Ace Frehley recently joined a conversation with the Metal Voice and said he doubts Gene Simmons and Paul Stanley’s plans for KISS avatars will work.
The guitarist replied to a question about his decision to leave the band during the ‘Creatures of the Night’ era, saying:
“I had already committed to leaving the group, and I started looking for band members and stuff and jamming with other people. It was just too late. I had already made the decision because, you know, I could never trust those guys [Gene and Paul]. I don’t know what hair-brain scheme they come up with.”
Frehley Disagrees With The Avatar Decision
Frehley then shared his thoughts on the band’s new direction:
“I mean, if I was still in the band, I would have never agreed to do these avatars. Something maybe kids would enjoy, but I don’t think a long-time KISS fan is going to enjoy that stuff. I wish them well, like I said, good luck, but you know, in my humble opinion, I don’t think it’s going to be a successful endeavor.”
How Frehley Profits From Avatars
In December 2023, KISS introduced their virtual band avatars at the final show of their farewell tour. Industrial Light & Magic developed the avatars, and Pophouse Entertainment financed them. In an earlier chat with Ultimate Guitar, the rocker discussed earning from the avatars:
“I get paid for the usage – for merch and stuff. And I would consider this avatar stuff a merchandise ploy. But I just saw something the other day on YouTube that Gene is having second thoughts about the whole avatar thing. But who knows with those guys – every day is a different story with those guys. And to be totally honest with you, I really don’t follow what they do very closely – because I’m more involved with my own career.”
Paul Stanley Clears Up Avatar Confusion
In a January 2024 talk, Paul Stanley explained the avatars to fix wrong ideas. He said:
“One thing that’s interesting is people, I think, perhaps even understandably, got the wrong impression initially of the avatars. Because at the Garden shows, we wanted to give people a glimpse of some of the things, or one of the things, that’s to come. But the avatars are really in their infancy. They’re far from where they’ll end up in terms of look and purpose. The purpose, ultimately, is not that we’re being replaced by flying avatars. It’s just another way of diversifying what KISS is.”
The band said their first digital show will be in 2027. So it’s a three-year wait for this new experience. They shared this news in a video on social media in late December last year.