Podkisst Interview w/Adam Mitchell

[WizKid]

Vic, you may want to leave this link in the General Vinnie Discussion section as there's quite a bit of talk about VV in this.



http://podkisst.com/?p=1218

I recently interviewed KISS co-writer Adam Mitchell for Podkisst. The reason I didn't use this interview for Decibel Geek is due to the fact that if it wasn't for Podkisst, I wouldn't have started my own show so this interview was a gift to them of my gratitude.

Adam, if you didn't already know, was a very big part of the KISS inner-circle starting around the time of the Killers album. He wound up writing a few songs for the Creatures album with Gene and Paul as well. Adam is also credited with introducing Vinnie to Gene Simmons at Adam's house. Or rather, Vinnie introduced himself at Adam's house (interesting story).

This is a long-form interview with Adam and he was very candid about his experiences working with KISS, his relationships with Gene and Paul, and his thoughts on why there was a strained chemistry in KISS while Vinnie was in the band. I appreciate him taking the time to talk to me.

Hope this interview will tide you over until the next Vinnie special that is due to be released in the coming days. Rock on!

- Chris Czynszak

[Genebaby]

Kick ass work Chris! As always I might add.

[Slayer]

Absolutely terrific interview Chris. Adam was so candid an it was very interesting that he didn't remember Vinnie playing anything on Creatures of the Night. It was also interesting that he seemed confused and didn't seem to remember that Mark St. John replaced Vinnie rather than Vinnie replaced Mark. I thought that you were gracious to not correct him.

Great job again Chris!

Kev

[doublev2]

Have not listened yet but I can not help thinking vv could have had a similar career to Adam as a writer, but now I am wondering if vinnie can write at all anymore.

[metatron]

[metatron]

Absolutely terrific interview Chris. Adam was so candid an it was very interesting that he didn't remember Vinnie playing anything on Creatures of the Night. It was also interesting that he seemed confused and didn't seem to remember that Mark St. John replaced Vinnie rather than Vinnie replaced Mark. I thought that you were gracious to not correct him.

Great job again Chris!

Kev

Ditto Kev. I was thinking the same thing which makes me think. & yer I know VV is a bad guy, but give him credit were it is due. Right know VV is the kid who cried Wolf. He can do not right (fair enough, he did this to himself), but I take everything with a grain of salt. In the music industry, everyone wants to be the guy that did this or that. Everyone wants to be a hero. & Gene & Paul being humble, please......
Great Great stuff Chris. You truly deliver the goods & you do it with class & as a gentleman.

[poserboy71]

AWESOME !!!!

[Slayer]

I really enjoyed this interview but it just seems weird that he didn't remember Vinnie playing on Creatures or that Mark replaced Vinnie for Animalize.

[ankh]

great work, kudos to ya!Also, the questions were spot on and the way the interview was going on was nothing short of brilliant.

Adam aliek you guys has siad, has been quite gracious about Vinnie ,especially emphasyzing how talented Vinne was as a player.And, at the same time, he was quite open in describing some behind the scenes about the group and G&P in a manner that others-not even the members of the band- did.Funnily enough what he talks about doesn't spoil the band at all-like they are still afraid of- but i think enhances the band look mucch more than the tired recycled clichès they are still tryng to promote.

I know that it is a touchy subject, i would have liked to hear Adam's opinion about the rumours regarding the turmoil happening when Eric was in the hospital.

[doublev2]

Still have not heard this as I an on the road with family. I know vv and adam fell out while writing for creatures.

[Possio]

it was an alright interview. The "dress thing" was confirmed which has been put
forward on this forum before, although few people could/wanted to quite believe it...
Dude wants to wear a dress... I´m all for it...whatever works for you...
I seem to sense some people want to belittle V´s songwriting talents, which, I think is
unfair. Like implying songs/ideas were just ripped off here or there, Maybe a few ideas were, but,
V did put it all together and made something from those ideas which is no easy task. Taste and execution.
Just my thoughts, /Olle

[doublev2]

I can not get it to play on my phone.. what is the 'dress thing'?

[erg2]

Vinnie showed up at a record company office wearing a dress. Confirmed by Adam. I'd heard this story a lot but always assumed it was one of those "urban legends" or fake stories perpetrated by some VV haters.

I really enjoyed the interview although the two halves had a lot of repeated stuff...but that can happen when you have a technical glitch and have to redo part of an interview.

I'm not sure how much faith to put into Adam's recounting of things that happened. He seems very confused about who did what, when and where. He definitely doesn't seem to be lying or exaggerating...it just comes off as someone who lived through it, didn't give it much credence at the time and is trying to recollect what he mentally tossed aside over 25 years ago.

The one thing I do not buy at all is that he recommended Vinnie to Gene & Paul...but warned them ahead of time that there would be personality conflicts. Then he says it's always been his opinion that personality will overcome talent every time. If he was really THAT aware of the potential issue(s), why would he recommend Vinnie to his close friends? That feels more like him trying to convince himself as much as the world that Vinnie had snowed them all.

[doublev2]

Thanks. Which record company dud he say?

[Possio]

also, a lotta talk about V sounding "like Ace but better"...come on, from a musician like Adam here...
V doesnt sound (and never) did sound anything remotely like Ace, for better or worse...

[Streetbeat]

also, a lotta talk about V sounding "like Ace but better"...come on, from a musician like Adam here...
V doesnt sound (and never) did sound anything remotely like Ace, for better or worse...

Maybe we never heard Vinnie on his "beck-ish" style , he never recorded something like that

[Possio]

yeah, well, I know what you´re saying but I have both the Treasure live show from Wolfg vault and
the Treasure Cd and altough "petatonic" and somewhat blues based I wouldnt say it is Ace´s style..
Way diff then what came later for sure for V but, still not the same blues stuff Ace was pulling.

Also, As a Beck fan myself, none of his (becks) solo stuff in the early 70ies like rough/ready, wired, blow by
has much to do with Ace F anyway. totally different feel. I love all 3 guitarist mentionen here but
I don´t think there´s much similarity betwe Ace and V.
V was already going for some Al Di meola/fusion stuff in his leads by 1977 so, not sure thats what Adams referring to.
Pretty sure V could copy Ace if he really tried (many people have successfully) to but thats another story, Hehe..
Anyway, this is just like my opinion Man , like the Dude says in Big Lebowsky!! haha.

[jesternjeff]

Mitchell didnt sound like he knew what he was talking about. Mixing up Mark St John before Vin ever joined and saying Vin sounds like Ace. His dad just died so maybe his mind was somewhere else.

[Slayer]

also, a lotta talk about V sounding "like Ace but better"...come on, from a musician like Adam here...
V doesnt sound (and never) did sound anything remotely like Ace, for better or worse...

AGREED!

[erg2]

So, it was a nice interview in general, but I don't really buy his take on "KISSTORY".

[shramiac]

Yeah, gotta agree with the last few comments.

You were good as per usual though Chris.

[Genebaby]

At least it's now been verified Vinnie has left the house in a dress. Speculation over, you don't get something like that mixed up.

[metatron]

At least it's now been verified Vinnie has left the house in a dress. Speculation over, you don't get something like that mixed up.

Maybe it was just a Dress-Shirt
[youtube][/youtube]

[poserboy71]

Let's just remember that a few of those Nashvillians might be a little backwards. Hillbillys consider anyone with hair touching their collar a woman.It doesn't help that he wears a makeup when he does leave the house.While it is highly possible that this is true, we have to accept this as another rumor unless we see it with our own eyes.

So far we have heard this from about FIVE different sources that are or have been close to Vinnie. All that hold ill feelings towards him. As far as music store employees and when Vinnie paid a late (water?) bill, I try not to give any validity to those stories even though the ladies at the court house said he has the nicest skin they have ever seen. I BELIEVE THAT because he is one dreamy sumbitch !!!!

I honestly don't care. The way I see it is that he loves the touch of a woman so much, that he wears their clothes.
If I could sprout a full-on vagina, I'd fuck myself non-stop.

[erg2]

I don't care if he wears a dress on occasion if that makes him happy. I left my small, corn-farmin', coal-minin' hometown for art school as something of a bigot. Imagine my surprise those first few weeks being introduced to so many "eccentric" personalities and alternative lifestyles. I was horrified...but eventually grew and matured and became lifelong friends with so many people I would've never accepted before. Now I look back at the young me and wonder how I could've even cared what someone does in private or if they choose to have a different fashion sense than I am used to?

[doublev2]

No the cross dressing doesn't matter but he flat out denied it on his board. I think he has multiple personalities , one was or still is Suzie q. I also believe he faked his own sister on his own board.. maybe he occasionally turns into his own sister... Just a thought.

[metatron]

At least it's now been verified Vinnie has left the house in a dress. Speculation over, you don't get something like that mixed up.

Maybe it was just a Dress-Shirt
[youtube][/youtube]

[erg2]

I absolutely love the first Nitro album, but HWDWS was a let down for me.
1) The non-Bobby Rock drumming just isn't the same. The songs suffer for it. And was that muscle guy in the video really the drummer or was he just an "actor" for the video?

2) The recording overall sounds cheap and tinny. Certainly even the first album was on the tinny side, but HWDWS sounds so thin to me.

3) I usually love cover versions that change up the style of the original song. CAT SCRATCH FEVER just doesn't work. The creative changes do not sound organic, they sound forced...like they picked a song they knew everyone would know and tried to figure out ways to add Nitro flourishes in a ploy to have a hit single. Instead of having a great idea for a cover of a song that fits their style. It just doesn't flow. They either went too far or not far enough.

4) The cover sucked.

[metatron]

Yer, but it features a Dress Shirt

[Possio]

yup Doublev2, I think you are on to something. Not to sound lika an amateur shrink here, but,
Actually I believe being able to go in and out of personalities might be a good thing for writing songs and stuff, where you write lyrics from somebody elses point of view of sorts, like an actor...Not so cool in real life thou. then it´s just plain weird.

[SherryBurke]

It was also exciting that he seemed puzzled and didn't seem to keep in mind that Indicate St. Bob changed Vinnie rather than Vinnie changed Indicate. I believed that you were grateful to not appropriate him.

[doublev2]

hi sherry burke can you introduce yourself. thanks .