Maul Stanley: Other than Vinnie Vincent, you are the only living member of Kiss never to have been asked to rejoin the band. They even dressed Eric Singer as Peter Criss and hired their tour manager to play Ace Frehley before giving you a call. Do you think they're trying to tell you something?

Bruce Kulick: Well, if you ask me, it totally made sense to have Tommy Thayer join the band. Tommy and I are friends and I understand the whole situation. It actually had more to do with Ace's dysfunction than who they should use to replace him. There were more than few nights when it wasn't clear whether or not Ace would be showing up for a gig. Naturally, it's very hard for a band to function like that. Since Tommy was already on the road with them, it just made sense to say, "Put on the outfit, we don't know if Ace is coming." Plus, Tommy is an excellent musician and he was great in his Kiss tribute band. So once Ace left for good, it just made sense to have Tommy replace him.

I was actually quite relieved when they chose Tommy because I would've had a real moral dilemma if they'd asked me to do it. I mean, how exactly would that work? I'd spent 12 years in the band as Bruce, but now I'm supposed to be Ace? If I was wearing Ace's makeup and playing only Ace's material, that's just how I'd feel. Eric Singer didn't have as much history in Kiss, so that's probably why he was an easier fit. In my case, it would have been hard for me emotionally because I would have felt like, "Damn, what about my years?" So in that sense, I'm actually glad that they ended up choosing Tommy.