Ace Frehley recently shared his thoughts on Dimebag Darrell’s playing style and recalled a special moment with John 5 during his first Mötley Crüe show.
While Ace Frehley may not have been the flashiest or most technically precise guitarist of his generation, his raw talent and distinctive style made him a major influence on countless younger musicians. Frehley has often been humble about his legacy, admitting last year that he was a “sloppy fu**ing guitar player” and wished he’d practiced more given the impact he unknowingly had on future generations.
In a recent interview with Guitar Player, Ace expressed fondness for the guitarists who cited him as a hero, regardless of their musical backgrounds. Among them was the late Dimebag Darrell, with whom Ace became close friends. He fondly recalls spending time with Dimebag and reminisces about how the Pantera guitarist viewed him as a key influence:
“I was good friends with Dimebag. I actually spent a weekend at his home, and he was a good guy! He always said I was a big influence on him — but he played a lot faster than me. He was heavy metal. He played more speed metal than blues.”
Ace also humorously shared that Dimebag had his face tattooed on his chest: “Dimebag was a great guy, and he had my face tattooed on his chest. [laughs] And man, we had a lot of fun one weekend at his house!”
The conversation then turned to John 5, who Ace described as a dear friend. John 5, who had just joined Mötley Crüe at the time, reached out to Ace for moral support before his debut performance with the band. Ace recalled:
“John 5 is a dear friend of mine. He actually called me up, and he said, ‘I’m a little nervous about playing with Mötley Crüe,’ so he invited me for the first show. He wanted a little moral support. [laughs]”
Ace continued, describing a memorable backstage moment after the show in Atlantic City, New Jersey, where the three of them, including Mötley Crüe bassist Nikki Sixx, hung out together: “And then, me, him and Nikki were handing out backstage after the show.”
When discussing their playing styles, Ace contrasted his own approach with John 5’s technical expertise. He acknowledged that John 5 is far more versatile and skilled in a range of musical genres:
“But John is really technical. I mean… he can play anything. He can play stuff by Glen Campbell, and he’s just a really great, technical guitar player. He definitely surpasses me, you know? I just have one style. I can’t play 10 different kinds of styles — but John can play country, metal, and he can even play country. You know… he’s just an amazing musician.”
However, Ace noted that while John 5 excels in technicality, he remains more reserved on stage: “But for the most part, he pretty much just stands up there, whereas I kind of, you know, developed certain types of physical moves.”
Ace then reflected on his own early days with KISS, where he became known for his signature physicality and stage presence: “I remember that in the early days with KISS, I used to bend back really far, and I had all these sorts of physical moves and choreography with Kiss. And a lot of that was actually created by KISS’ first road manager, Sean Delaney, who had a big hand in getting us to do all those moves.”
These insights into Ace’s relationships with Dimebag Darrell and John 5 provide a deeper understanding of his musical journey, as well as his admiration for the generations of guitarists who followed in his footsteps.
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