In a new in-depth interview with Billboard about the KISS brand and merchandise empire, frontman Paul Stanley touched on rumours that the band was planning to reunite with Ace Frehley. Following is an excerpt from the discussion:

Q: I saw something in the paper about Ace willing to join back up again, any original members reunion possibilities?

Stanley: "No. And that's not coming from any place of animosity. I sang on Ace's most recent album and did a video with him. I have the connection and the reconnection and to celebrate the good things we've done together is terrific. The band as it is—I've played with Eric Singer for I think 25 years and Tommy's (Thayer) been in the band probably 15 years at this point. I have no thoughts of re-visiting the past. With that said I am happy to enhance or do whatever I can for anyone who has helped put me where I am, but that doesn't include getting hitched again to somebody I unhitched from."

Q: Would you ever have guessed you'd be doing this for 43 years?

Stanley: No, because there was no precedent. I hoped for five years because that was the norm. Bands didn't last decades. The era before us was an era, for the most part, of teen idols and they lasted until the audience got tired and then they were served a new teen idol. It was a very different situation when those people were singing the songs of songwriters as opposed to writing songs that reflected their own experiences. Once artists began to write their own tunes then anything is possible. As long as you reflect your audience you can continue." 

Go to this location for the complete interview.

In 2016, Frehley released, via 95.5 KLOS, a video interview shot on set immediately after the video shoot for his cover of Free’s 1970 hit “Fire And Water” featuring Paul Stanley. The six minute clip was the first time the two have been interviewed on camera in over 15 years. The last time the two sat for an interview was during the KISS farewell tour in 2002 in Australia.

The video notches itself into rock and roll history as the first time both Frehley and Stanley appear in a music video since KISS’ music video for “Psycho Circus” released in 1998. It’s also the first time in 14 years that the two shared a stage since KISS’ appearance at the 2002 Winter Olympic Games in Salt Lake City. Finally, it’s the first time Frehley has released a music video since 1989, which was Frehley's cover of "Do Ya" released by both The Move and ELO.

Frehley cracked the U.S. top 10 with his latest effort Origins: Vol. 1 charting at #1 on the Billboard Hard Music Chart, #3 on the Billboard Rock chart and #6 on the Billboard Current Chart selling more than 16k units in its first week of release according to Nielsen Soundscan. Internationally, the LP most notably came in at #2 on the Sweden Hard Rock Charts and #05 on the England Indie Album Breaker Charts.

Origins: Vol.1 and its success serves as the follow up to Space Invader, which debuted at #9 on the Top 200 Chart in 2014, the same year Ace Frehley was inducted into the Rock And Roll Hall Of Fame as an original member of KISS.

Ace Frehley released Origins Vol. 1, a collection of 12 newly recorded classics from Ace’s formative years featuring some of the biggest names in rock and roll on April 15th. This collaboration marks the first time that Ace and Paul appear on the same studio recording since KISS' 1998 reunion album Psycho Circus.