Once they began lowering my dose, I started feeling the sting of withdrawal, but it was manageable. And it worked. I left Silver Hill without the physical craving for alcohol and drugs. My body was clean for the first time in several years, but my mind remained addicted to my old ways and lifestyle. I really wasn’t sure if I could follow through with a life of complete abstinence, but I was willing to give it a shot.
Please don’t misunderstand me. I really don’t want to sound like I’m preaching or making a stand against drugs and alcohol. The fact of the matter is, I don’t believe that there’s anything wrong with either of them. Unfortunately, in excess, they’re just not very healthy for you. But many people function quite nicely while using drugs or alcohol on a recreational basis. The trick is moderation. If you can handle it, go ahead. Knock yourself out! Believe me, if I could have just one or two beers I’d still be drinking today. I’ve accepted the fact that I can’t, and I’m finally okay with my decision.
That’s really the whole thing in a nutshell. I believe it’s a personal choice, and one that shouldn’t be taken lightly. The only reason I’m talking about any of this stuff is because I’m a celebrity, and have influenced millions of people over the years. I just want to set the record straight and tell it like it is:
This is what happened to me.
If hearing my story has a positive influence on someone—if they’re at a crossroads in their lives and decide not to go down the same path I did, and make some of the same mistakes—then that’s good enough for me.
COUGH SYRUP, FISH SANDWICHES, AND VOODOO
When I got home from Silver Hill, I felt a renewed sense of commitment to my music and career. The guys in KISS had been saying some pretty awful shit about me in the wake of my legal and personal problems. Talk about hitting a guy when he’s down. I usually just ignored it or used it as a motivating factor.
A fresh start was in order, and part of the process involved legally separating from my wife. Jeanette had decided to move on, and was involved in a relationship with a local guy. I decided to move out of Westchester and set my sights on the Big Apple. I chose a new high-rise on the Upper West Side. Living on the forty-third floor had its advantages. Not only did I have a spectacular view of Manhattan, but most of the hustle and bustle of the city was far below me. When the windows were closed, sometimes I even forgot where I was.
I was pretty familiar with the neighborhood, since Anton Fig and Lydia (Peter Criss’s first wife) lived only a couple of blocks away. My favorite Japanese restaurant was just around the corner and most of the restaurants in the area delivered. I liked the fact that, unlike in Westchester, you didn’t have to drive everywhere. You could walk to most of the stores, and other places were just a cab ride away. Studio 54 was closed by now and Manhattan wasn’t quite the pleasure dome it had been in the seventies. That was a good thing, since I hoped to spend most of my days writing and recording. Sometimes I’d go for rides in Central Park on my ten-speed bike or work out at the gym in my building. I really wanted to discover the healthy side of New York, and finally see how the other half lived.
Part of the plan was to reassemble Frehley’s Comet. The original lineup included Anton Fig on drums, John Regan on bass, Arthur Stead on keyboards, and Richie Scarlet on guitar, as well. That lineup recorded several demos and played some gigs in the tristate area in 1985.
My good friend Ed Trunk had an A&R position with Megaforce Records and approached me about a record deal. He introduced me to Jon “Jonny Z” Zazula, the label’s founder, and I decided to sign on the dotted line.
I recruited my favorite producer, Eddie Kramer, and we went into the studio and began cutting basic tracks. By this time I’d made some changes to the original lineup, dropping Arthur Stead and replacing Richie Scarlet with Tod Howarth, who had previously worked with Ted Nugent and Cheap Trick. Tod was from California, so he actually moved into my apartment temporarily while we worked on the record. I was intensely active with the first Frehley’s Comet record, coproducing with Eddie and writing or cowriting eight of the album’s ten songs. Before it was even finished I knew that I’d done some of the best work of my career, and I was looking forward to seeing how it was going to be received by the public.
After the album was finished, I spent several long days doing interviews in support of the record. On one particular day, Ed Trunk picked me up in a limo. He had scheduled several radio interviews in the New York/New Jersey area. In addition to his A&R duties at Megaforce, Ed was also a disc jockey at WDHA in New Jersey, and that was our last scheduled stop. During the course of the day I had taken a few tranquilizers to relax and had also forgotten to eat. To Ed’s dismay, I ended up passing out in the back of the limo. We were already running late, and he got very nervous when he couldn’t completely revive me. As we pulled into the station’s parking lot, I could see the panic on Ed’s face.
The limo was immediately surrounded by fans seeking autographs. What made matters worse was the fact that Ed’s boss was also there, waiting impatiently. I gestured for Ed to come closer, and I whispered two words:
“Fish sandwich…”
Ed replied, “What?”
“Two fish sandwiches! NOW!”
Upon my request, Ed instructed the limo driver to make a beeline to the nearest McDonald’s. Luckily there was one just down the road; when we arrived Ed sent the driver in with instructions and a twenty-dollar bill. I couldn’t help but laugh to see Ed making such a fuss. As usual, though, he had my best interests at heart. On the drive back to the station, he started feeding me one sandwich after another. By the time we got there, I was completely revived. Remarkably, I ended up doing a great interview. And to this day, Ed has never downplayed the rejuvenating qualities of a McDonald’s fish sandwich.
Frehley’s Comet sold over 500,000 copies and peaked at number 43 on the Billboard album chart. Critical response was strong, as well. The most successful single off the record was “Into the Night,” written by Russ Ballard, who also wrote “New York Groove.” But the song that has endured over the years and is loved by most fans is definitely “Rock Soldiers.” Cowritten by Chip Taylor (an accomplished musician and writer whose biggest hits were “Angel of the Morning” and the Troggs’ “Wild Thing”), “Rock Soldiers” was inspired by my ill-fated trip in the DeLorean but also evokes images of the crash that nearly killed me and Anton. It is, more than anything else, a song about rock star excess, and was written very honestly about my own life experiences, which, as it turned out, were far from over.
It was back in the summer of ’83
There’s a reason I remember it well
I was slippin’ and slidin’, drinkin’ and drivin’
And bringin’ me closer to hell
And the devil sat in the passenger’s side
Of DeLorean’s automobile
He said: Hey Frehley, Frehley let’s not be silly
There’s a life out there to steal
Rock Soldiers come
Rock Soldiers go
And some hear the drum
And some never know
Rock Soldiers! How do we know?
ACE is back and he told you so
With a trooper in the mirror
And Satan on my right
We went wrong way down a one way road
Hittin’ everything in sight
I cried I am invincible
Said I was high above the law
But my only high was just a lie
And now I’m glad I saw
Calling Rock Soldiers
You! Rock Soldiers
Calling Rock Soldiers
Hard Rock Soldiers
Hup! Two three four
Rock! Two three four
Hup! Two three four
Rock! Two three four
Friends say they’ll stay with you
Right through the danger zone
But the closer you get to that fiery hole
You’ll have to make it alone
&nb
sp; When I think of how my life was spared
From that near-fatal wreck
If the devil wants to play his card game now
He’s gonna play without an ACE in his deck!!
The video for “Rock Soldiers” was shot in Canada. We used about fifty fans as extras, all playing guitar along with us in the chorus. It was produced by Geddy Lee’s brother, Allan Weinrib, and I had a lot of fun on and off the set.
When we hit the road after the release of Frehley’s Comet, I couldn’t have been more excited. I toured the United States and Canada, and one of the shows that stands out in my memory was the night we played at the Beacon Theatre in New York City. I always enjoyed playing in old theaters, since the acoustics made everything sound that much better. And with a hometown crowd, the energy was just amazing. Several celebrities showed up for the show and after-party, including Paul Stanley and Atlantic Records president Ahmet Ertegun. I remember being greeted warmly by Paul at the party.
“Great show!” he said. And I believe he meant it. He was really happy for me. Ahmet seemed equally impressed with my performance. I was glad I finally got a chance to talk with such a legend in the recording industry.
While I was performing down in Florida, I had a chance meeting with a fashion model. We were playing a local theater in Miami and everyone was revved up for the show. We had arrived in town early, and I ended up hanging out by the pool, soaking up the Florida sunshine. I noticed a few models doing a photo shoot by the tennis court, but I didn’t pay much attention to it until I saw this really striking blonde. I had to get back to my room and get dressed for sound check, but before I left the pool I decided to invite all the girls in the photo shoot to the concert. They accepted the invitation and I quickly went back to my room and then headed over to sound check. We put on a great show that night, and after three encores the crowd still wanted more. I couldn’t help but notice the cute blonde I’d invited to the show, since during the concert her eyes were mostly focused on me. After I got back to the hotel, I couldn’t remember if the girls I’d invited were actually staying at the hotel. I did what I usually did in those days. I cleaned up and headed down to the hotel lounge to see if anything was going on. There I found Kim, the gorgeous blonde. We talked for a while and then I invited her back to my room, along with her girlfriend and Tod Howarth. After a few drinks, I left Tod alone with his newfound friend, and we headed over to Kim’s room, where I ended up spending the night.
The attraction between us was undeniable; amazingly enough, I discovered she lived only a few short blocks from me back in the Big Apple. When I got home we began dating, and by the end of the month we had decided to move in together. One of the fringe benefits of our relationship was that other fashion models were always visiting the house and sometimes spending the night.
On one weekend, one of Kim’s girlfriends stopped by, and I ended up shooting a video of the girls lip-synching to “Rock Soldiers.” They were both sitting in a small rubber raft in my living room, playing guitars in their underwear. We all had a great time that night, and over the years that video became affectionately known as “The Seahawk.”
While Kim and I were living together in New York, I began recording the next Frehley’s Comet studio album, Second Sighting. It was my only solo album on which Anton Fig didn’t play drums. Someone suggested using Jamie Oldaker, and when I learned that he had worked with Eric Clapton, I decided to give him a shot.
Megaforce also wanted me to put out a live video, so we flew over to England and recorded a live performance in London at the Hammersmith Odeon. Around the same time period, we also shot a video for “Insane,” the first single released off Second Sighting. It was shot at SIR studios in New York and featured more than a dozen models dressed up as nurses. I asked Kim to participate, and she agreed. Unfortunately, the pressure of touring eventually took its toll on our relationship, and we went our separate ways later that year.
Since Kim was out of the picture, I ended up spending a little more time with my other friends in the city. One day I went over to Anton Fig’s house and we started drinking. His wife was out of town on a trip, so… well, you know how it is: When the cat’s away, the mice will play!
I had previously given Anton a taste of my favorite cough syrup, and he enjoyed it as much as I did. I had just gotten a new prescription, and told Anton about this harebrained scheme I had concocted. Luckily there was an empty bottle lying around, which was all I needed to complete the task. We took a walk down the street to the local pharmacy to see if it would work.
In those days cough syrup bottles were made out of glass instead of plastic. I figured that after I had the prescription filled, I could quickly run around the corner and pour most of it into the empty bottle, then smash the original bottle inside the bag, and immediately run back into the pharmacy yelling, “I almost got killed by a fuckin’ cab.”
Upon handing the pharmacist the paper bag, which was dripping with cough syrup and broken glass, I asked him if he could please replace it. This entailed a little bit of further acting by me, but after a few seconds of deliberation, he bought the story. He handed me a freshly filled bottle and we headed back to Anton’s place, laughing at our good fortune.
“I can’t believe it fuckin’ worked!” Anton exclaimed. And for the rest of the evening, we had twice the fun.
In support of Second Sighting, we went out on the road with Iron Maiden, but they canceled the tour prematurely. The last show was in New Orleans, and the band and crew boarded the tour bus back to New York. I never enjoyed taking long bus rides, so I opted to stay behind and fly out the following day. I was feeling a little down since the tour had ended so abruptly, and by the time I got back to the hotel my feelings of despair had escalated. I started drinking and took some sedatives to relax.
As far back as I can remember, I had always sensed a strange voodoo vibe in New Orleans. It was nothing tangible, but being a sensitive guy I could pick up on that kind of shit. As the evening progressed, I became really fuckin’ depressed; by midnight I was toying with thoughts of taking my own life. Everyone, from time to time, has experienced moments of despair and sometimes even fleeting thoughts of suicide, but this was different. It was something I couldn’t shake, and I almost felt possessed.
In my darkest hour, I remembered that I could always draw strength from a higher power. I was brought up in a religious household, and even though I had stopped going to church regularly a long time ago, I still kept in conscious contact with God. I opened the drawer of the nightstand and reached for the Bible. As I began reading some of my favorite passages, all the feelings of hopelessness began to dissipate, and eventually I came to my senses. After saying a few prayers, I fell asleep. I woke up the following day and thought to myself, What the fuck was I thinking?! Thank God for Gideon!
In 1989, I went back into the studio with Eddie Kramer to record Trouble Walkin’. I decided to bring back Richie Scarlet on guitar as well as Anton Fig on drums. The album also included some very special guests—most notably Peter Criss, along with Sebastian Bach, Dave Sabo, and Rachel Bolan from Skid Row. My old friend Eddie Solan (KISS’s original sound mixer) assisted Eddie Kramer in the production process, and my buddy from the Bronx, Peppy Castro of the Blues Magoos, added some great background vocals. I also invited Eric Carr to play drums on one track, and he instantly accepted. He was really excited about the prospect of working with me again. Unfortunately, a few days later, I received a phone call from Eric, who sounded very upset. He informed me that Gene and Paul were opposed to the idea; therefore, he had to regretfully decline the invitation. I was also upset, as Eric’s situation brought back unpleasant memories of how fucked up they could be at times.
The album’s first single was a cover of the Move’s song “Do Ya,” and I had the pleasure of shooting the video at the historic Apollo Theater in Harlem. I also covered a track called “Hide Your Heart,” which was written by Desmond Child, Holly Knight, and Paul Stanley. During the mixing proces
s I received an interesting phone call from Gene Simmons. I couldn’t believe he had the balls to request that I take my version of “Hide Your Heart” off the record. His reasoning was that they had recorded a version of it as well and were planning on releasing it as the first single off their new album. I informed him that I had invested a lot of time and money in the recording process and was thrilled with the results, so I wasn’t about entertain his request. I was dumbfounded. Un-fucking-believable!
After the release of Trouble Walkin’, I embarked on a successful tour, during which it was a real treat performing again with Richie Scarlet. I opted not to record another studio album for quite some time, although I continued performing live on the “Just 4 Fun Tour” in 1992 and the “Kick Ass Tour” in ’94.
During this period, I began spending much of my downtime in Danbury, Connecticut, hanging out with Richie Scarlet and his circle of friends. I was introduced to a cute hairdresser named Colette, and we began spending a lot of time together. Colette was good friends with Richie’s wife, Joanne, and we all enjoyed hanging out and having a few laughs. Eventually, Colette and I decided to get a place together.
One Sunday afternoon, while we were out a ball game, I locked my keys in my 4x4. I had to smash the side window to unlock the door, and when I got home I sealed the hole with gaffers’ tape and quickly forgot about it. The following night I hung out with Richie and some other buddies at a local bar. We ended up leaving around closing time. The cops must have been staking out the place and watching my SUV, thinking it might have been stolen because of the broken window. I got only a few blocks from the bar when I spotted flashing lights in my rear-view mirror and was directed to pull over. My survival instincts kicked in; without even batting an eye, I threw my push-button knife and a vial of coke under the rubber floor mat.
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