Former KISS guitarist Vinnie Vincent says that he is open to the possibility of making an appearance during the band’s “End Of The Road” tour.
Vinnie 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.
Asked in a new interview with “Rock And Roll Experience With Mike Brunn” what he would say if he was approached to get up on stage with KISS during the band’s farewell tour, Vinnie said (hear audio below): “Well, it’s not something I’ve thought about lately. I think there was something that my lawyer had been in contact with them about a year ago. As far as I know, nothing came of it. And it wasn’t something I thought about — after that moment had passed, it wasn’t anything I thought about anymore.
“I don’t know what they’re doing. I don’t wanna assume anything — it’s not for me to second guess. It seems like they’ve got the band that they’re doing this with. I don’t know if they’re having past members play — I don’t know.”
After host Mike Brunn interjected that KISS has not yet played with any former members during the “End Of The Road” trek, Vinnie continued: “Well, that’s as far as my thoughts go with it. If this is something that they want to approach, all they’ve gotta do is give me a call, and we’ll take it from there.”
Earlier this month, 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.”
Vincent — who was a member of KISS when the band publicly “unmasked” in 1983 — made several public appearances last year after spending the past 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 1992, Vincent re-teamed with Simmons and Stanley to write three songs for their acclaimed album “Revenge”, including the record’s first two singles, “Unholy” and “I Just Wanna”. Their relationship quickly soured once again, however. Four years later, 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.
Vincent recently announced that he will host “Vinnie Vincent’s Merry Metal Christmas” on December 14 and December 15 at S.I.R. Studios in Nashville, Tennessee.
In April 2018, Vincent joined Gene 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.