VINNIE ON JOINING KISS

[doublev2]

Well we have all heard the one story that VV was in the bath and got the call from Gene (After the creatures album was released). Well this is Vinnie's take. This means he would have been in the band way before Creatures came out, way before the Ace Creatures pictures and that would mean they were keeping it a secret. He says he was in new york reocording the 'Keep me Comin' solo which was the very last song to be recorded

Those times came back to me as if it were today. As the writing of the songs for the Creatures album developed and Kiss became more firmly implanted in the direction that was KISS, so was it discovered by the founding members that I was the right guitarist to record the album and possibly join KISS as the new guitarist. During the last stages of the Creatures of the Night sessions drew to a close, Kiss booked studios in LA and NY. I became more subject to the demand of the band's recording schedule and was requested to fly wherever the recording had been scheduled. The last song we recorded was "Keep Me Coming" where I was flown to New York to play the solo for the song. After I finished the lead guitar solo, it was evident the band members were thrilled and excited. I was scheduled to fly back to LA and Eric drove me to JFK airport so I could catch a flight back. As I was saying goodbye to Eric after our coffee, I remember him saying to me to "wait here." He made a call at the pay phone and came back to me where I was standing in line to board the plane. eric pulled me out of line and said "don't go, you need to stay here." Eric told me that Gene was going to call me shortly and so I waited by the pay phone. Finally Gene called me at JFK and asked me to be a member of KISS. He instructed me to go back to the hotel and wait word for what was to happen, which I did. Eric and I partied and had a great time that night. It was surreal but natural at the same time, if that makes any sense to you.

[doublev2]

i find the story strange, why did eric call gene at the airport and tell vv to wait? why would he know to call Gene? lots more questions, but it could be true but sounds odd.

he was told to wait but was in the line to board the plane???? if eric knew the number to call gene why would gene call the payphone ?

[PinkWiz]

That story makes me excited for Vinnie all over again. Maybe Eric himself wanted Vinnie in the band so he called Gene before Vinnie could board the plane and talked him into it?

[Vdog]

Sounds odd to me, but then everything does with this guy. Knowing how cheap Kiss liked to record I don't see Gene stopping him from going to the studio when he was needed. Eric seems to have pretty much waited for the very moment Vinnie gets up to go and says not to go ?


Odd, very odd. Love the photo though, a real bit of history there.

[doublev2]

The picture is from Brazil behind the scenes in 83.

[doublev2]

P.W.... Do you really think vv was hired way before the album came out? Were they not hoping ace would stay? Why would ace do the euro promo if vv was already in the band?

[Genebaby]

Oooh, good points Dino. As with Peter leaving, they really left until the last minute and there was nothing else to do but replace. Losing an original member was always unwanted and they seemed to be holding on to hope that Ace would not leave even through the Creatures Promo tour of Europe.

[Vdog]

P.W.... Do you really think vv was hired way before the album came out? Were they not hoping ace would stay? Why would ace do the euro promo if vv was already in the band?

Kinda hit the nail on the head there. It just wouldn't happen.

[ankh]

Ace already was on the leave before the european promo tour, they had to keep the fact hush hush because of the record contract they've signed in 1980, a very much profitable contract, where it was requested that the band should have had at least 3 original members.After the elder costed so much and then it bombed, Ace leaving would have had changed the terms.Ace went on the promo tour for friendship/ financial reasons.The group tried every way to convince Ace to stay,to avoid a financial disaster.When Ace officially quit,and after kKss sued their record company obtaining only a pittance of what they asking for,Polygram demanded the contract to be renegotiated.Just imagine, you pay an absurd amount of moeny to buy Casablanca, make a dea with one of the most popular bands in the world,you give them carte blanche for the new record-hoping that they will come with a hit record to burn the charts with, pay lot of money for the recording sessions , and then they got MFTE .Yet you have no choice but promote it.The record bombs, your deal ties you to the band and then -of all things- the band sues you for shlocking records.Raw deal, for sure.


Kiss were hoping that Ace would have stayed ,yes, but when it was clear that he didn't want any of it,they were forced to audition a new guitarist.Meanwhile the band was recording both the "killers" tracks- after a specific request from the record label- and the "cotn" albums.The auditions were taken during the recording time.Ace was asked back during the tour, to no avail.
Of course, since all this info came from different sources, please take everythign with a bit of salt like you need to do with every statment and interview from any of the band members.Thank you.

[doublev2]

I suppose they could have hired him for the tour then and their but seems like they.would wait to.see what happened .

[1031]

I am sure it was all contingency based. If Ace quits we need a back up plan so lets make a short list from the auditions . One of the things I find interesting is that if Ace's style of playing was out of touch with what they wanted, why keep him at all, even playing live. Obviously he was good enough to keep asking him to come back.

I have no doubt his playing suffered from the drug and alcohol abuse but it still makes you wonder. There were lots of hired guns to be had at any point.

[doublev2]

During the recording of keep me comin'

[Vdog]

Wow. very cool.

[PinkWiz]

P.W.... Do you really think vv was hired way before the album came out? Were they not hoping ace would stay? Why would ace do the euro promo if vv was already in the band?

You never know, Gene could've been covering his ass because he knew Ace wasn't going to stay no matter how much he begged. So he hires Vinnie behind Ace's back while asking Ace to do the Euro tour (and putting Ace's face on the album as not to piss off the record company.) It all works out for Gene in the long run so I could totally believe the story.

[doublev2]

Maybe, maybe not. He could have said your hired once ace leaves , but the phone call.at airport seems a strange story buy yeah it could be .

[erg2]

I think the time was so chaotic with so many things going on and it was 30 years ago...I doubt anybody remembers exactly what happened, exactly what was said or exactly where it all happened. I'm sure it's some mixture and Vinnie's recollection is something of an amalgam of different things.