News Archive July 2011

Decibel Geek Podcast: Vinnie Vincent Special
From: Decible Geek Podcast
Posted: July 1, 2011

I think Hell has officially frozen over!

This episode is a long time coming and I hope it will inform people that have always wondered "What the hell happened to Vinnie Vincent?"

The show begins with a quick recap of how I had the seedling of an idea of finding out what happened to Vinnie Vincent and turning it into a writing project. What began as a quick idea that would make an interesting magazine article snowballed when I received so much information from so many angles that I began to entertain thoughts of turning the story into a book.......then, I got realistic. A book at this point in time about a recluse guitarist who's 15 minutes of fame ended in the 1980's just wasn't practical; no matter how much I loved his music, songwriting, and intriguing story.

I launched the Decibel Geek podcast when I remembered how much fun it was to interview some of the people that I grew up listening to and artists of today that I dig. I had already conducted some interviews for the Vinnie Vincent project at the time and figured I could use some of those and add some new ones for a big episode on Vinnie.

Little did I know at the time that Vinnie Vincent was about to be a public figure again in a big way; not one of his own choosing. From seemingly out of nowhere, Vinnie Vincent appeared on TMZ due to being arrested for a domestic violence episode with his wife. Within 24 hours his mug shot was all over the place; the first photo seen of him in almost 7 years!

The 2 years that I've spent researching this troubled virtuoso's history has been uplifting at times (when discovering his music post-KISS) and depressing at others. This episode of the Decibel Geek Podcast seeks to give a glimpse into what some of Vinnie's peers over the years have experienced working with KISS' former Ankh Warrior and provides me with a chance to speak as a voice of the fans who are trying to navigate this strange situation.

Joining me in part 1 of this Vinnie Vincent Special are former WASP, Steeler, & SIN bassist Rik Fox who shares with me his shock at, what he claims, was his song being ripped off by the Vinnie Vincent Invasion shortly after letting Vinnie and band mate Dana Strum listen to his demo and the icy reception he received when trying to settle the dispute.

Also joining me is Keli Raven, a veteran Los Angeles musician that was breaking into the scene back in 1991 and worked with Vinnie Vincent on the still-unreleased Guitars from Hell album. Raven also was involved with some of the music for writing sessions for KISS' Revenge album and was witness to Gene Simmons & Vinnie Vincent's creative process. Unfortunately, Keli states that Vinnie continuously lived up to a bad reputation that he had built by that time.

This episode is just the tip of the iceberg and will leave you wanting to hear more (we hope!). Part 1 of the Vinnie Vincent Special is your ticket to a behind the scenes look at one of the most intriguing rock personalities of the 1980's. Get ready for an audio Invasion!

- Chris Czynszak