Alright, fretboard fanatics, and especially my fellow OLD SCHOOL KISS Army veterans, let’s talk Ace Frehley. Specifically, let’s talk about his autobiography, “No Regrets.” Now, I’m a guy of a certain age – let’s just say I remember exactly where I was when I first heard “Cold Gin” crackle out of my transistor radio, mimicking Ace’s licks on my air guitar. I was hooked. And through all the years, through all the lineup changes and the musical shifts, Ace has remained a constant, a guitar hero with a style all his own. So, when I heard he’d penned his life story, I snagged a copy faster than you can say “Shock Me.”
Ace was really my first guitar idle in my younger years. Let me tell you, fellow KISS fanatics, this book doesn’t disappoint. Co-written with Joe Layden & John Ostrosky this book is a raw, honest, and often hilarious look at the life and times of the Space Ace, the man who made the Les Paul smoke and the Marshall stack sing. From his early days jamming in the Bronx – dreaming of escaping to the stadiums – to the dizzying, chaotic, glorious heights of KISSmania,
Ace pulls back the curtain and lets you in on the wild ride. He doesn’t shy away from the good, the bad, and the downright insane. We’re talking about the drugs, the booze, the band drama (oh, the band drama!), the solo successes, and the near-death experiences. It’s all there, laid bare with a surprising amount of candor. It’s like finally getting the inside story from the guy who was always the coolest member of the band (don’t @ me, Gene and Paul fans!). Besides; in my opinion they turned out to be, well D****.
And remember, Ace was the only one from the band with a hit solo single and the only one with a decent solo album. Remember New York Groove?
What struck me most about the book, though, was Ace’s voice. It’s like he’s sitting across from you, maybe backstage at a dimly lit club after a killer set, telling you these stories over a couple of cold ones. He’s funny, self-deprecating, and surprisingly vulnerable. He talks about his struggles with addiction with a frankness that’s both refreshing and heartbreaking. He talks about his love for his family, his passion for music, and his complicated, often fraught, relationship with his former band-mates – the guys he conquered the world with. It’s not just a rock and roll tell-all; it’s a human story, a story of resilience and redemption, a story of a guy who just wanted to rock.
Now, for us guitar players, especially those of us who spent hours trying to nail Ace’s solos, there’s plenty of juicy gear talk. Ace discusses his love affair with Les Pauls – the real love of his life, let’s be honest – his signature sound, and his approach to soloing. He talks about the evolution of his playing, the influences that shaped him, and the guitars that became extensions of himself. It’s not a technical manual, mind you, but it’s fascinating to get inside the head of a guitarist who defined a generation of rock players. Reading about his early struggles to master the instrument, his relentless practice, and his eventual triumph is inspiring, even for an old dog like me. It reminds you why you picked up the guitar in the first place, why you spent hours in your bedroom trying to figure out the “Detroit Rock City” intro.
“No Regrets” isn’t just for KISS fans, although, let’s be honest, if you ever painted your face black and white and rocked out to “Rock and Roll All Nite,” you NEED this book. It’s for anyone who loves rock and roll, anyone who appreciates a good story, and especially for anyone who’s ever strapped on a guitar and dreamed of playing in front of thousands of screaming fans. It’s a reminder that even rock stars are human, that life is messy and unpredictable, and that sometimes, the only way to get through it is to keep playing.
So, do yourself a favor. Dust off your old KISS albums, grab a copy of “No Regrets,” pour yourself a drink, and settle in for a wild ride. You won’t regret it. And who knows, maybe it’ll even inspire you to dust off that old Les Paul (or, let’s be real, that Ace Frehley signature model) and crank it up to eleven. Because, as Ace himself would probably say, rock and roll never forgets. And neither do we, especially those of us who grew up in the KISS Army.
While I am not a drummer and have never been able to coordinate the drums, I think that I may try to get my hands on the Peter Criss autobiography in the future.
Grab a copy of the book from Amazon or where ever you like to get you good reads from.
