"I'm the trout player"

Okay, so after having heard about this interview for years, it finally occurred to me to try and catch it on YouTube. And it is so fucking funny (and a two-parter).



It's interesting on a few levels in that the interview took place not long before they started falling apart. But it's very cool - at least to someone like me who grew up a Kiss fanatic - to finally see everyone's actual personalities (sober or otherwise) on display in one room...how they interact and whatnot.

I was surprised to see how humble Peter comes across. He seemed like a genuinely compassionate person in the midst of the chaos they created for themselves. Paul...amusing on occasion, but kinda bland for the most part. And Gene, of course, was just as he is now: a control freak who will play along if he thinks it suits his interests, but otherwise annoyed if he's not driving the train.



I'd imagine Ace probably was/is a fairly quiet, reserved guy when he's not hammered. But for the most part, he was completely - well, mostly - articulate, and obviously hilarious. There were more than a few moments in these clips when I laughed out loud. But, "Actually, I'm a plumber"...genius. Probably one of the funniest lines I've ever heard.

Yes, they were stupid. Yes, most of those songs - certainly lyrically - are totally embarrassing. But as musicians, they worked really well together and, I think, still sound great to this day (what they recorded back then, I mean). Most of all, it was a fun time. And it still amazes me that that entire experience - the original Kiss heyday - only lasted six or seven years. It seemed like forever back then...

God bless Ace Frehley. I still love the guy.