Between 1984 and 1990, John Regan was a member of Ace Frehley’s band Frehley’s Comet. He died on April 7, 2023. Prior to his death, the bassist spoke with Metal Edge about his time working with Frehley. Metal Edge recently reprinted an interview with John Regan in which he discussed the first time he met Ace Frehley, whom he thought was difficult to work with. The bassist discussed his involvement in Frehley’s Comet, as well as what Ace required from those around him. Regan remembered: “Ace was always helpful to me. He wasn’t always easy to deal with, but we initially became friends, and the music came after.
I didn’t realize it at the time, but I later took on a sort of caretaking duty with Frehley’s Comet. And I understand why… Ace needed people around him to inspire him to stay strong. So that’s what I’ve attempted to accomplish since the beginning.” On the 1988 album ‘Second Sighting,’ which he recorded with Ace Frehley’s Comet, John Regan stated that Ace Frehley presented various hurdles, and they did their best to produce a solid album. He stated: “I believe we did the best we could given the circumstances, you know?” I’ll be honest: it wasn’t easy. Ace was Ace, and with that came a slew of difficulties. Tod and I tried our hardest to make a good record, but it was not well accepted. Was it, however, the correct record? I’m not sure I can answer that.
I suppose the sales indicate otherwise, but it was the best record we could make at the time. We did everything we could to keep something we all believed in afloat. We did it for ourselves as much as for Ace. “I don’t have any regrets.”Regan contributed bass recordings and backup vocals to Frehley’s Comet’s 1988 album, ‘Second Sighting.’ Because Ace Frehley was ill and suffering with substance misuse throughout the recording sessions, Tod Howarth played a larger part in the album with his vocals and composition. Ace Frehley recalled the days they were working on ‘Second Sighting’ in a 1990 interview with Rave-Up Fanzine: “I didn’t have a lot of new material, but Tod had written a lot of songs.” We were working on a tight schedule, so I only let him sing half of the songs. In addition, I was sick with bronchitis during the recording sessions, so I wasn’t as involved as I should have been. In short, it didn’t sound like an Ace Frehley record. It sounded like an Ace and Tod record. Unfortunately, many of my fans were not pleased.” Ace Frehley’s forthcoming tour dates were recently posted on his website. His trip will begin on June 30, 2023 and end on August 26, 2023.