Greg Prato | Vintagerock.com
There was a point where it seemed that Ace Frehley had closed the door on his solo career. After all, there was not a single new Ace solo offering between the years of 1990 – 2008 (I know, I know — he was part of the Kiss reunion from 1996 – 2002, but still…).
However, over the past ten years or so, Kiss’ original lead guitarist/creator of the famous “spaceman” character and make-up design has come back with a vengeance – issuing several albums (2009’s Anomaly, 2014’s Space Invader, and 2016’s Origins, Vol. 1) and consistently touring.
And in 2018, Ace added another entry to his solo discography, with the arrival of the appropriately titled Spaceman. The man with the literal smoking guitar spoke to Vintage Rock on the day of the album’s release (October 19, 2018).
The thing that strikes me about the arrival of Spaceman is that it is your fourth album since 2009. Is it safe to say that you’re making up for lost time?
Yeah. What completely blew my mind was I got sober, and then I started working on a record [Anomaly], eventually got a record deal with eOne, and people are telling me, “You haven’t put out an album in 20 years.” I had no idea it went by that fast. [Laughs] So, I’m making up for lost time — yes, I am.
Has getting sober fueled your creativity?
Oh, it’s changed my life. I’m focused, I show up on time, and I’m much more creative. And I like remembering what I did the night before, when I wake up – whether it be at home or on tour.
You’re playing guitar better than ever — especially on tunes like “Mission to Mars” and “Quantum Flux.”
That’s interesting that you said those two. It seems like everybody I talk to has a different favorite.
Let’s discuss “Quantum Flux,” which closes the album and is an instrumental.