Ace Frehley Forgives Justin Hawkins for Calling Him a ‘C—‘
Ace Frehley says there are no hard feelings between he and Justin Hawkins after the Darkness frontman called the former Kiss guitarist "a cunt" during the Monsters of Rock cruise.
Both men performed at the event, which ran from March 2-7. Other artists on the bill included Joe Satriani, Quiet Riot and KK’s Priest. Discourse arose after Frehley was late for one of his sets, causing the Darkness -- who were going after him -- to be delayed.
“Let me tell you a little story,” Hawkins began when he finally hit the stage. “You’ll notice I wear a watch onstage. Some of you think… ‘He has to regard the time because he wants to get back and eat the prawn sandwiches in the dressing room.’ There’s a bit of truth in that. But I think the important thing about rock and roll is punctuality!”
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“Somebody overran and thus we were late coming onstage. I apologize to all of you,” the frontman continued, initially insisting he was “not going to name any names.”
“I think some of their rider requirements are a little bit difficult to source in the middle of the fucking Caribbean. One of those being wig adhesive!” Hawkins declared, then revealing: “I’m talking about Ace Frehley.”
Hawkins finished his rant with a loud and clear message: “I don’t give a fuck if you’re the biggest rock star in the world. You make the Darkness late, you are a cunt.”
You can see video of Hawkins' speech below, starting at the 1:25 mark.
Ace Frehley Has No Hard Feelings Towards Justin Hawkins: 'He's a Great Guy'
In a conversation with UCR's Matt Wardlaw, Frehley revealed that he and Hawkins became friends after the tirade.
“He’s hysterical. He’s a really funny guy. He just says crazy stuff out of left field," Frehley noted while discussing the Darkness frontman. "Justin came over to me and apologized and we shook hands. And we were just talking about my record and his stuff. We got to know each other a little. He’s a great guy.”
The positive vibes seem to be mutual, as Hawkins has spoken glowingly of Frehley's new album on his podcast.
"Whatever he said (on the cruise) that might have come off as off-color, I just let that slide," Frehley concluded. "Because I know deep in his heart he loves the record. So I just said, ‘I want to be friends with this guy.’”
Nastiest Rock Feuds
Gallery Credit: Matthew Wilkening