ACE FREHLEY Believes He Will Get Paid For Use Of ‘Spaceman’ Makeup In KISS Avatars

In a new interview with Greg Prato of Ultimate Guitar, original KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was asked if he will be getting paid for the “Spaceman” makeup which is being incorporated into the KISS avatars. He responded: “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 [Simmons, KISS bassist/vocalist] 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.”

Each member of KISS had designed his own makeup. Drummer Peter Criss relinquished the rights to his “Catman” character when he left, and Frehley maintains that he licensed his. Ace also claimed in 2014 that he was due to get the rights back soon, a claim Stanley called a “fantasy”. “We own it. He sold it”, Stanley tweeted back in March 2014 in response to Frehley‘s comments.

Back in October 2015, Stanley confirmed that KISS owned the rights to the “Spaceman” and “Catman” characters. Speaking to Australia’s 4KQ, Stanley said: “The guys basically sold it off for, you know, not a whole lot, because they didn’t think it was worth anything. Quite honestly, I’ve always thought our image and what we represent is priceless. It didn’t matter to some people — it truly matters to me.”

Simmons recently said that “about 200 million” dollars is being invested into the KISS avatar show.

The technology being used for the KISS avatars, originally developed for ABBA‘s “Voyage” show in London, will allow KISS to stay “on the road” in retirement.

The KISS avatars were created by Industrial Light & Magic (ILM) and were financed and produced by the Swedish company Pophouse Entertainment, which is behind “ABBA Voyage”.

Unlike the “ABBA Voyage” show, which recreates a 1970s-era ABBA concert in a custom-built London arena, KISS‘s avatars that appeared at the band’s final concert in New York earlier this month will not be as grounded in reality as ABBA‘s digital replicas. According to BBC News, the KISS avatars will see the band appear as fantasy-based superheroes who are eight feet tall, breathing fire and shooting electricity from their fingers, while floating above the audience.

No details have been announced yet for KISS‘s plan with the band’s avatars. “We’re going to figure it out after the tour,” Pophouse CEO Per Sundin said prior to the final show at Madison Square Garden. “Is it a KISS concert in the future? Is it a rock opera? Is it a musical? A story, an adventure? These four individuals already have superpowers. We want to be as open as possible.”

The avatars will now be available for live shows around the world and in digital online settings, which some people collectively refer to as the metaverse.

KISS will reportedly become the first American band to go fully virtual and stage its own avatar show.

JOCOUP Creative, an experiential design firm co-founded by former Universal Creative director Thierry Coup and BRC and Universal Creative alumni Johanna “Jojo” Atilano, is also involved in the project. Coup has been announced as creative director of the KISS avatar show.

Ace Frehley photo credit: Jayme Thornton