ACE FREHLEY On First Meeting BOB KULICK: ‘I Was Intimidated By How Great Of A Guitar Player He Was’

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In a new interview with Metal Express Radio, former KISS guitarist Ace Frehley was asked if he knew Bob Kulick well. The legendary guitarist and record producer died on May 28 at the age of 70. A cause of death has not been revealed. "I didn't know Bob that well, but I was friends with him and jammed with him a couple of times," Ace said. "Believe it or not, but when I auditioned for KISS, Bob was also auditioning for KISS and he was actually playing when I walked into the room. I was intimidated by how great of a guitar player he was. Paul [Stanley] and Gene [Simmons] decided that I fit the band better because I had the right image. Of course, I could play and I pulled everything out of my hat. When they played 'Deuce', I just ripped every riff that I knew and did a five-minute guitar solo. Paul told me that they knew immediately that I was the one but they didn't let me know for two weeks. They kept me hanging on." After Bob was passed over by KISS, the six-stringer aligned himself with the band over the years, playing on the studio material on "Kiss Alive II", providing solos on the "Killers" album, co-writing "Naked City" from "Unmasked" and guesting on Paul Stanley's 1979 solo album and tour a decade later. He even suggested his brother Bruce to the band. In a 2018 interview with Ultimate Classic Rock, Bob said he had no problem keeping his KISS involvement under wraps at the time, explaining: "In this circumstance, being friends with Gene and Paul, it was important to me that when they said, 'This has to be between us and us only,' that I'm going to keep my word." Ace's "Origins Vol. 2", the sequel to Ace's 2016 collection of cover songs that inspired the former KISS guitarist, will be released on September 18 via eOne. Frehley has released two songs from "Origins Vol. 2" thus far: a cover of the classic THE BEATLES track "I'm Down", featuring a guest appearance by ROB ZOMBIE guitarist John 5, and a rendition of DEEP PURPLE's "Space Truckin'". "Origins Vol. 2" also features cover versions of LED ZEPPELIN's "Good Times Bad Times", THE ROLLING STONES' "Jumpin' Jack Flash", THE KINKS' "Lola" and THE JIMI HENDRIX EXPERIENCE's "Manic Depression", among others. A cover of the 1975 KISS tune "She" also appears as a bonus track. Guests on the set include CHEAP TRICK's Robin Zander, Lita Ford and former KISS guitarist Bruce Kulick.