Why Ace Frehley Left KISS in 1982

Why did Ace Frehley leave KISS in 1982? The guitarist revealed a couple of reasons during an appearance on the Talk Is Jericho podcast with Chris Jericho, including one that relates to the band's most recognizable trait - the makeup.

Why Did Ace Frehley Initially Leave KISS?

Though Frehley was still doing promotional appearances with the band late into 1982, the guitarist tells Jericho, "First time I left KISS was in ’81."

He recalls, "I remember them saying, ‘Ok, you’ve resigned yourself to leaving.’ Paul [Stanley] came up to my house, took me out to lunch and begged me not to leave. And I had made up my mind after the success of my solo album that I was much more creative away from them than with them. So I really felt that I needed to go out on my own. It was a stupid decision when I look back now cause I lost millions of dollars."

He adds, "In reality, to me, it was the music not the show. The show was fun, but I was getting tired of wearing the makeup. Sometimes I had allergic reactions from the silver …. I didn’t like silver makeup and my face didn’t like it either and sometimes I’d get allergic reactions."

The post-show deconstruction of their stage personas was something many acts didn't have to go through. Speaking about the routine, Frehley recalled, "Sometimes during the course of the show, we’d sweat off the makeup pretty well and at the end of the night it wasn’t hard to take it off with cold cream. It just kind of came right off. We’d rub our faces with cold cream. Wait five minutes, take a towel, rub it off and jump in the shower. Gene [Simmons] never jumped in the shower with us for some reason, I don’t know why. It was always me, Peter [Criss] and Paul."

Within the chat, Jericho asked if there was any truth to the rumors of potential reunions prior to the band reuniting the original four in 1996. “We didn’t really speak much," admits Frehley. "I was really focused on putting together Frehley’s Comet.”

What Is Ace Frehley Doing Now?

Ace Frehley's latest solo record, 10,000 Volts, is out today (Feb. 23). He also will appear on the Monsters of Rock Cruise in early March with a tour set to start on March 28 in New York.

READ MORE: Watch Ace Frehley Space Travel in 'Walkin' on the Moon' Video

Ace Frehley Joins the Talk Is Jericho Podcast