An interview with Bill Baker

Alex : Hi Bill. .first of all let me say thanks for your time to place this interview for our web site so all south American fans know you better …  

 BB: You’re welcome! Thank you for asking me!  I’m not up on the current Kiss happenings, so I can’t comment on much of that. I didn’t like “Psycho Circus”, and if Ace had listened to me and not sold his “Spaceman” character to Gene, it would have been him playing with the symphony, and not Tommy. I just don’t like Kiss with substitute players. I LOVE old KISS!! There is no better. 

Alex: Bill tell us.. where are you from ¿  how long  have you  been KISS fan ?

BB: I was born in 1965 and have lived in New Jersey all of my life. I caught onto KISS in 1976, when “Destroyer” came out. Then I heard the “Alive” album and I just loved it. The first record I owned was “Love Gun” and when I heard “Shock Me” I became a big fan. I loved the guitar leads that Ace played. I thought that Kiss was better than Alice Cooper, Ted Nugent, Aerosmith, and the other bands out there.

Alex: Do you remember the first KISS time you saw KISS? Do you still keep some memories of that concert ?

 BB: I never got to see them in the early days. Only for the reunion tour, and that was only 2 times. The first time I saw Ace play was in ’92 for his “Just for fun tour” in Baltimore, Maryland. My friend’s band opened up, and I got to ride there with them. It’s a great memory because I got to introduce my friends to Ace. Ace also gave me a Les Paul Junior to take home and refret for him that night. (Replace the frets in the neck.) It was my first repair I did for him.

Alex: How do you decided to became a KISS collector as well as Ace collector Memorabilia ?

BB: I was always collecting things my whole life. Kiss was my first real musical interest, so I collected the magazines, the records, the posters, and whatever I could find. I didn’t have much. I started to collect seriously much later in life, when I met Ace in 1990. Then I got things from him and also found things at conventions or from other people that worked with him.

Alex: At that time ...Do you were a big KISS and Ace fan? Or was growing up as long as your collection was getting bigger?   

BB: Knowing and being friends with Ace helped my collection a lot. I started doing his guitar work, and would trade services for memorabilia. I would ask him if he still had certain things, or he would tell me things that he still had. I took out loans on my credit cards to buy things from him when he needed money. He was my friend and I wanted to help him. He wasn’t touring and wasn’t making much money.

Alex: As far as I concern ... you decided to collect all about Ace memorabilia… Why Ace? How did you get this special feeling for Spaceman ?

BB: I liked his guitar style. I liked his sound, and I liked his look. I felt that I was similar to him in looks. I liked the silver jewelry and the Les Paul Guitars. I liked his songs.

Alex: Do you remember which was the first amazing item that made you feel excited?

BB: The first item I got was his personal WASHBURN GUITAR. It was used in the magazine ads and the Frehley’s Comet  video “Into The Night”.  I met Ace’s friend Al Romano at the 1990 Kiss Convention, and he was selling the guitar for Ace. I jumped at the chance and traded Al a rare MARSHALL speaker cabinet for the guitar. I had to bring him the cabinet the next day, and he invited Ace over to meet me, and because both Ace and I like Jimi Hendrix, we hit it off. I promised to make him some copies of rare tapes I had, and he called me the next day looking for them. From there we became friends. I did guitar and amp work for him, had the Ace Frehley Tribute Band “FRACTURED MIRROR”, and set up museums at KISS Conventions. One of my favorite items was his original “Smoking Les Paul” that I once had, but is now in the collection of a good friend along with the full LOVE GUN costume as seen in the famous poster from 1977.

Alex: It could be very important for KISS collectors to know which was your most important acquisitions . What are some of the rarest pieces you have in your collection?

BB: I had the LOVE GUN costume, the DESROYER costume, the jacket he wore on the field in Cadillac, Michigan, I had a smoking guitar, his KISS MARSHALL AMPS, guitar straps, t-shirts, you name it! I still have his “VELENO” guitar from the “Circus” magazine photo shoot in the 70’s, and I still have the “star” earring worn on the cover of the first KISS album. I don’t have the collection I used to anymore. I still have some original paperwork and signed contracts as well as signed posters, flyers, and other unique items as well as over 5000 unpublished photos. I just recently sold his guitar strap from the “Dynasty” tour. 

Alex:  We know that collecting memorabilia gave you the chance to run KISS expos.. Could you please tell us how many expos did you run?’ what kiss conventions have you attended?

BB: I attended many of the New Jersey Expos, but I didn’t run them, my friends did. My band “FRACTURED MIRROR” played for 6 years (1993 through 1998). I had museum displays at many of them, and I once did an Ace only display in Detroit, Michigan in 1995, which was also the last time Ace and I ever hung out.

Alex: Do you like to share with us some funny or unusual stories ? something to remember with nostalgia

BB: Ace used to use my name to check into hotel rooms from 1993 to 1995 and it would sometimes cause confusion. Also, one time at a show when my hair was just like his, someone came up to me and wanted me to sign their KISS records. I asked them why, and they persisted. They thought that I was ACE!!  The picture that they had of Ace was touched up, and looked more like me than Ace! When Ace was signing autographs at the end of the night, I pointed out to him, “There he is”. He commented that the picture looked more like me than Ace. Also, one time Ace was driving us to lunch in his Lincoln, and we were listening to “The Jerky Boys” (phony phone calls), and he was laughing so hard and driving very fast, that we almost hit a bus, then as he avoided the bus, he almost hit a car, and then he pulled into the parking lot of the restaurant, he stopped laughing and said, “See what a good driver I am?” I was holding on for dear life and my blood was pumping!  One of my best Ace memories was when he called me at work after watching a video of “Fractured Mirror” and told me how much he enjoyed seeing it! He was actually at a friends house and they were watching it and he was really impressed with my performance. It made him laugh to see me stumble and move just like him. That was a great compliment.

Alex: Collecting KISS Memorabilia gave you the chance to get some personal satisfactions…Somehow  gave you the chance to meet Ace personally.  how did you became Ace’s buddy ?? 

BB: I met Ace through my friend Al B. Romano (Guitarist of band “Sun Red Sun”) at a Kiss convention.  Ace and I became friends in 1990. I was selling a portion of my Jimi Hendrix collection and used that money to  buy items from him.

Alex: Could you please tell us which items did you get personally from Ace?

BB: I got most of my items from Ace. Guitars, costumes, clothing, handwritten song lyrics, and anything else he had. He would call me when he found things and ask what it was from, or if I wanted to buy it. I would also ask him for certain things. I was “Archiving” it for the future, to possibly put a book of it all together. We had once both looked at an Elvis book about “Graceland’s” collection of Elvis memorabilia, and when Ace put his hand over the “GR” (it read: Aceland) I told him that we should start saving his things correctly for the future, and he agreed with me, and I would be the person  to preserve it all. I hope to put out my “Ultimate Fan Scrapbook” someday!

Alex: How can you describe Ace’s personality apart of Rock star role ? 

BB: He was a great guy and a very smart person. He was also under a lot of pressure and could be just like anyone else and have good and bad days. We never had a fight, though. He would even ask me advice on guitars and amps.  He also liked to call me on the phone and talk.  I still have the tapes from my answering machine of messages he left when I wasn’t home. That’s why it bothered me when he got back into KISS and I never heard from him again.  I last talked to him right after the Detroit Kiss Convention, and that was before the rehearsals for “Unplugged”. He never mentioned the reunion. I was never invited to go or even told about it. I wish I could have been part of it.

Alex: Did you get the chance to meet another KISS members ??if so .. Which was your first impression of them ?

BB: I met them all, and only Peter was the nice one. Bruce Kulick is also a very nice guy.

Alex: Are you still trying to get rare one of a kind items ¿ could you please tell us which was your last item ?

BB: I no longer collect Ace or KISS since 1996, I’ve been selling and trading it away only keeping very sentimental things. The first time I got to see Ace live in 1992,and he came out in a blue leather jacket, and that he gave to me and I still have it. I wore it in the Kiss movie “Kiss Loves You” by Jim Heneghan.   I now collect ELVIS, JOHNNY CASH, and old country 78’s and memorabilia, but not Kiss.

I own a shirt that Elvis wore, and I have about 12 of his concert scarves. I also have a black suit that Johnny Cash wore on stage and in a movie. I also collect movie posters, autographs, toys, and guitars.

Alex: Is this a job ..or a Hobby ?

BB: It’s a hobby. My job is repairing guitars. I got to refret Ace’s #1 Les Paul (Cherry Sunburst color), and as payment for doing such a good job, he gave me his first KISS costume, the “Eagle” shirt. That is also in another collection now.

Alex: Which is you favorite KSS album ¿ Ace’s favorite song ?

BB: “Alive” if I had to pick one album, but the first three are my favorites. Ace’s solo LP also .Song is “Watchin’ You” or “Parasite”.

Alex: Do you still go to KISS shows ¿? Do you like what they do now ?

BB: No more Kiss shows, just the conventions. I only like the old KISS and Ace’s past stuff. It was part of my growing up.

Alex: To finish Bill ..wouldn’t you like to bring someday your Ace’s museum for a KISS con in Argentina ?

BB: I would have a very small museum now, but maybe if I can get my Ace Book out I would? Can anyone out there help me find a publisher?  I HAD a deal and it was a phony one. I’ve worked for 2 years to put it together, and if I can get it out maybe I’ll tour to promote it!

Alex: Well Bill .. thanks so much for give us this interview , thanks for your kind words !!

Thank you for asking, and I’m sorry that it took me a while to get back to you! Watch for me in “Kiss Loves You”! Look for our original song, “Put it back on!”

If you know anyone that wants to publish my full color ACE BOOK, please let me know!!

Thanks a lot  Bill . . . All  of us are very grateful !!

Alex Menghi

KISS Fever Contributor

Special Thanks : All KISS Fever staff , and a very special thanks to Editors Managing : Matias Repetto