This article says that Vinnie was paid $2,000-a-week during his time with Kiss. Is that true?

http://www.metalsludge.tv/home/index.ph ... &Itemid=42

I think so and they wanted to half that for lick it up tour so vinnie was saying. He would have royalties on top of that. My feeling is kiss most likely said we don't want vinnie but if he will do it for $1000 a week we will keep him. Just a guess.

Don't forget ace and peter were owners of the band with paul and ace and creatures tour was a big disaster.

It was most likely a move to keep the band afloat. The tours and everything were not bringing in the $$$, yet, but if Vinnie could have stuck it out they could have all been rich 80's rock stars. Instead Gene and Paul got rich again with the reunion.

Bruce took a pay cut for a year, after which they put it back to the same level or higher. Kiss had the name but not the fame for quite a while there. They struggled while newer bands who weren't linked to 70's dinosaurs got huge.

God, in 1983/84 a thousand a week is damn good to tour and play guitar. I'd do that today!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yes.. people listen to Vinnie say how he was under paid playing for a mega band. But in reality Kiss was struggling big time and 2000 a week in 1981 was 5200 a week adjusted for inflation. He was making 104,000 dollars a year plus royalties and per diem, ate and lived free on the road in 81. I laugh when he says he was forced to live in a crap hotel. He could have taken his hotel per diem spent 40 bucks of his own cash and stayed in a fantastic place. He had nothing to cry about.

Take Eric Singer, the guy treats it like a job has made great money as a touring musician and is not bitter. And from every interview I have seen seems like a down to earth practical guy. Hes 53 and still gets to play to mega crowds and do what he loves. People give him crap for sucking up to Gene and Paul, but thats who he works for, to me he just comes off grateful to be able to do what he loves and make a very nice living at it.

Vinnie could not look past the next week, he could never see the potential income of writing and touring with Kiss long term. It was I want it all I want it now. The same attitude has plagued his career or lack of all a long.

The sad truth is 90% of musicians work for less than minimum wage most there life at a profession that takes the same study time as a brain surgeon. And take crap for half of it for making the best of it if they do get lucky.

I make more money doing guitar repair than I have ever made playing once the chips were counted at the end of a tour or even a local club. and get looked at side ways when I don't agree to play for basically nothing.

So I have very little room sympathy wise for the musician that got a shot at a great career and screwed the proverbial pooch. And I am not talking about someone who did the right things and got ripped off.

Again, I'm probably remembering this wrong from the KISS AND SELL book, but I think Eric and Vinnie were each making $4,000 per week and got it cut to $2,000.

PW has got it all right:
- even $2,000 per week is a good salary for a working musician. They also got a daily allowance, free meals, free accommodations and free travel. Not to mention playing in front of hundreds of people to even thousands of people every night. AND he got royalties for the songwriting on top of all of that. If he would've played his cards right, he could've made cash from endorsement deals and merchandising as well.
- Keep in mind NOBODY likes getting a pay cut, even people making a nice salary. Most of us base our lifestyle around the income we make. To have that cut in half means you have to cut your lifestyle in half. I'd still take that amount TODAY to play drums in KISS!!!
- I don't blame Singer OR Thayer for taking the gigs. They are just working stiffs like the rest of us. They have to put food on the table. I blame Gene and Paul...and Ace and Peter too...for killing one of the most beloved bands in history.

Yeah my mistake $4000 a week creatures tour and cut to $2000 lick it up which vv didnt like. Thats great money for someone who didn't have a career in his 20s and didnt start his own band.

Plus he would never have gotten a signiture guitar made I'd he wasn't on kiss plus free equipment and would not be able to sell demo cassettes for $1200 if he hadn't been a member of kiss. He should be thanking kiss everyday for the potential he was given by them choosing him to replace ace.

Cusano got a shot at something none of us ever will, fucked that first shot up in Kiss, got a second chance in Kiss and pissed that one away, then got a third shot with VVI and shit that down the drain.

Vinnie just couldn't see the big picture and still can't from what I've seen. At 40 years old, nowadays I'm just happy to be able to play covers (with the occasional original thrown in) and make just as much if not more money than I did busting my ass in dead end mill jobs while trying to push original material. "Beating the man" is now my idea of success (no I'm not a prostitute on the side) cause if I'm gonna have to struggle to get by at least it's something I have a passion for and not sweating my balls off making somebody else rich and STILL being poor at the end of the day.

Ok, enough rambling...

Yeah. And more than ever we are entering a world where thr next Beatles would probebly have to have day jobs. Those guys in.the 80s even smaller bands were lucky as hell compared to.today.

If vv had built up.a band with a following before he joined kiss I would say he should have been paid without a pay cut but hr came from noehere, I am.sure kiss would have still used him as a songwriter if he hadn't have gotten the gig and from the exciter solo he would have been missed but that solo was great and not vinnie.
Actually vv may have had a longer gig with kiss as a writer only.

doublev2 wrote:Yeah. And more than ever we are entering a world where thr next Beatles would probebly have to have day jobs.

♪ "We all work at the Yellow McSubmarine" ♪

Smiley on my face

PinkWiz wrote:Cusano got a shot at something none of us ever will, fucked that first shot up in Kiss, got a second chance in Kiss and pissed that one away, then got a third shot with VVI and shit that down the drain.

Vinnie just couldn't see the big picture and still can't from what I've seen. At 40 years old, nowadays I'm just happy to be able to play covers (with the occasional original thrown in) and make just as much if not more money than I did busting my ass in dead end mill jobs while trying to push original material. "Beating the man" is now my idea of success (no I'm not a prostitute on the side) cause if I'm gonna have to struggle to get by at least it's something I have a passion for and not sweating my balls off making somebody else rich and STILL being poor at the end of the day.

Ok, enough rambling...

PW, Wonderful post. It sucks when you always do the right thing and still struggle. Might as well enjoy yourself.

I understand that Kiss werent that popular in the 80s but didnt they still sell 12 million albums?

1031 wrote:People give him crap for sucking up to Gene and Paul, but thats who he works for, to me he just comes off grateful to be able to do what he loves and make a very nice living at it.

When joining Kiss I think you have to accept that Gene and Paul are the bosses. They have been hugely successful Jewish businessmen. I would just say, you guys are the experts, Ill come along for the ride.

PinkWiz wrote:Cusano got a shot at something none of us ever will, fucked that first shot up in Kiss, got a second chance in Kiss and pissed that one away, then got a third shot with VVI and shit that down the drain.

If they ever write a biography of Vinnie, thats all they are going to need to write. Short book though.

I think paying our to ace and peter ans maybe the fear the band was about to end may have been a reason . I know kiss got screwed by business managers stealing their money too.

The KISS company made bad investments, carried WAY too much overhead, spent money building premium offices, spent money on touring like it was water and all the while managers were helping themselves to more than they deserved, record sales slowed to a crawl, ticket sales for live shows were dismal, and merchandise was totally dead. On top of that, they were still splitting the money 4 ways with the originals AND paying nice salaries for Eric and Vinnie.

It was as classic a story as it gets. Poor musicians break. Money starts pouring in. They build an empire based on the notion that the money will keep pouring in like it has been...every year...forever. When it starts to fall apart, they refuse to change anything. Eventually most or all of the money is gone and all those people you were carrying are suddenly gone.

poserboy71 wrote: Might as well enjoy yourself.

yes, as cliche as it sounds, at the end of the day that's all that matters. it just took me twenty years to smarten up and take a different approach to find some happiness.

PinkWiz wrote:

poserboy71 wrote: Might as well enjoy yourself.

yes, as cliche as it sounds, at the end of the day that's all that matters. it just took me twenty years to smarten up and take a different approach to find some happiness.

This philosophy reminds me of a song...


[youtube][/youtube]

Any excuse to listen to Heart

KissMyAss wrote:

PinkWiz wrote:

poserboy71 wrote: Might as well enjoy yourself.

yes, as cliche as it sounds, at the end of the day that's all that matters. it just took me twenty years to smarten up and take a different approach to find some happiness.

This philosophy reminds me of a song...


[youtube][/youtube]

Any excuse to listen to Da' Mule

Fixed that for ya KMA....

1031 wrote:

KissMyAss wrote:

PinkWiz wrote:

poserboy71 wrote: Might as well enjoy yourself.

yes, as cliche as it sounds, at the end of the day that's all that matters. it just took me twenty years to smarten up and take a different approach to find some happiness.

This philosophy reminds me of a song...


[youtube][/youtube]

Any excuse to listen to Da' Mule

Fixed that for ya KMA....

That guy can play the blues. Thank you for posting.