Frehley last year said Thayer was just a "guy up there copying me," and fans have long accused Thayer of planning to oust Freely and land his dream job. Thayer tells the Newcastle Herald: "It's funny because people have always said, 'Oh Tommy, you had a grand design,' or, 'You planned this out perfectly and you're so smart,' and all this sort of thing. But it really didn't work out that way."

His first gig with the band was in 2002 when Frehley refused to play at a private show in Jamaica. Thayer adds: "Doc McGhee, the band's manager, had called me and said, 'The other guy's not gonna show up for this gig, we know that now for sure, so we want you to make sure to be ready to play and come down and don the make-up, put the Spaceman outfit on and do this gig.'