When I Was A Kid, I Wanted To Be Ace Frehley

My first album that I owned as a kid was the Bay City Rollers. Considering this fact, it's amazing that I didn't turn to a life of crime. Fortunately, a friend of mine introduced me to KISS and my musical tastes would never be the same.

I was a child of the 70s. I grew up with Big Wheels, Evel Knievel and KISS. My mother bought me my first KISS album, a moment I'm sure she now regrets. I remember seeing a TV commercial for KISS Alive II and making the comment at how cool I thought the smoking guitar was and my mom decided to make it my birthday present.

Many of my friends who were KISS fans loved the band because of Simmons breathing fire and spitting blood. For me, it was all about Ace Frehley and his solo where the guitar appeared to catch fire and billow smoke.

The funny thing is most of the stuff of my childhood faded away. I quickly became too big to ride Big Wheels. Evel Knievel became old and stopped jumping stuff. But, my affection for KISS and my desire to be like that guy with the guitar on fire never completely went away.

So, the next time I say and/or do something completely ignorant, blame it on Ace Frehley. My desire to be like him started me down this path of radio infamy. Maybe today I will finally get around to trying to make my microphone catch fire and smoke as I end my show. Great news for our radio engineer!