PAUL STANLEY: PETER CRISS And ACE FREHLEY Don't Belong In KISS

KISS guitarist/vocalist Paul Stanley recently spoke to PressOfAtlanticCity.com about the group's current tour, the absence of original members Peter Criss and Ace Frehley and his upcoming solo album. Several excerpts from the interview follow:

Q: Are Peter and Ace done for good?

Paul Stanley: "Yeah. No question. I wish both of them the best, but they don't belong in the band. You can't have members coming and going and we don't know what to expect and the fans don't know what to expect. It's unacceptable at some point. It's just better for everybody. I hope they pursue what makes them happy. Meanwhile, the band continues because it should. The team and the army is about making sure the athlete or the soldiers believe in the cause. That's what makes for a victory. When people no longer share the same drive or focus, it's neither fair to the band or the fans."

Q: What do you think about Gene's new solo album?

Paul Stanley: (long pause) "No comment. Let's just say, I hope it's what he wanted to do. He reaps the benefits or takes the ... criticism. If this is the album he chose to make, then he deserves what he gets, either way."

Q: You had the best solo album all of those years ago. Don't you have the itch for another one?

Paul Stanley: "It's been in the works for a while; I'm just not on a soap box talking about it. It's half done. I'm not about selling sizzle. My album's about delivering a steak. It won't matter who's involved or what color the cover is. That's what it's not about. I want to release it sometime around the New Year."

Q: I know you did theater work, particularly "Phantom of the Opera". Will there be more theater for you?

Paul Stanley: "Absolutely. I was recently asked to do 'Phantom' for Broadway. It's not a matter of if it will happen, it's when."

Q: You always read about Gene's girlfriends and Gene has books and everything, why don't we hear that stuff about you? Is that a choice, or don't people ask?

Paul Stanley: "Most people don't ask. You put it out there if you want to talk about it. Stuff starts because you keep talking. I've chosen not to. If I tell you I came in last night on a flying saucer with Elvis, I would have to wonder why you would believe it. But people do believe stuff. My private life is private. It's not for public consumption as a rule, and I try not to embellish on that."

Read Paul Stanley's entire interview with PressOfAtlanticCity.com at this location.