In a recent radio interview, GENE SIMMONS was asked if he would ever consider performing with ACE FREHLEY and PETER CRISS again.  And he said NO.

--Gene added, quote, "Ace and Peter were great for the beginning of the band, but it would be the death of the band with Ace and Peter today.  They were both equally as important as PAUL [STANLEY] and I for the beginnings of the band . . .

--"But not everybody is designed in their DNA to be a marathon runner.  They were short-distance runners . . . but we have to take it to the next level.  We've been doing this for 40 years.  Physically, neither of them could do what we do.

--"You've gotta 'be there,' with no dark clouds over your head, no drugs or alcohol in your system.  They were fantastic for the beginning of the band, and that's the chapter they should [remain] in."

(--The interview was with Big 100.3 out of Washington, D.C.  There's audio at WashFM.com.  You can skip ahead to the 2:40 mark.)

(--Earlier this year, Paul said the same thing.  He said he "loved them for what they created together" . . . but they've become "impossible and intolerable" . . . mainly due to their respective substance abuse problems.)