’s just an amazing item and it doesn’t take up a lot of space, either!There’s a lot of photos from the early days, and Peter even wore it in the “red Room” photos! I stillhave the all aluminum “Veleno” guitar and the purple jumpsuit from those famous “CircusMagazine” pin-ups. I still have the electric blue leather jacket, Jimi Hendrix shirt, a pair of jeans anda pair of boots (worn in the “Insane” video) from the ’92 tour. Some handwritten lyrics, notes, somecomputer art he did (I have an ELVIS one still in my home workshop), and I still have a ton of original slides and negatives.
KISS Army Argentina: You have stopped following KISS long ago; can you tell us why?
Bill Baker: To me, Kiss was Kiss with the original members. This new version, it’s just not what Ilike. I’m partial to Ace and Peter being in the band in the 70’s. The original toys, the attitude, that’sthe real Kiss. Not the “Limited Edition, numbered”…..etc. Kiss. And I’m into many other bands.
KISS Army Argentina: After a long long time, in 2008 you met Ace again in which was hisfirst tour after many years. What can you tell us about that meeting? Do you still keep intouch with him?
Bill Baker: Ace just happened to be a guest for the very first time at a convention called “Chiller Theatre” here in New Jersey the same weekend that my books arrived from the printer. I hadplanned on taking them with me to sell, as I had a pile of 2000 books sitting in front of me with nodistribution deal. It was all me to get this creation out there. And I knew first and foremost that Aceshould have a copy. I spoke with his manager, someone I knew from years back, and he cut meinto the line on Saturday morning and Ace was happy to see me and I gave him a copy and we gota few quick pictures together for the first time in 13 years. I had him sign one of my books to me aswell. While it was great to see him again, and whenever I have the chance at a convention if he’sthere, I’ll stop in and say hello, we are not “in touch”, I don’t have his number or e-mail. I did get agreat photo with him another time at “Chiller” with some of the actors from the TV show “What’sHappenin”. That was fun. I hope there will be a photo op with another fun celebrity.
Bill Baker and Ace Frehley.
KISS Army Argentina: Have you read Ace’s autobiography and listened to “Anomaly”? If you did so, what is your opinion about them?
Bill Baker: I did read it. I also gave him a huge batch of paperwork (an interview he did for a KISSbook back in the 70’s and some other misc. information) to help him with his book because I hadn’tused it in mine. I thought he did a great job. I think that between his information and story, and mybook with it’s array of pictures and memorabilia, you have 2 great books on Ace. I’m proud to haveproduced one of two great Ace books! Anomaly, it’s a good record. “Fox On The Run” is a greatcover. I heard he’s recording again.
KISS Army Argentina: Some years ago, you finally released a book full of Ace’s memorabiliacalled “Ultimate Fan Scrapbook”. Please tell us about the process of selecting the materialfor the book
.Bill Baker: Wow, it was something that took me 15 or so years to put together. When I wascollecting Elvis books, some of them were done by fans and I thought, “I should do an Ace booklike this”. Sorting through all of the memorabilia, thousands of photos, slides, negatives,paperwork, posters, clothes, guitars……It was more like what I couldn’t fit than what I could fit. If Iever do an E-book, I will expand it and put more text in there because I had to leave out stories like Ace using my name when he would check into hotels, and the time I almost went on for him at ashow because he was very late.
KISS Army Argentina: What can you tell us about your current activities and your plans for the future?
Bill Baker: Currently, I still repair guitars for a living. That keeps me very busy as I work at an actualshop Monday through Friday, and then I have work at home for friends or other players throughoutthe country that ship me their guitars. Right now I’m re-making an “Ace tribute player’s” smokingguitar. I’m still selling my book through my website or on ebay as well as selling collectables nowand then. We have 5 cats, and occasional foster cats, that my wife and I take care of as well asenjoying our home. We have lots of musical friends and go to their shows. To name of few of myfavorites, that I love to photograph are Volbeat, HIM and Misfits… I enjoy photography as a hobby.Which maybe in the future I may do another book with some of my photos of these shows! You cancheck out some of my shots in the galleries on my website. (There are also links to their sites if youwant to check them out further!) I was working with bass player Dickie Peterson from Blue Cheer and we developed his custom bass, and I’m working with the bass player from Volbeat now on acustom bass. I’m good friends with that band (they are great check them out!) and my wife and Ieven traveled to Denmark to attend my friend Jon’s (the bands drummer) wedding.
KISS Army Argentina: Finally, we want to thank you for this interview and for the chance of learning more about you and the years you spent with Ace. Thanks!!Bill Baker: Thank You for asking me to do it! I admire that you are keeping the KISS spiritand fans together united! Thank you for making me a part of it! Please visitwww.theacefrehleyarchive.comor www.bluecheerfan.comto check out my websites andwhat I’m up to. I’m working on building upwww.tunisbasses.comas well. Thanks again!-Bill B”);