Eddie spoke with former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent at the the Atlanta KISS Expo on January 19th. Vincent discusses his life, his time in KISS, and his possible return to the music business, listen to the discussion below.
Vinnie Vincent joined KISS in 1982, replacing Ace Frehley. As the “Ankh Warrior,” he toured with the group in support of Creatures Of The Night, on which he played lead guitar on six songs prior to becoming an official member of the band. From there, KISS wrote and released Lick It Up — their first album without makeup — in 1983, a recording on which Vincent co-wrote eight of ten songs, including the title track, which remains a staple of the group’s live performances to this day.
14 Responses
Great interview!
Was looking forward to this. Thanks for getting it up so quick.
The other interview online was the verbal equivalent of one of Vinnie’s solos – once you pay attention you realize he’s not saying much. That interviewer threw him a couple of softball questions and the audience seemed content with just seeing him rather than getting their money’s worth for the VIP package they must have spent a small fortune on (a lot seemed to have come from Australia and Europe, to boot).
So kudos to Eddie for politely but subtly not letting VV change the subject!
At this point, what VV is choosing to be specific about and what he’s dancing over isn’t surprising, and if he’s going to re-connect with Gene in some way, he presumably won’t say anything more critical about Kiss.
Jake E. Lee’s return from isolation was far more informative, and so far, more musically rewarding.
So VV dislikes Slaughter and Strum’s contributions?
The restraint he shows on the All Fired Up album is the reason I preferred it to the first VVI. Had that arrangement lasted, maybe Yngwie would have followed by example and learned to write better songs.
Unfortunately, the reverse happened.
First John Sykes, now Vinnie Vincent? Eddie could get an interview with Bigfoot! This was a great interview, and a great chance to hear from Vinnie, who was gracious, humble and had no problem admitting past mistakes. I can’t wait to hear the full interview (if Vinnie decides to do that). I didn’t know that Vinnie co-wrote so many KISS songs, or his singing abilities (or his love of the Honeymooners!) His comments about social media were hilarious (and true). Who knows, he may have some amazing music that we’ve yet to hear. The more I hear, the more I don’t like Paul Stanley.
Nice to hear the interview here without having to wait for the podcast. I don’t subscribe to SiriusXM, I refuse to pay for radio, commercial-free or not, TV is one thing, but radio? Nope! That’s where I “Draw The Line!” 😉
I agree with Vinnie 100% about social media, does much more harm than good. Way too intrusive! Anyway, would love to hear a solo album from Vinnie, over 20 years of material just waiting to be heard! Sounds like he’s in a good place right now, hopefully he can stay there, and stays away from social media!