Former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent gave an hour-long interview to Mike Brunn at the “May Metal Madness” event on May 29 at S.I.R. Soundstage in Nashville, Tennessee. You can now watch the chat below.
Asked if he ever felt there was a chance that he could rejoin KISS when Vincent was brought back into the KISS mix to co-write “Unholy”, “Heart Of Chrome” and “I Just Wanna” for the band’s 1992 album, “Revenge”, Vinnie said (as transcribed by BLABBERMOUTH.NET): “I think — I think… Those are very important two little words, because it’s me thinking this. But we formed this thing where we were… The Vinnie, Gene [Simmons] and Paul [Stanley]… The bond was getting there creatively. And we’re talking about at that time. In my humble opinion, in my heart of hearts, in my private world of my own mind, I believe that there was a moment where… Whoever was driving the car was gonna turn the wheel, but there was a moment where it could have easily happened where I would have been back in the band. But this is my opinion. Don’t take it as someone else’s opinion.”
Pressed about whether he have wanted to be back in KISS at that time, Vinnie said: “Yes and no. Yes in a big way, and, for my own little reasons, no. But yes in a big way. Of course, because we’re just a natural team. So, when you’re natural, it feels natural to you. If you have a boyfriend or girlfriend, and they feel so great to you, and you have such a great relationship in a certain way, what, are you gonna look for someone else? This person works for me. They know me; I know them; and it’s a great marriage. But maybe there’s something there that doesn’t work. So, it didn’t happen. But it could have. And I mean it really could have.”
By the time “Revenge” was released in 1992, Vincent‘s relationship with Simmons and Stanley had once again soured.
“Vinnie was up to his old tricks again,” Gene later said. “He reneged on a signed deal we had made and decided that he wanted to renegotiate. He eventually sued us and lost. As far as I was concerned, he was persona non grata forever.”
Vincent — who was a member of KISS when the band publicly “unmasked” in 1983 — made several public appearances in 2018 after spending the preceding two decades out of the public eye.
In 1983, KISS wrote and released “Lick It Up” — their first album without makeup — a recording on which Vincent co-wrote eight of 10 songs, including the title track, which remains a staple of the group’s live performances to this day.
Despite the album’s success, Vincent was fired by KISS after the “Lick It Up” touring cycle came to an end, allegedly due to a dispute over both the terms of his employment contract with the band and royalties. From there, Vincent founded VINNIE VINCENT INVASION, which recorded two albums.
In 1996, Vincent released a solo EP, “Euphoria”, which featured vocals by former VVI singer Fleischman and included material from sessions recorded around 1990. Soon after that, Vincent vanished from the public eye and remained off the grid for more than two decades.
In November 2019, KISS manager Doc McGhee claimed that all former members of the group have been contacted about possibly taking part in the band’s last-ever tour.
Prior to the “End Of The Road” launch, Paul Stanley and Gene Simmons weren’t very enthusiastic about the prospect of an onstage collaboration with Vinnie Vincent. “Now Vinnie, that’s one exception, and for so many reasons,” Stanley told Guitar World. “I would say that’s not someone who I want to celebrate.”
Simmons also chimed in, explaining that “it’s worth stating that Vinnie has sued the band and lost 14 times. I’m not here to cast any aspersions. He’s a talented guy. That’s why he was in the band. But would I depend on him to get up onstage and do anything? Never. … Can he come to the shows? Of course! Anybody can. But onstage? Never.”
In April 2018, Vincent joined Simmons at the KISS bassist/vocalist’s “Vault” event in Nashville, Tennessee. He later said in an interview that he felt that got “a cold reception” and was “treated very indifferently” by Gene at the event.
